Untitled Kingdom: Piotr Zajc is the CEO of the Untitled Kingdom, a software and product development firm specializing in IoT, digital health, FemTech, and digital transformation initiatives that may make a genuine difference in people’s lives.
As CEO of Untitled Kingdom, he is responsible for upholding the company’s cultural values and sketching out the company’s development strategy.
He is also in charge of the company’s business ties with its partners. He has been published in tech and business media such as Forbes, TechCrunch, Hackernoon, and others, and has spoken at events such as SXSW, TechCrunch, CES, and Smart IoT.
Piotr, What inspired you to create the Untitled Kingdom, and how did you develop the concept?
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The untitled Kingdom began as a single project, creating Poland’s first bookshop, 11 years ago. It was a platform akin to Apple’s iBooks.
Only a few people were involved in the project at first, but as the project progressed, the team expanded with new professionals. The untitled Kingdom has grown over time due to more members joining and more and more challenging tasks.
The company’s concept was solidified a few years ago when I realised that we are most satisfied with projects that make a positive difference in the world, make life easier for users (particularly women.
Hence our focus on FemTech), and improve their daily comfort. I’m happy that we’re currently focusing on such projects and don’t have to replicate pointless apps.
How long did it take you to get to this point?
We were founded in 2008, and we were one of the first companies in Poland to begin developing iOS applications at the time. Our initial initiative, as I previously stated, was an eBookstore.
There was a reading market problem in Poland at the turn of the year, the ebook platform was no longer being developed, and because it was our most important client, I had to look for other ways to make money.
Building a business is rarely a straightforward success story. Failure or challenging events that necessitate widespread mobilization are the ones that educate us the most.
These pivotal points, I believe, have shaped who we are today. I recollect the three most pivotal moments that shaped what projects we work on and with whom we collaborate at the Untitled Kingdom today.
The first time I went to London for 11 months in 2012, I witnessed a different way of creating relationships than I had seen in Poland, and I learned how to construct projects with more seasoned and conscious clients in a mature startup sector.
That’s when we decided to concentrate our efforts on expanding our network in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the disparity has vanished in recent years, and the Polish startup industry has matured.
Then there was the time around the turn of 2013 and 2014 when we were on the verge of going out of business because two of our UK customers went insolvent. We were in a difficult circumstance, but it was also a turning point in our company strategy, project management approach, and communication.
We launched ‘Management 3.0’ and began a long-term collaboration with Elvie, Mystery Vibe, and other UK businesses.
By the way, we prefer the term “partner” over “client” since we place a premium on our teams’ ability to work together effectively. We operate in several locations daily, but we are one team, and the success of the entire product is also our success. We have the same aim in mind, so we can be just as dedicated to the project as our partner’s team.
The third watershed moment came in mid-2014 when two other firms approached us with an acquisition proposal. The entire team decided to remain independent.
We now have the freedom to concentrate on the projects we want to work on, particularly in the areas of digital health and FemTech.
We realized as an organization when we started working with Elvie and later with Mystery Vibe that meaningful projects that influence people and their reality provide us with the most happiness.
These are the most difficult items, and when they succeed in the market, they bring us the most joy.
It’s worth emphasizing Elvie Pump’s enormous success in the United States, where the first batch of devices was sold out within minutes of its launch.
We have been operating in the United States for 1.5 years, with many years of experience developing digital health and FemTech projects in a mature market in Europe (particularly in the United Kingdom), where we wish to promote FemTech and assist in the creation of products targeted at women.
What was the most difficult challenge?
Entrepreneurs, and our approach to what we do and how we do it, are the largest roadblocks to development. Work is much more qualitative when we are highly driven and committed to the initiatives we are involved in. Because knowledge and abilities are both easily acquired, one of the most critical aspects is attitude.
I feel that leaders play an essential role in organizations since they are the driving force behind the rest of the team. Their job is to hire intelligent individuals and educate, stimulate, and motivate them daily. Leaders are accountable for their employees’ contentment with their work and, as a result, their efficiency, which translates into successful goods.
What are your most notable accomplishments to date?
The most significant accomplishment at the Untitled Kingdom is forming a unique team of talented and dedicated individuals. We’ve developed a healthy corporate culture and discovered values that we all share over the last 11 years, making it easier for us to make decisions in times of crisis and solve difficulties.
