Yesterday I closed an important chapter in my career, in my life: after almost four years, I’m stepping down as Head of Engineering at Onalabs.
It hasn’t been an easy decision, and if I could have, I would have delayed it. But given the nature of my new project (which I’ll share in the coming days), it wasn’t possible, and I’ve had to close this chapter in order to open another.
How I got to Onalabs
Before joining Onalabs, I had just finished my PhD and was at the university leading my first research and technology transfer projects. Then, unexpectedly, Onalabs crossed my path and showed me there was high-level science and research happening outside the world I was used to. I was introduced to Onalabs’s project and vision, and the challenges they were facing. That was all it took: those who know me know I’m someone who thrives on momentum, and I didn’t hesitate for a second to join this incredible project.
When I joined Onalabs, the company was just starting development on what would become its first two products: Onavital and Onasport. We’re talking about building the full vertical technology stack of two wearables (sensing, electronics, firmware, algorithms, mobile apps, communications, cloud, web apps, etc.) while at the same time transitioning into a mature company with proper development, quality, and regulatory processes. Like I said, I thrive on momentum.
What we’ve built
I’m one of those people you’d call an “idiot who thinks they’ll inherit the company,” but I don’t know how to work any other way. Over these almost four years I’ve given it everything, done a bit of everything, and had the pleasure of sharing the trenches with a team that gave even more than I could.
I couldn’t possibly list every challenge we’ve tackled together over these almost 4 years in a single post. To name just a few: we designed the electronics for three products and built their firmware from scratch on an architecture meant to scale and stay maintainable. We implemented OTA updates with protection against corrupted or unauthorized firmware, encrypting them for extra protection. We shipped mobile apps for both Android and iOS, fighting along the way with cross-platform development in Flutter, keeping the Bluetooth connection to our devices alive, and each OS’s battery optimizer. We released new product versions that cut costs. We fought with the firmware to deliver battery life ahead of the competition’s. We published a data field to connect our products with Garmin watches. We integrated Garmin Connect into our medical platform. We built tooling for the production lines. We automated testing, integration, and deployment processes. We implemented Jira as our quality management system (QMS) and development traceability tool, and established quality processes for electronics, firmware, software, and QA. In short, we built the foundation from scratch of what a high-level technology company should be, and we did it with a team that grew and matured throughout the process.
Every week brought a new challenge, and the team met it successfully. And that was also possible, in large part, because from day one I was given the trust to lead with a mix of demand and freedom that also let me grow and learn at breakneck speed.
Its people
Still, nobody warned me there would be something even more incredible than the project itself, something that would end up tying me to this company: its people. Onalabs is made up of a team of people with extraordinary character, commitment, and talent. And that’s true both for those who are still here and for those who moved on. Having the title of Head of Engineering sounds grandiose or pompous (which is why I tend to avoid it and introduce myself instead as the engineering lead or coordinator), and the truth is that with the team I’ve been surrounded by, the title is nothing more than a formality. I’ve been lucky to work with people who made it extremely easy for me, who taught me a lot, and who helped me grow as a professional and as a person. To all of them, thank you.
What comes next
I’m leaving Onalabs with the peace of mind of knowing it’s in great hands. The team has grown and matured a lot, and I’m sure it will keep doing so. I’m leaving with the satisfaction of having contributed to that, and of having left my small grain of sand, which I hope stays useful going forward.
As the announcement says, I’m stepping down as Head of Engineering at Onalabs, but only that. I’ll stay connected to the company in one way or another, since my next project continues in the field of research, and Onalabs is R&D&i through and through. In the meantime, with the curiosity, excitement, and pride with which one watches their children grow, I’ll be watching closely to see how Onalabs keeps growing, its people, and how it keeps reaching new milestones.
Thank you to the entire Onalabs team for these almost four years. It’s been a privilege that you gave me the chance to build something with you and to go on this journey together.
