INSPIRED BY | Angela Corbari
A mom awarded by the Pentagon, Angela is a woman who has many, many ideas. Some have been realized in Studiomapp, the start-up she founded together with her partner Leonardo that in 2018 was awarded by the Pentagon. We asked her five questions.
Angela Corbari is a woman who has chosen to chase her ambitions and beautiful ideas. At 43, she prefers to get around by bike, or train. Born and raised between Ravenna and the Cesena countryside, she spent her childhood here among with maps, screwdrivers and the books of her father. It was her father who taught her to repair a bike at the age of six and helped her realize that there is no limit to the things you can learn. There are just two secrets: study and diligence. At 18, she chose to go and live in London for a few years, to experience a big city. Then she returned to Italy to study Natural Sciences. This has turned out to be the best training for her current job at Studiomapp, the project she shares with her partner Leonardo. She has two children, Riccardo and Dalia, 7 and 3 years old. Angela has conquered us, and we asked her five questions to get to know her better.
In your job you moved beyond: together with your partner you founded Studiomapp, a start-up that combines concepts like Artificial Intelligence, Geocalculation and Geospatial Data. Tell us how it all began.
It all began from our ambition and from an idea. Before Studiomapp I was a freelance expert in territorial information systems, Leonardo had a reliable permanent contract. But this was not enough for us, we wanted something that was ours, we felt forced into ambitions of others. Thus, we started to think about being entrepreneurs and building a structure that could express our ideas and create opportunities for everyone. The intention is to promote new technologies to improve people’s quality of life, through data and information. The use of artificial intelligence allows us to process many data sources and also to interpret satellite images to get information on the environment and the territory. Initially we focused on family tourism in Italy, today the ambition is to offer a global service. Our ambition is to help people choose the best place to live or travel according to their concept of quality of life.
From Ravenna to the Pentagon: in November 2018 came the good news of the fourth place (the only Italian reality) to an international competition organized by the United States Department of Defence. How do you get so high?
Once again through ambition, but also believing in our own abilities and thinking big. The right opportunity is associated with this. When we learned of the Pentagon’s challenge, we couldn’t not try. We already had a solid experience in geo-intelligence and they were looking for a timely response to organize the rescue operations after the natural disasters that are increasingly falling in their country. The challenge was to create an algorithm that could analyse satellite images and provide location and name to the categories of objects it recognized (such as cars, trucks, damaged buildings, airplanes, ships, etc.). We worked day and night and we arrived fourth, before us a Russian and two Indian start-ups. A great satisfaction. But even more to know that our algorithm has improved by 300% the reading of maps for the activation of rescue operations after Hurricane Katrina.
Businesswoman and mom of two. What is the most important teaching you want to give them?
There are three teachings. First, the importance of working to achieve results, because nothing comes by chance. Then the awareness that you must build your own future, remembering to be the protagonist of your life, which in some cases can seem something crazy. Finally, the desire to be a team, as we, mom and dad, did: strength in numbers. But they have already learned it and, like us, they often say “I got an idea”. Then I must say that they are teaching me and giving a lot too. I am convinced that when a woman becomes a mother, she evolves like a Pokemon: the powers come. Motherhood is a growth path. Taking care and becoming responsible for someone changes you, makes you a better person, even in your work.
Ferramosca supports a timeless fashion, that goes beyond the idea of seasonality, made in Italy without compromise. What do you choose a dress for?
I try to buy in a sustainable way, I believe that in the long run disposable fashion does not pay back. I think, for example, about some sweaters of my mother, the real knitwear of the past, that still live perfectly in the closet. Another criterion is the search for items that can be as a wild card, those that go with everything and on every occasion. I am often on business trips, I need a few pieces to pack that can be suitable both for a meeting and a dinner.
What is the Ferramosca garment that most resembles you?
The cashmere openwork knit sweater. Because it’s the wild card item I like. You can use it during the day and at night, in an informal moment or in a more elegant one.