The First Phase in the Life of a Startup

THIRTEEN YEARS AFTER HE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED HIS FIRST STARTUP, GIANGIACOMO ROCCO DI TORREPADULA STARTS A NEW BUSINESS, AMICOMED, A DIGITAL PLATFORM TO MANAGE THE PERSONAL HEALTH OF PEOPLE WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Giangiacomo Rocco di Torrepadula is a veteran of startups. He graduated in Economics from the University of Naples, then he earned an MBA from SDA Bocconi and landed a job at McKinsey. His mind has always been very much focused on enterprises: "I lived the experience at McKinsey as a school of entrepreneurship," he says. So, when the right business idea came, he seized the chance and, together with four other friends, launched Pharmaidea, a multi-channel selling platform that links pharmacies to pharmaceutical companies.

Pharmaidea has enormous success, but it did not quench the entrepreneurial thirst of Giangiacomo who, after 13 years, left his first creature to throw himself headlong in a new startup: "The idea", says the Bocconi alumnus, " was born from a meeting I had with cardiologist Domenico Cianflone ​​of the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, where he pointed out there are over a billion people suffering from hypertension in the world and, even though there are many medicaments available in the market, 50% of patients continue to have high blood pressure.»
 
The knowledge of this medical fact led to the creation of Amicomed, a digital platform for the management of blood pressure based on the management of lifestyle choices. Not just an app, but a whole information system that provides a sophisticated analysis of personal data by integrating and enhancing the relationship between doctor and patient: «We have devoted our first 4-5 years to product development, both from a medical and a technological point of view. Furthermore, when you launch a startup in such a regulated environment, you need to be aware that you are going to interact with organizations that have reaction times that lag far behind those of a company.»

This is a useful reminder for those startuppers who expect answers in a few months. "You need patience," Giangiacomo argues. "And you must be aware that for the first three years of a start-up there are no holidays, weekends, sleep... You have to dedicate yourself fully to the project". Because the initial idea counts, but it’s dedication that makes the difference.
 

by Emanuele Elli
Translated by Alex Foti