Our shared goal, ideals, and bond were especially vital at a time when we were on the verge of something big. Simultaneously, we began working with Elvie, with whom we created Elvie Trainer and Elvie Pump. It would not have been possible without a cohesive and challenging team at each level of the project.
I am happy with the fact that the team’s high-quality work has an impact on our evaluation and reputation in the business, allowing us to grow. The vast majority of our partners are still as a result of the referral.
What are the difficulties of being an entrepreneur in your field?
The most challenging difficulty is reaching out to the right people interested in digital health and FemTech and who we could assist in developing ground-breaking ideas. That is why I am thrilled to be a part of FemTech Collective, and now Women of Wearables, because we can help each other and share our knowledge and experience in this field.
We’re seeking initiatives that are unique to us, that we haven’t done before, and that will push us out of our comfort zone in terms of product or technology. The objective is to get this message to our intended audience.
In this context, I’d like to share a quote with you that has been with me since my studies, and I’m delighted we can all relate to it as an organization. President John F. Kennedy made the following statement in Houston, Texas, in 1962:
We’ve decided to travel to the Moon! We have decided to travel to the Moon… We choose to go to the Moon and do the other things in this decade not because they are easy, but because they are difficult; because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills; because that challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we refuse to postpone, and one we intend to win, as well as the others.
Are you a fan of the #WomenInTech campaign?
It is critical to support the #WomenInTech movement. I must admit that finding women with technical education and expertise in the software sector is far more difficult for me as an employer than finding men. Unfortunately, the market is unbalanced, particularly when it comes to programming.
Employers, in my opinion, should promote the world of technology as a world that is good for women’s growth and to create a welcoming, open workplace. We do it every day in the Untitled Kingdom, and as a result, the number of women in our organization is growing.
Women, I feel, have a significant impact on an organization’s culture, bringing diversity and allowing for balanced development. I am ecstatic that there is an increasing number of women in technological positions on the market.
In FemTech or digital health firms, and in general, I am optimistic about the growing number of women founders, CEOs, and directors.
Working on projects like a kegel trainer, an innovative breast pump, and smart vibrators, I believe, is improving the openness to essential FemTech and SexTech debates among both women and men throughout our business.
What are the current projects that you and your team are working on?
I am quite proud of the work that we have completed. Apart from continuing to develop Elvie Trainer and Elvie Pump in response to user input, we are also continuing our partnership with Mystery Vibe.
I’m ecstatic about our three new goods. One of them is an AI-based solution for improving office worker comfort. The second is the seismic monitoring system, which has an impact on skyscraper occupants’ safety. The third product is a bio-hacking tool that will be released at the end of the year.
What is the most crucial piece of advise you can give to all fem tech and health tech founders and entrepreneurs out there, especially in terms of product development?
Digital health and FemTech have been rapidly evolving in recent years. The goods we work with are often ground-breaking and unique. Because there is no other product like it on the market, they must go through the verification process. It’s tough to forecast their success from the start.
As a result, the most important thing for founders working on new FemTech and digital health solutions, in my opinion, is not to give up, not to lose trust in their product, in which they believe that the world will change.
It’s crucial not to give in to investors who want to unite the answer. Founders must pay attention to their intuition and well-prepared product because this is the most crucial factor to consider when working on something new. They must be defiant! A remark from Henry Ford, which I like, exemplifies what I mean:
People would have said faster horses if I had asked what they desired.
The ebook, which you can download for free after several years of developing our kickoff workshops, can assist you in validating your product and planning its development.
What do you think the biggest trends in fem tech and health tech will be in the next five years, and where do you think they’ll go?
I’m particularly interested in how digital health and FemTech are evolving, and the recent SXSW conference in Austin was encouraging in this regard. Biometrics, precision medicine, data and privacy, and biohacking are the four primary trends I foresee to emerge.
1. Biometrics
The advancement of wearables will be especially important in biometrics. This can be observed in the attention placed on such products by corporations, for example. I’m thinki
g about Apple’s recent report on digital health, for example. We’ve just heard of multiple incidents of Apple Watch saving lives by allowing medical personnel to respond fast.
I predict biometrics will have even more dynamic characteristics in the next years. Wearable devices will keep you updated on your body’s health, chemical composition, microelements, and overall well-being.
