6 things we love about working for Empatica
Empatica
Oct 26, 2021• 10 min read
With this post, we’d like to share with you what has made us fall in love with Empatica’s work environment and culture, hoping that it could positively inspire those of you out there who are looking for a new job or are currently considering one of our vacancies.
1. It’s not just a job, it’s a mission
Empatica is a full-stack, digital healthcare company, that is forever changing the way health is monitored and researched by creating innovative products that can have a true impact on the lives of people. Our state-of-the-art wearables and algorithms can be used by researchers to gain a deeper understanding of human physiology and the effect of treatments, and by physicians and patients to monitor, manage and even detect specific health conditions, all done outside the clinic.
Our AI platform, digital biomarkers, and newest wearable EmbracePlus contribute to the growing need of clinical researchers to adopt wearable technology and decentralize clinical trials. EmbracePlus is the smallest wearable to contain so many sophisticated sensors for health monitoring and has also been funded by NASA for use in their Space Health program. The use of our tech can significantly support pharmaceutical companies in shortening drug development timelines, improving scalability, and allowing more diversity among trial participants, ultimately releasing life-changing medications faster.
Our legacy research smartband, the E4, is the wearable of choice for researchers looking to study certain physiological patterns and responses in a real-world setting (meaning in everyday situations and away from laboratories), allowing them to gain precious insights that could lead to important scientific advancements. It has been used in thousands of important studies surrounding topics such as stress, anxiety, cognitive impairments, etc. even leading to fascinating applications like detecting motion sickness in VR.
And finally, our most compact medical wearable, Embrace2, provides peace of mind to people living with epilepsy by detecting generalized tonic-clonic seizures and alerting appointed caregivers about their occurrence in real-time. It is the only wrist-worn seizure monitor to have been cleared by the FDA and its use can help patients receive immediate assistance during a seizure event. It is especially important during sleep where having an alerting system available can help reduce the risk of SUDEP[1].
Knowing that our products and services enable the accomplishment of incredible milestones to progress in improving human health, and potentially save lives, truly motivates us to keep pushing our own boundaries. Matteo, our Engineering Manager, describes it like this:
“Empatica completely covers all the technology stack needed to build our products, from hardware design to data collection, transfer, and analysis, to customer support. This almost unique environment gives me the possibility to get in touch with very skilled professionals in fields that are different (but complementary) to mine. And seeing how all these skills are combined to build something that is useful for people’s health is extremely motivating!”
2. A supportive team of bright minds
Over the years Empatica has refined a meticulous recruitment process designed to scout great talent, from all parts of the world, which allows the company to continue having a meaningful impact on society. Our Empaticans count more than 20 different nationalities speaking multiple languages and enriching the cultural experiences within teams. It’s also well worth mentioning that 50% of our team is made up of women, this is above the average for a tech company that usually stands at a third.
The character traits we value most in a successful candidate are integrity, dependability, a growth mindset, a passion for a bigger purpose, and profound care for the people we strive to serve. These are the values all members at Empatica proudly live by, forming a cohesive team of “A” players that inspire and support one another, from daily professional achievements to setting up personal goals.
3. An environment that fosters continuous learning
Working at Empatica is not just about completing specific tasks and staying within the boundaries of one team. Empatica thrives on collaboration and exchanges between talents of different educational backgrounds and trades. We enjoy learning from one another on daily basis, challenging each other’s perspectives to find new solutions, and consider everyone’s input important when creating our products and services.
Collaboration and continuous learning are also a significant part of our Engineering Graduate Program. Engineering graduates that start their working experience at Empatica have the opportunity to rotate among different teams and job roles, learn from more senior colleagues, and explore many different paths. Furthermore, being a full-stack company also allows them to explore and develop their skills across an extensive variety of tech.
4. A culture that values physical and mental wellbeing
Empatica believes that our well-being is as important as our work, and it invests in promoting good habits, social time, and a healthy work environment. Every employee can benefit from flexible working hours, with the possibility of working from home, healthy snacks and lunch, a membership to Gympass, and much much more!
Gympass is a platform that offers a variety of wellness and fitness activities and apps to choose from, no matter where employees are based. Access to the platform ensures that we pay attention to our mental and physical health through fitness, nutrition, and therapy where needed.
Additionally, Empaticans love that no matter what phase of life they are in, the company and the people are always there to support them. Valentina, our lovely Office Coordinator puts it this way:
“I love working at Empatica because people care about me. I became a mom 12 months ago and I got the opportunity to keep my work-life balance. I can arrange my hours so as to pick up my kid from the nursery and spend time with him. In addition to this, my manager trusts me and I work hard to maintain that level of trust!”
And to top everything off, every summer, employees from all our offices come together on the beautiful island of Sardinia, Italy, for a week of team-building activities in a relaxed atmosphere. The change of scenery helps to refresh our minds and bond. Spending more time together outside of working hours also contributes to further deepening our bond, and we have after-work activities like sports and other social gatherings to facilitate this.
5. Great office locations (plus remote working!)
Empatica has offices in Milan, Italy, Boston, USA, and Seoul, South Korea. Coming to the office is not mandatory, and we allow the flexibility of choosing whether to attend or work from elsewhere. However, all offices are conveniently located in the respective city center, and there are plenty of opportunities for members of different teams to travel to any of our offices and interact with other Empaticans.
For example, our Hardware team may often move between Korea, the USA, and Italy to follow the logistics and development of our products. Data Scientists and Regulatory Specialists in Milan and Boston may come to meet in one of the two offices to follow up on trials and regulatory processes. And finally, our Boston colleagues have plenty of occasions to come to the Milan office to follow up on major projects with their Italian colleagues and bond over a pizza or two.
We are currently operating a hybrid model, so employees also have the option of working from home if they prefer. We even have colleagues working remotely across various locations, and they usually come to our Milan office at least once every quarter to partake in team meetings and other activities.
6. This is only the beginning
In just under 10 years, Empatica produced three medical-quality wearables, had one algorithm FDA-cleared for epilepsy, and another one validated for Covid-19 detection in Europe. Our products are already used by thousands of patients and researchers daily, including some of the biggest research institutions and companies in the world. And yet, this is only the beginning of our journey, with many exciting projects in the pipeline, and a vision to be the leading digital biomarker platform in neurology and oncology. We are growing fast within one of the hottest areas in tech, and there has been no better time to join us and own part of this success (and yes, every employee gets stock options and the opportunity to also own part of Empatica itself).
These are just some of the reasons we love working at Empatica, but overall we just strongly believe in changing the world of health together.
To close in the lovely words of our Sales Manager Petra:
“Everyone on the team cares for each colleague and ultimately, for the company’s mission to save lives. Working for Empatica means being part of a family that cares for you and helps you grow, and you can’t help but care for all of them too.”
Join us in our mission! All vacancies are available here.