Interview with Linda Facchinetti, Founder and CEO of Jump Into Reality
Find out what inspired Linda Facchinetti to launch Jump Into Reality, and where the inspiration for their first SAAS products, JUMP into DESIGN®, came from.
What’s your career background?
My career began in international finance, which I worked in for over 15 years from the early ‘90s. I advised supranational institutions and governments globally, and a key part of this work was developing and nurturing relationships – something I really recognise the importance of.
I moved to Spain in 2008 with my young family and took some time out from work to look after my 3 children. I then managed a microfinance institution. Our focus was to provide training and microcredits to women in Haiti and the Dominican Republic who were disadvantaged, vulnerable, and unable to access support to make a living.
Everything I’ve achieved in my career has had people at its heart and my work background, while varied in many ways, has given me the skills I then channelled into building our business.
Where did the idea for your business come from?
Although I had always wanted to start my own business, I knew it needed to be the right idea and something that let me combine my passions. Then five years ago I tried on a VR headset for the first time and was spellbound – it opened up a whole new world of possibilities!
Although we are a tech company, our shared vision from the start with Jump Into Reality was to develop products that deliver something useful and meaningful to people, by connecting the virtual with the real.
How did you move from idea to actual business?
The vision I shared with Gustavo and Antonio, my co-founders, allowed us to each utilise our passions and expertise, and bring the business from its planning stage to life. My background is in science, finance and communication, while they both sit at the cutting-edge of VR and AR, so JUMP into DESIGN® – our first SaaS product – is a perfect reflection of this.
With JUMP into DESIGN®, we’ve created a seamless solution for interior designers, architects and manufacturers that lets them effectively connect designs and ideas to customers, who can easily visualise how it will look in reality.
What’s your USP?
Immersive technology has always come at a high cost to the end user, to the point of being prohibitive to many of the people it would benefit most. Added to this, the specialist training and equipment that’s usually needed to operate it means it’s out of reach to most. This is often the case even when the product isn’t of particularly high quality or doesn’t offer a full solution.
But with JUMP into DESIGN®, we’ve created a product without a cost barrier — customers can trial for free, access a no-cost basic version or choose the subscription that meets their needs without paying for what they don’t. Then they can jump straight into using it easily, because, whilst the software is sophisticated, we’ve ensured it’s simple and intuitive to use.
JUMP into DESIGN® requires only an internet connection and a PC and if the user wants to experience a walk through the space and truly bring to life ideas and designs they can also plug in a VR headset.
What’s been the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome?
I think it has to be when we moved our headquarters to the UK. It was something we were keen to do due to there being a large market for our product, as well as a deep investor base, but the timing with the pandemic and Brexit presented some logistical challenges.
For the move to be secured, we had to have all the documents signed before 31 December and so many things had to line up. Thankfully, we managed to get everything signed and sealed on that afternoon – it was tight but we did it!
And your proudest moment so far?
There have been lots of things I’ve been proud of with Jump Into Reality so far, but the one that leaps straight out is our first day in our Madrid office. We’d worked tirelessly to get to this point, and as I sat with my co-founder, Gustavo and we took everything in, I realised that this lifelong dream was finally happening. Jump Into Reality was now our tangible reality!
Why is work so important to you?
Most of the reasons I value work so much are about people. I am motivated by being part of an ambitious project that that helps people communicate and interact easily, that delivers something useful and that makes everyday life better. Helping people engage with one another is really important to me, from designers with their clients through to working within a team.
Clear communication and being able to understand each other’s visions are crucial to working effectively and in harmony. And to me another key benefit to this is the end satisfaction that being surrounded by enthusiastic people brings to the working day. Communication is what makes my working life tick!
Who inspires you?
I’ve been fortunate to have found real inspiration from multiple people, but, notably, I have to say from the Haitian and Dominican women I worked with nearly a decade ago. They invited me into their communities and even hosted me in their homes — seeing how hard they work to support their families against the backdrop of injustice and violence is very inspiring.
From a very young age I was also inspired by my parents: to never give up, to be generous, to work hard, be ambitious and to stay true to myself. I still draw inspiration from them every day.
Find out more about Jump Into Reality.
