Founders

Pioneers in the nautical industry

Mario Caponnetto and Francis Hueber have been pioneers in the development and use of numerical simulations codes and methodologies (CFD) in the nautical industry and in particular in the context of the America’s Cup where they set up the first Numerical Towing Tank in 2006 for Luna Rossa Challenge.

They have participated in the last 5 consecutive America’s Cup and have won 2 editions with Oracle Team USA (2010 and 2013) as hydrodynamics and aerodynamic designers and responsible of the Numerical Simulations (CFD).

Pioneers in flying boat AC72, the first flying yacht winner of the America’s Cup ( 2013). Caponnetto Hueber developed the aero package (pod, endplate, beams) which became the standard din flying catamarans (AC50 for the 34 America’s Cup, which became later the SailGP F50 design) They developed the first fully foiling 0-emission water taxi for SeaBubbles and have several ongoing projects to decarbonize the nautical and maritime industries.

After 12 years of collaboration, they created the company CAPONNETTO HUEBER SL in December 2016 to bring the technology, the creativity and the know-how developed at the highest level of the Yachting competition to the industries

Mario Caponnetto (ITA)

Technical Director

Born in Genoa in 1961, Mario is one the most respected naval architects and CFD experts in the yacht racing world. He felt in love with the wind, the sea and their behaviour as a sailor, achieving very good results in dinghies, as the 470, and rating yachts, winning the iconic Copa del Rey in Palma de Mallorca.

At the same time, he developed very soon his passion about the fluids and the way they affect to the boats, starting his career in the Italian Navy and being involved in one of the most iconics european projects in the history of the America’s Cup: Il Moro di Venezia (1992).

Since then, Mario is one of the most demanded professionals in the high performance context that make possible every edition of the America’s Cup, the cutting edge of technology. As a pioneer in the CFD and foiling design, he was part of the team who developed the wing sail of the spectacular ‘Dogzilla’ (Oracle 2010), the first foiling AC boats in 2013 and other amazing innovations. Mario has written dozens of papers about his passion and is an usual guest of the main forums in the sailing business, so he has became one of the most authorised voices in the maritime world.

Over the last 10 years, Mario has become one of the world expert in foil design and foiling yacht design.

Francis Hueber (FRA)

General Manager

Born in Paris in 1979, Francis’ life changed when a professor he had in his degree put him in contact with an expert to start an internship. The name of this expert was Mario Caponnetto, and the great connection that started between them arrives until today as equal partners.

As Mario, Francis has a solid background in sailing, and in particular in offshore and single-handle racing. In 2003, he participated in the Mini Transat Race: an atlantic crossing ‘old style’, without software or external assistance.

Hueber jumped into the America’s Cup world in 2004, with the Luna Rossa project for the 2007 edition in Valencia, the city that today has the headquarters of the company. Since then, he has grown up to the point that he is recognized as well as one the greatest CFD experts in this business. As CEO of Caponnetto Hueber, Francis manages the day by day of a company that is now bulding a better -and more effcient- scenario for the maritime sector.