We are Hidonix – Innovating Tomorrow, Today.
Tell us about you.
We’re Hidonix, a deep tech company focused on building systems that enhance how robotic hardware is used in the real world. We develop the intelligence, infrastructure, and integrations that help make spaces smarter. Our mission is to bring intelligent automation to everyday environments without disrupting existing workflows.
The name “Hidonix” comes from two sources:
- Hido—inspired by Bushido, the Japanese samurai code, which guides us in ethics and discipline.
- Nix—from Phoenix, representing rebirth and reinvention.
In a nutshell, we offer modular solutions that combine robotics-enhanced navigation, spatial intelligence, and automation. Our proprietary ION system powers real-time indoor-outdoor mapping, object recognition, and data integration.
Tell us how your startup is changing the world.
Our goal has always been to create tangible impact on the industries we work with. We don’t think robotics needs to be flashy or complicated to be impactful. Whether it’s powering autonomous mapping in a museum or enhancing emergency response protocols in schools, our vision is centered around scalable, flexible systems that provide value immediately and grow with user needs.
You’ll find our tech in museums, schools, expos, public venues—places that serve communities. Our tools often work behind the scenes, improving how places are experienced, secured, and managed.
What sets you apart from the competition?
We’re the Swiss Army knife of the deep tech world. What we build has many implications across verticals. R&D is in our DNA: sometimes we even surprise ourselves with the things we create! While many startups typically lean into the wow-factor, we pay attention to what comes after. Instead of adding more software and devices that create silos, we build everything in unison with what our clients might need.
Expertise is everything to us. Every single product we’ve built, we’ve done so in consultation with leading industry experts and professionals.
What does it mean for you to win this title?
We feel charged and even more driven! It’s an important recognition for us, and a reminder that what we’re doing holds value. Being named Startup of the Year in Robotics tells us our focus on practical impact is resonating. It feels amazing.
Most of all, this is a big validation for a team that’s mostly worked quietly, passionately and heads-down. This win is theirs through and through!
What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to set out for this mission?
Our team is based in Italy and Los Angeles. We’re innovators, crazy thinkers, and creatives. Most of all, we’re visionaries: we push the boundaries of what already exists, giving true meaning to the word “innovation”.
The biggest reason we have scaled this fast is that every single member in our team is constantly thinking about the end user. That level of empathy is rare to find, which is why this group of people works. It’s truly a team-effort here. Every single member of our team takes ownership. They speak up. Even within our offices, this keeps our environment brimming with ideas.
When we’re not working, we’re constantly pulling pranks on each other! 🙂
Looking back, what milestone was the biggest turning point for your startup?
The biggest turning point for our startup was gaining recognition across multiple verticals — museums, hospitals, and schools — for truly solving real-world problems, especially through our navigation feature. We quickly saw potential for more innovation. That’s where our robotics department stemmed from.
We began integrating robots in our offerings to automate processes and enhance the accuracy of our results in navigation and spatial acquisition. What started as an addition has slowly become the backbone of our products!
What’s one valuable lesson you learned this year that you’d pass on to other startups?
Stay close to the people you’re building for. Most importantly, be constantly open to grow and change. What you started with will never be what you end up with, if you keep listening to the consumer. That’s a good thing. This past year, we had the incredible opportunity to attend expos and connect with other startups to build our community. We all collectively share one lesson from our respective early years—flexibility is more important than scale in the beginning days.
The best tech is not always complex. So, don’t rush to define your identity. Let your work and innovation speak for you.
How do you envision your industry evolving in the coming years, and how will your startup stay ahead?
Ironically, we don’t think robotics will be its own industry in 10 years. It will be adopted by everyone, and will blend into logistics, security, cultural heritage and visitor experience.
To stay ahead, we’ll have to continue doing what we do best. We’ll keep listening, investing in R&D and talent, and testing the field.
How do you or your company intend to embrace the responsibility of this title in 2025?
Innovation in robotics is not a zero-sum game. We’re committed to being constant learners and sharing as we grow with the community. Investing more in R&D and hiring new talent is our game plan for now. Our tech offerings have a solid base of software and hardware for robots, and now we’re taking the next step at redefining our footing in the robotics industry.
We’re making a conscious effort to be out there at tech and robotics events. Hidonix is most excited to showcase our work at CES 2026 – the biggest tech conference in the world!
What goals are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2025?
Our offerings are expansive and go beyond robotics, and we’re excited with all the new tech we are rolling out this year:
- Bring our museum CRM/CMS platform, MIT, to new institutions in Europe and North America.
- Launch our spatial intelligence tools through ExpoX (now in market) for public spaces and event organizers.
- Complete a secret robotics project that we have been working on non-stop!
2024 has been crazy, with all the new techs, and all the geopolitics fluctuations. What are the impacts of these to your startup, and to your industry as a whole? Be as brief or as detailed as you like.
2024 pushed everyone to rethink resilience. There were supply chain hurdles and constantly changing regulations. Luckily, our global team has found ways to make it work in our favor. We’ve responded by making our systems more modular and native, easier to deploy locally, and less reliant on third-party infrastructure.
That being said, this is an exciting time to be at the forefront of AI and deep tech. Just how quickly generative AI has become a household tool tells us that the same fate will fall upon robotics. Breakthroughs in these fields have opened new doors for autonomy, and we’re ready to dive in.
We would love your feedback on HackerNoon as a tech publication! How has your experience been with us?
We love Hackernoon! It gives space to the builders of all these crazy technologies. That’s rare. We’ve appreciated how easy it is to share stories without needing to polish them into something they are not. Thank you for contributing to spotlight early-stage tech startups and deep tech literature!
Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with us?
As our founder Achille De Pasquale puts it:
“Innovation only matters when it’s accessible. If it doesn’t help someone solve a real problem, it’s just noise.”
