In June it is hot in Parma. Very hot. Despite this, Giorgio finds the desire to run on a treadmill: there is air conditioning in the room, but Giorgio runs for hours during the week, to lend a hand to the startup he works for.
Giorgio is a mechanical engineer, is under 30 and works for Biometrica, a startup from Romagna whose task this summer is to make its debut Swemax, a biosensor that analyzes the loss of salts and liquids during physical activity: “We have identified our user base in those who do sport seriously, even at a professional level, but not necessarily “, he explained to Italian Tech Marco Beccatelli, co-founder and Cto.
Biometrica is an atypical startup: it was first founded in 2018 by a group of under 30s, but accelerated product development from April 2020, in full lockdown, when a group of local entrepreneurs joined the workforce. And all the operational members are under 30, but the resources (both strategic and financial) come from two companies that have decided to invest not only money, but also time in the project: “I believe that making exclusively an economic investment is not a right way to carry a project forward in the long term, “said Vito Lazzara, founder and partner of Advantage, who was one of three entrepreneurs who believed in Biometrics.
History
Startup from Prato raises 16 million from top venture capitalists: “150 people looked for us, but no Italians”
by Silvio Gulizia
Today the startup has an office on the second floor of the headquarters of Advantage, in a building in the industrial area of Parma: “We have always dealt with consultancy on research and development. In short, we are a team of management engineers, IT engineers and programmers – added Lazzara – But we decided to invest in Biometrics because we saw the potential: sweat is the only body fluid that has not yet been fully exploited in sports. We know we can lend a hand in the realization of the project especially with our experience in research and development “.
Biometrica is small as a company, but large as a startup, because it has about 15 team members including employees and collaborators: some are resources made available by Advantage or by Bercella (active in the processing of composites), both partners in the startup.
Swemax is their first product, but another is already in development: “At the moment we have two open production lines, but right now we’re only focusing on Swemax for the debut, which will take place in mid-July. The other line is dedicated to the development of a heart sensor, which however is not yet at an advanced stage. “With Swemax, the startup has found a way to to analyze the only body fluid to date not yet exploited: the sensor is composed of an electronic module that has the shape of an old one smartphone clamshell, on the back of which there is an adhesive that retains the drops expelled from the skin.
ideas to start over
The future of catering is digital: 6 Italian startups are revolutionizing the market
by Simone Cosimi
In addition, a T-shirt with the housing prepared for the sensor, to better adhere the surface of the adhesive, which must be in direct contact with the skin. During a training session, Swemax’s main purpose is to calculate the rate of fluid loss with salinity index data, which the athlete can use to figure out when and how much to rehydrate. The app will send a notification if, during a session, the loss of fluids is greater than 2%: “It is not only useful for endurance athletes such as marathon runners – added Beccatelli – Hydration is also essential in the world of hiking, because at high altitude, with the cold, the body has a false perception of the level of hydration and does not send the right signals. But if you don’t hydrate, the chances of fainting increase. “
Biometrica is about to launch Swemax’s crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, with the aim of selling the first 2 thousand units and then using the proceeds to finance the production of thousands of other pieces: “We start small, we study the data, we try to understand who is interested in the product and collect more feedback and then Let’s expand. At the debut there will be only the app for iPhone, we are already working on the one for Apple Watch and Garmin and then the version will come Android“.
.