From the school desks
Our story began amidst the school desks of the G. Marconi scientific high school in Parma. We were a vibrant class in our fourth year, full of enthusiasm and ready to take on challenges. We were proposed to participate in the B-Corp school project, devised by InventoLab, which presented us with a challenge: create a startup within the class that could generate revenue while benefiting society and the environment. At the end of the project, a competition would be held, recognizing the best project as the 'Best for B-corp school 2019'.
Constancy, dedication, commitment, and... change
It didn't take long for many of us to become completely immersed in this project. Our class spent entire afternoons at school, contemplating the change we wanted to bring about. Our first step was choosing the company's name: Redivivus, from Latin meaning 'to bring back to ancient splendor.' We wanted our name to express the objective we had set for ourselves: making a positive impact on our planet. We brainstormed all the actions in our daily routines that burden the environment and decided to focus on the cosmetic industry, aiming to change how people use shampoo by reducing plastic bottle consumption.
The idea was meticulously developed, but we faced a harsh reality: it wasn't feasible! But we refused to give up! We intensified our efforts, optimized our idea, making it more practical and effective. This is how Redidrop was born: a drop of concentrated shampoo, body wash, or conditioner enclosed in a thin water-soluble casing that would release the product upon contact with water.
Garage and assembly line
We didn't want Redidrop to remain just an idea. Aware of the necessary materials, our then-unofficial Research and Development Director, Marco Festuccia, conceived the idea of producing Redidrops in his garage. After days, often nights, of work, we created various prototypes, testing their features and functionality. Redidrop became a reality!
Changemakers competition
After six months of work, on June 6, 2019, we participated in the Changemakers Competition, where projects from schools across Italy competed. We arrived in Milan, the competition's venue, with two presentations, an advertisement video, prototypes, and the hope that the project could become something more. We presented the project to an enthusiastic jury, who encouraged us multiple times even before knowing the competition's outcome, urging us not to stop and to continue developing our idea even beyond the school environment. At the end of the competition, Redivivus was awarded 'Best for Bcorp School 2019.' On our way back home, we laughed, joked, and discussed a lot, reaching a decision: we couldn't stop; Redivivus had to become a reality!
In the real world
From this point on, only our team remains in the story, consisting of those who, even before turning 18, were determined to take this step. The first step was establishing our innovative startup. We spent that summer working with great enthusiasm in makeshift meeting rooms, which had become our offices, garages, and offices of lawyers and accountants. On October 24, 2019, Redivivus Srl was born, with the goal of dedicating all its resources to developing products and services that could allow anyone to choose a sustainable daily life, thereby aiding our planet. We connected with various Italian and European companies, with whom we worked and are still working to create collaborations aimed at developing our products.
