A visionary
project is born in the Ferrara area that looks to the research and development
model of 100 days and to the components that will mark its future evolution. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Gianluca Busi, CEO of 22HBG, for FARE INSIEME
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
“Grown-ups
love figures. When you talk to them about a new friend, they are never
interested in essential things. They never ask themselves: «What is the tone of
his/her voice? What are his/her favourite games? Does he/she collect
butterflies?» But they ask you: «How old is he/she? How many siblings? How much
does he/she weigh?» Then only do they believe they know him/her." These
are the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, also known by the pseudonym Tonio,
French writer, aviator and soldier. He is the author of “The Little Prince”. A
timeless story. Just think that in 2017 the book exceeded the number of 300
translations into different languages. Now, the story we are about to tell
starts from numbers. Because after all,
stories are made of numbers. Numbers – of every type, of every sort – speak to
us, orient us, allow us to understand where the world is going, to decode it.
Stories are made of numbers and in the one I'm about to tell you numbers become
central. One in particular. Number 22. In the Kabbalah 22 is the number that
indicates the universe, but in this case it has to do with an icon of the Made
in Italy in the world. Of yesterday and today, we can say. Because 22 is the
letter 22 of Olivetti, a popular portable mechanical typewriter made by the
Olivetti company. One of the most successful products born in 1950 and awarded
the Compasso d'Oro in 1954. The keyboard is incorporated into the aluminium
body. The roller is fitted without protrusions, except for the knob, compared
to the horizontal plane of the machine. The line spacing lever is emerging, but
more compact to meet the needs of transportability and limited space.
Company
profile. From that 22 that made history to another 22 that marks the present
and - its founder swears - will also mark the future. This is 22HBG, i.e. High
Broadcasting Generation, anticipated precisely by that 22. «22 has always been
my lucky number. So I thought of turning
that 22 contained in the Olivetti into a robot.» So says Gianluca Busi, born in
Ferrara in 1977, startupper and visionary, always committed to thinking big.
Eleven years ago Gianluca had an intuition that would later mark his life. «I
was in America when I decided to open this company. I created the first
prototype, which has now become one of the first apps that groups together all
the radios. This is the aggregator assembled in Italy and present on 60 million
cars worldwide. We also reach Senegal or Papua New Guinea», says Gianluca. From
America to Italy. More precisely, to Emilia. «Today we are all focused on
artificial intelligence. For ten years we have only done research and development
and we are proud of it», specifies Gianluca.
Research and
development. 22HBG was born with the radio and develops applications dedicated
to the audio world and loves radio to the point of having promoted an entire
universe: that of the FM-world, a multi-platform project dedicated to the radio
world. Through the app it is possible to listen to the most important
broadcasters, watch their radio broadcasts, download podcasts and have a
multitude of channels. The company has also opened an office in Dakar, the
capital of Senegal, with more than one million inhabitants in western Africa.
The services are provided to broadcasters and media companies. Among the
customers there are Radio Maria, RTL, Sky, ACI. And governments and
medium-large companies to support digitalisation. Working to find new technologies:
this is the healthy obsession of Gianluca and his team, who also look to the
new generations with participation in school and university open days. An
effective way to meet students and companies. «These customers helped us
develop new proposals, they paid us to write their future. After all, at 22HBG
we try to learn the best lessons from different business models every day. This
is why we are committed to creating a first finished and functioning product in
just 100 days from the start of work. And this is the relevant element of a
proposal that scales the markets. This solution allows you to appreciate the
qualities of the project, to carry out market tests, reveal any strengths, but
also anticipate any weaknesses. It serves to understand the way in which people
relate to certain interfaces and to avoid wasting resources in endless
development cycles», recalls Gianluca. Operational within one hundred days of
signing the contract: this is the work philosophy. A job that is research,
experimentation, and future.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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