The following is an interview between Xfernet and
co-founder Anthony Gonzales (right).
X: You have a truly fascinating background, with experience in everything under the sun from the corporate world to entrepreneurship. From your unique perspective, what does technology and innovation mean to you?
FIT: To me innovation is separate from invention. Anyone can invent something, but to truly innovate, that is something that is a little bit more difficult. To understand the difference between the two, when you innovate you are actually solving a real world problem. Anyone can invent any gizmo or gadget that doesn’t accomplish the goal. So if you are not inherently doing something to fix a problem that a person is having, you’re not really innovating.
Now, technology is just a catalyst in that equation. Meaning, technology will give you more options to innovate, but it is not necessary for innovation. Innovation comes from processes, ideas, and physical products. Technology makes that easier to do.
My unique perspective on innovation is viewing it from that lens. Every time you identify a problem, you can use innovation and technology to solve the problem.
X: Often times, technology companies are much more focused on developing their product and getting it to market (rightfully so). But we don’t really hear about the role internal IT plays in their businesses. For Force Impact Technologies, how do you run and manage your internal IT (infrastructure, software, systems, etc.), and what importance does it have for your business?
FIT: Unfortunately, IT is often underappreciated and not given the importance it deserves. It is the foundation and the core of our business and what allows us to be a platform and not just a piece of hardware. So the ability to leverage software, hardware, and cloud computing allows us to go from being a local company to a global company.
At Force Impact Technologies, we identified that it was one of our weaknesses. We did not have someone knowledgeable within our team to accomplish that. So we went out and brought on an external CTO to help us develop and maintain the infrastructure and cloud computing we will be using. This would will allow us to use our intelligent mouth guard on a global level.
X: Having those pieces of the puzzle together now. What advice do you give to other entrepreneurs trying to get the most out of their internal IT?
FIT: I would definitely give them the advice of starting early. The nice thing about IT is it doesn’t cost anything to have a conversation. A lot of times people will go down a rabbit hole and then realize; “Oh wait, we should have thought about this IT portion” when it’s too late. Getting advice from people in the industry that can guide you and help you make sure that you’re taking all the various aspects of things that can go wrong into account during the design phase will allow you to be proactive and not reactive.
X: What is it like having your business Force Impact Technology in Los Angeles today?
FIT: I would say for the most part that being in LA is the second best place for us to be. You could argue that Silicon Valley is the best place, but there are things about Silicon Valley that are not good. I think it’s a lot more expensive, there is a lot more of a culture you have to adapt to, and there are a lot of smart people all fighting for the same resources.
It’s a bit more of a competitive environment vs. the Los Angeles scene where there is a little bit more of a lackadaisical approach to startups. That is good because people are more willing to mentor, coach, and help because it’s not so competitive. There is a lot more assistance you can find in LA vs. other locations because of this.
X: Where did you come up with the idea for this? What was that Ah-Ha moment for this idea?
FIT: As a lifelong athlete I played rugby at Arizona State University, I have a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I have trained in MMA. So I would say I really understand sports. My co-founder Bob is very much the same, he played college soccer and has a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu.
We just knew that this was a problem internally for us. This started as a selfish endeavor and we wanted something that we can use when we are out there on the mats. We know how hard we are getting hit and what level of training intensity are we putting our bodies through because we now have a way to quantify an impact.
We realized that this is not just a problem for ourselves, but an issue that a lot of other people are dealing with. So that allowed us to investigate and research how big the market is that is having this issue.
Then it came to the next question. Can we make it small enough to fit into a mouth guard? Can we make it cheap enough for someone to buy?
Is there going to be enough profit left over to make it worth our effort? Once we were able to answer those questions, we really got serious about it and started looking into how much money it was going to take to make a prototype. So we went out and raised some money and that allowed us to move forward to where we are at today.
X: You are one of the companies that have been a member of an accelerator. That seems to be a very hot topic right now. With a lot of questions about whether to join an accelerator, is it the way to go and what are the benefits? In your words, what was your experience like in an accelerator like the Make In LA Hardware accelerator?
FIT: Our accelerator experience was good. It was their first time hosting a cohort and our first time being in an accelerator. So of course there is going to be some friction when you’re just learning and people are trying to understand what you are doing. It was a great learning environment for everyone. So we really appreciate the opportunities that we were exposed to and the network.
What people tend to focus on with the accelerator is the same conundrum people have when they ask themselves “Should I get my MBA”?
People always have the same argument. “Is it worth it the time and worth the money”. I think people don’t account the soft costs and soft relationships that develop organically from being in such a dense environment.
So it may not have been the curriculum that I was exposed to, or maybe not the person that has this great Rolodex that can refer people to me, or the other companies that I met.
But it’s the aggregation of all those things together. I would not have been able to progress as fast as I did by myself. I now have really close friends that have their own startups and even if I never use them in a professional experience, they are someone that understands the things I am going through. The pain I feel and the emotional roller coasters that I am exposed to.
They get it and it’s so nice to be able to sympathize with people relate to with people., because being an entrepreneur, it’s lonely out there. Shit is not always as nice as it sounds; it’s a down and dirty business starting your own company and its nice to have like minded people around you to share your stories with.
I think one of the most beneficial aspects about an accelerator is the things you can’t quantify versus the things you can.
X: What is next on the table for Force Impact Technologies?
FIT: We want to be an injury mechanics platform. Initially we have this mouth guard that measures head health awareness. But we can take this same technology and put it into different applications whether that be a wristband, a glove, a knee brace, or a cleat. We really want to be a platform that identifies, quantifies, and documents risk points on athletes around the world to understand what is causing injuries.
