Emotions are at the very basis of consumers’ choices, so what if it was possible to detect the processes beyond those decisions? This was the intuition of Thimus, the first and only Italian startup company dealing with neuro-scientific and biometric research applied to user and consumer experience. With a solid presence in Talent Garden Brescia, Thimus recently relocated to Bozen where the company found the perfect balance between quality of life and openness to innovation.
Where did the idea of Thimus originate?
The idea comes from years of working on a professional basis in the field of applied psychology and sociology. We wanted to use the latest and most advanced neuro-scientific and biometric technologies to support and integrate a psychological and sociological approach to user and customer experiences.
Which is the mission of your company?
We think the mission for us is bringing neuro-science to a wider audience. We are not dealing in neuro-marketing: we are first and foremost passionate advocates of the use of scientific studies on human behaviour. In fact, we are not just working in marketing applications: we do a lot of R&D and a lot of work on the relationship between Nature and the human mind.
How do you “read” consumers’ minds? What’s the function of data in this process?
Data is everything for us. Without serious, replicable data collection, we would not be in business. So we collect data using a series of diverse devices, from EEG to eye tracking devices, all the way to biometric shirts, GSR and so forth. The only way to reliably interpret the state of mind of a consumer or user is to combine the EEG data with other important biometric information. This is what makes us different: not the data collection, but the personalized algorythms which we deploy to provide interpretation.
Which are the main benefits of working in Talent Garden?
We come from Brescia but our main office is in the Alpine region of South Tyrol, in Bozen. So we needed a working platform back home, in Brescia, and Talent Garden was the perfect solution. It is flexible and it allows us to use the desk when needed, without having to load our bottom line with complex costs. Moreover, we have found good partners in the people running Talent Garden there and we are constantly collaborating in local projects.
Why did you decide to relocate to Bozen?
Bozen is our second home now. We had been talking about a sustainable business in a sustainable environment for a long time and then decided it all pointed to South Tyrol. We have experienced typical "old economy" companies and the tiredness and stress of traditional jobs. We have witnessed profound changes in social perception and culture of work-life balance. So we basically asked ourselves: how do we do it in a new business? We had this vision that it could be sustainable: aimed at creating wellness instead of richness. It's a work in progress, some days it's tough, some others it really repays you for the effort.
Which are your goals for the near future?
No one really knows what the future holds. However, we can at least look into 2017 and see many new projects coming up. First and foremost, our market growth: we have in store some good new projects that are already confirmed. On top of that, our first extensive R&D project on organic food should be starting some time in the spring. And in May we will hold our first annual Sustainability Summit, in collaboration with Loyola University and the Catholic University of Brescia. The rest? Who knows. It's part of the excitement!
