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I am originally from Vicenza, but I have been living in Spain, in Barcelona, for about fifteen years. During my career I have managed subsidiaries of international companies in the Iberian region, mainly in the field of agricultural mechanisation, i.e. manufacturers of agricultural machinery or tractors. I joined xFarm Technologies more than a year ago with the aim of opening the second foreign subsidiary after Italy and taking on the role of director. I was chosen for this position mainly because of my commercial and management experience.
Activities started in January 2022 and in May we officially opened the legal entity. From the outset, we have tried to replicate the success that xFarm Technologies has had in Switzerland and Italy, taking into account the small and large differences in the market. The subsidiary is responsible for the Spanish, Portuguese and Spanish-speaking American markets; in Brazil we have André Pessina, an Italo-Brazilian colleague, who manages the operations from São Paulo.
The main task is to help prove that xFarm Technologies is truly international, that the project is fully exportable. In the eyes of the market and investors, it is crucial that the company grows in Spain, Portugal and Spanish-speaking America, areas with huge economic potential: I report directly to the CEO Matteo Vanotti on this.
Internationalisation has been part of my academic career since my Erasmus (Netherlands) and Leonardo (Spain) scholarships while studying International Political Science in Padua. I then continued my education here in Spain, obtaining an MBA at ESERP Business & Law School during my first work experience, and more recently a specialisation in General Management at IESE Business School in Barcelona. Professionally, I have specialised in opening new markets and branches in the Iberian Peninsula.
The most important challenge is to readjust the business model tested in Switzerland and then in Italy, taking into account the specificities of the Iberian peninsula. A nuance that may seem insignificant in the eyes of a Swiss or an Italian, locally can be decisive for the success of a project. Therefore, it is crucial to interpret the market correctly and above all to offer an after-sales service that is up to the mark, and segmented by channel/customer type. Selling is 'easy' almost everywhere, if you have a great product, but then what makes the difference is the ability to manage the difficulties that may arise after the sale. For xFarm Technologies, a company with a strong social media and media presence, I would say that it is even more important to be able to provide answers when problems arise and to show that we are present in an effective and tangible way, proposing constant innovation.
In addition, Spain is going to be one of the first countries in the European Union to make the digital farm notebook compulsory. The main technical difficulty is to incorporate all the requirements resulting from the input of the Ministry, which has created a platform and a public-private working group that includes xFarm Technologies. This requirement is revolutionising digital agriculture because it requires the integration of all farmers. Our goal, both at product and commercial level, is for farmers to choose the xFarm digital farm notebook.
We have our operational office at Tag in Barcelona. Spain is very large compared to Italy, so for the time being we have set up a working team spread over the main agricultural areas. However, we meet quite often, at least once a month in Barcelona. On a day-to-day basis, we talk on the phone and we are always in touch with the head office. On a monthly and quarterly basis, we have the opportunity to meet with our Italian colleagues in Milan and especially to go to Lugano for internal project development meetings. As we are a digital company, we also use video conferencing a lot, but I think the hybrid form is the best solution to be efficient.
The most interesting part for me, also on a professional level, is being able to talk to all the players in the market: farmers, producers, the agri-food industry, agricultural machinery manufacturers, banks, trade associations. We have a solution for everyone. This aspect is crucial and something I had never experienced before joining xFarm Technologies. It helps a lot on a personal and professional networking level.
The presence of very young and well-prepared colleagues certainly makes you feel the pressure, but it is also extremely motivating. xFarm Technologies can no longer be considered a startup, we are now a digital company supporting farmers in more than a hundred countries, but the spirit remains the same, and we continue to keep the bar high and the rhythms of a startup.
I would add that in terms of competition, Spain is the third largest country in the world in terms of the number of startups in the agricultural sector, after the United States and India, so it is quite a challenge to compete with companies that have been around much longer than us.
My car has become a second office: I often travel to meet clients and then park my car and turn it into a kind of operations centre for a video call... The good thing is that I always get a different view.
Although our product is digital, it is essential to have a face-to-face contact to convey the full potential of the solutions we offer. When proposing innovations, it is essential to take into account the different expectations of the stakeholders involved in each digitalization project.
The vision of the future that we have is to be able to make a real impact on the market and society, for the benefit of all stakeholders; throughout the agri-food sector, there is an overwhelming need for digital solutions that can increase both the efficiency of farmers' production and the sustainability of the sector, while protecting biodiversity. A huge challenge that xFarm Technologies, together with all its partners, wants to tackle... and win!
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