I’ve recently heard some news which, without exaggerating, has completely changed the way I look at the future… for the better, for once!

I recently had the honour of representing Thevo, and in particular its research and development division, ThevoX, as part of the EDIH PRIDE project, which also organised the Innovation Contest for Hitachi Rail.

My friend (and colleague) Francesco De Micco and I, led by our Luigi Di Biasi, had the opportunity to present the “SrcProof” project directly to Hitachi Rail’s management, in a session reserved exclusively for the twenty projects selected from all the proposals received from across Italy. In short, not exactly a residents’ meeting.

During the presentation, I handled the infamous ‘five minutes of fire’ dedicated to technical questions. And it was surprisingly enjoyable! Talking about what I’m passionate about in front of people who, probably for the first time, were judging me solely on my skills, without knowing practically anything about my academic or professional background, really filled me with joy.

As well as the overall feedback, I was really pleased to meet representatives from other companies and exchange a few thoughts on the technologies we use and how the IT world is changing.

I’d already set off feeling pretty knackered (unlike the rest of the team), yet even a small company like Thevo can go from being an underdog to a credible alternative to the giants that have dominated the sector for decades.

And to finish off, of course, I couldn’t leave out one of my photos, which perfectly captures that look on my face that says, “I’ve ended up in the right place at the right time”.

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