Today we turn two years old: we want to stop just a moment and tell you more about the enthusiasm, the thirst for innovation, the commitment and the results that lead us to be what we are today.
Start-up life and the concept of time
One of the probably most distinctive aspects of a life as a startupper is the way time goes by: on one side, you couldn’t mention the amount of activities you completed in the whole day, which seems endless considering all the tasks carried out; on the other side, time flies so quickly that once you reach a goal, it is quite impossible to enjoy it, because you immediately have to face another deadline.
“There is no more time”
However, it’s fundamental taking stock of the situation, because it helps to understand if the direction traced since the beginning it is still the right one, if a change of course is required, as well as if there is need to improve, modify or eliminate any company process.
It may also help to enjoy the results achieved, and taking from them motivation for the next challenging goals.Our 2nd birthday is for us the perfect occasion to reflect about what we have achieved until now and to think about what we want to be in the future.
Our beginning
An eternity passed since Matteo, Federico and I decided to plunge into this challenge.
Generally, every first-time startupper starts working on a project in which he truly believes without any fear, because he has no idea what to expect.
Over time, you become aware of how important are challenges ahead, but the attitude changes, and you becomes wiser and determined.
The sense of responsibility turned us from three engineers with a good idea, into a team based on trust and mutual respect.
Those afternoons spent speaking about the project at my home, wondering: “what to do now? Which is the field that ticked all the boxes? How we should identify ourselves?” are not so far.
Starting from a blank sheet, from our first reunion we considered fundamental to choose a name, a logo and a mission, which could replicate the change we want to bring in the world.
What does BionIT Labs® mean?
Our name “BionIT Labs®” comes from the merger of “Bionics” and “IT” (Information Technologies): in our laboratories we apply informatic technologies to bionics, with the aim of “Turning disabilities into New Possibilities”.
Nowadays, people with disabilities are continually forced to adapt to an environment that has not been designed considering their needs, but rather following the wishes of the majority of the “able-bodied” population: the interfaces that allow a person with motor, visual, auditory or other impairments to relate in an immediate and effective way with their environment and with other individuals are generally few and not adequate.
In BionIT Labs®, we consider disabilities as a people’s potential, and the only obstacle is related to the inadequacy of the interfaces developed by mankind throughout history.
Our logo
We chose the Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man, which is the first image where there is a man inscribed into a circle and a square, providing him with measures, proportions and space. It is in this image that we found the integration that we want to describe.
In our logo, the first man is light blue and it represents the human aspects with their related fundamental features.For this reason the man is contained in the circle, which indicates those circular qualities belonging to any individual, such as the creativity, the talent and the originality.
The man behind, black and segmented, represents the machine. For this reason it is limited by the square, symbol of precision, efficiency and power.
The idea of merging the two colours in the middle, which become blue, represents our idea of integration between man and machine: the union of this two figures contained by BionIT Labs®’ logo explain our philosophy. In our opinion scientific qualities of technology must be a tool at the service of the human beings, and for this reason they should be defined, activated and controlled by the unavoidable presence of the man.
Our logo it is not only inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, but we care about its original precise proportions, as homage to the Italian genius, one the whole world envies.
Our growth
While our idea was getting positive responses, the interest for our project was growing faster, as well as the wish to support us and take part in our journey.
The team started to grow and, at a certain point, in my living room there wasn’t enough space for computers, people and ideas. For this reason, at the beginning of 2018 we moved to our current office, the beating heart of our activities.
It’s well known that the main value of a startup is the team: a great idea in the hands of mediocre people will never bring significant changes, but in our case we have the chance to give a great idea to the hands of an exceptional team.
An initial strong technical component has been integrated over time by dedicated people for the business development, sales and marketing, in order to create a perfect team, today composed by 18 professionals, which can efficiently carry out a project as complex as Adam’s Hand®. The trust in our project was growing more, until from July to September 2019, we involved 130 new shareholders, who financed BionIT Labs® by means of a equity crowdfunding campaign on Mamacrowd platform.
From that group of 3, now 130 people are colouring the first blank sheet, and the more we colour the more we need new blank sheets to fill up.
Our company culture
Even if BionIT Labs® project started just two years ago, we considered fundamental the introduction of a shared company culture, essential for the cohesion of a numerous team.
A strong desire for growth and continuous improvement characterised every member of our team, and the values of equity and transparency distinguished the whole group. At the basis of this process there is the idea that the best efficiency is reached only when everyone recognized the commitment of the individual and the advantage that it brings to the whole company.
Since the very beginning of our project, we decided that every member of the team would hold part of the company’s shares. The work of the team has never represented just a work shift and a salary (our first salaries arrived just 3 months ago!), but since the beginning it has implied an additional sensibility and an effective close involvement of every team member, who receives part of the company equity according to the results obtained working at our project.
We put our passion, dedication, and self-sacrifice sometimes, when we decided to dedicate weekends and nights working at Adam’s Hand®. And this happened because we love our work, and we strongly believe that the success of the company comes only from the success of the work of every single member of our team.
This birthday marks a new beginning
The present we got ourselves for this birthday is a new headquarters.
It is a new home, which is for us a pride: a tangible evidence of the significant efforts we made for the project, and it’s a reward for our commitment. Also, it’s the symbol of a duty, in which we recognise ourselves: our goal is to improve the quality of life of thousands of people who don’t find in the market a prosthesis which fully meets their needs.
This new beginning it is only a prelude of other bigger news: it allow us to get organised and efficient, coming a step closer to the forthcoming Adam’s Hand® launch in the market.
Today we are glad for our everyday’s results, but we know that there is so much more work to do. We want to receive the same motivating encouragements, because they are the essential driving force, which make us believe every day more in what we do.
So, it’s time to celebrate.
Happy birthday to us, happy birthday BionIT Labs®!