They will recommend specific actions that the user must take preventively in order to maintain health, based on the user’s history of behaviour, such as going for a walk, eating a specific product in case of shortage, stretching, or simply going to bed, using a combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Real-time data on what is going on in the body will allow you to regulate and avoid diseases, as well as earlier medical reactions such as a heart attack. I’m looking forward to this moment with bated breath.
2. Medical precision | Untitled Kingdom
Precision medicine is a trend that is inextricably linked to biometrics, sometimes even coexisting. Biometrics will give real-time data about our health, and when combined with precision medicine, it will be possible to acquire the proper drugs or supplements for us and our needs in the morning, for example, in the event of sicknesses or shortages.
This will cut down on medical interviews, which are now more in-depth and less precise. The doctor will be given a set of data that will allow him to provide very accurate care to the patient in a fraction of the time it takes now. Finally, society’s use of needless and ineffective medication may be reduced as a result of this.
3. Personal information and privacy
Another trend I see is the standardisation and consolidation of medical data while protecting the security of this sensitive data.
The fragmentation of our health data is currently the most difficult task. They are dispersed throughout various clinics and doctors, with whom we must do the same interviews on a regular basis. It’s reassuring to know that we’ve succeeded in combining data in other areas, such as the centralization of financial data systems or the register of offences.
As a species, we are at a fork in the road where we must ask ourselves (and find answers to) essential questions:
– who should have access to our personal information,
– how and where to apply the information
– Which option will be the most successful and appropriate: complete access and full centralization, or individual policies for each country/organization?
In the next years, I believe that this data will be centralised and standardised, and that we, as owners, will be able to decide who can use it and to what extent. The more data we collect and make available to machine learning analytical systems, the better they can serve humanity.
4. Bio-tampering | Untitled Kingdom
Bio-hacking is becoming increasingly popular, but it is also divisive. For example, the devices that are made have an effect on brain stimulation, such as increasing efficiency and concentration. This is the point at which we must consider philosophical or ethical issues.
What happens if certain people have more access to bio-hacking resources than others? Is this really the case? What if this results in improved job opportunities and higher wages? Should we promote humanistic solutions or not?
Who are the three most inspiring women and enterprises in the fields of femtech and healthtech in your opinion?
There are many people who inspire our organisation and me, but if I had to choose three, they would be:
1. The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS).
Surprisingly, my first type is not a person or a company, but a government agency, the NHS in the United Kingdom. We’re talking to a lot of companies all over the world, and the NHS is a huge player and a pioneer in the field of healthy digitization. Their willingness for change, to see trends, and to respond to them inspires me.
This is the world’s most advanced national public health care, according to our experience, because they not only manage but also foresee what will happen in the future.
The NHS accelerator, which helps startups release their brightest young talent, is admirable. They have contacts, experts, and the ability to organise focus groups and testing, all of which help to foster creativity.
Furthermore, the NHS is ahead of the curve in terms of data standardisation, access, and inter-institutional sharing. It should serve as an example for other countries, as we specialise in digital health.
2. Elvie’s Tania Boler
Tania Boler, the founder and CEO of Elvie, has been a long-time collaborator of ours. For me, this is the essence of what I described earlier in the entrepreneur’s advise. Tania is the perfect example of following your instincts, setting goals, and developing non-obvious items with no competitors on the market.
I appreciate her for her success in resolving real and common challenges faced by women and making it easier for them to function on a daily basis. Elvie’s success stems from a mix of her passion, her desire to improve the world and help others, as well as a focus on education and awareness-raising.
3. Feminist Technology and its Founders
The entire FemTech movement and its founders are another unexpected source of inspiration for me. As an entrepreneur and a person working in the field of new technologies, I understand the importance of being bold and pursuing initiatives that are frequently deemed doomed by those around you.
FemTech founders are fearless women who typically design solutions to address an issue or need that they have.
I respect CEO women who combat taboos and the marginalisation of women’s issues, frequently with huge institutions, such as the Oe case (sex toy) that won an award at CES before being banned, or a problem with advertising on Facebook Pulse items (natural lubricants).
When working on a challenging project, I often rely on this mindset and courage, which are, after all, the foundations of entrepreneurship.
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