Frank Ricotta Jr

As a leader, you can take a me-first
approach or a team-first approach.
Frank Ricotta, Jr. chooses team-first.
During the early stages of the
COVID-19 crisis, his team recognized
that 2020 would not be as he
planned. He understood he had to do
something different.
Ricotta explained that based on the
results of an internal strategic thinking
exercise, the company refocused
their efforts and launched Research
Foundry in March 2020.
“We had the support of an
international coalition of researchers,
public health officials, organizations,
and inventive minds, all of whom
believe that large-scale problems
can only be solved collaboratively,”
Ricotta said. “Understanding the
need to work together to have a
profound and sustainable impact on
our world, Ricotta said as a starting
point, he offered Research Foundry as
a free service supporting this global
community.
“We initially populated the Research
Foundry with a significant number
of health data collections, including
specific COVID-19 data
sets to accelerate research activities,”
he said.
“While preparing for the launch, we began discussing
collaboration opportunities with Hitachi Vantara and the
American Heart Association.”
In May 2020, AHA with the support of Hitachi and BurstIQ
launched a COVID-19 data challenge focused on the
relationships between COVID-19 and underserved and
vulnerable communities. The data innovation challenge
was a huge success. Ricotta said that these researchers along
with all the participants provided invaluable insights to how
COVID-19 impacts these communities along with potential
responses to mitigate its impact.
“As the year progressed, we were able to connect researchers
with innovators around the world and currently have over
200 new active projects underway on what we have now
branded as BurstIQ Foundry,” Ricotta said.
When being led by Ricotta you are never really alone.
He said, “One of your core responsibilities is to build a team
that has the ability to not only lift the company but to lift
you up as well. 2020 reinforced the need to have a why, both
for me personally and for the BurstIQ team collectively.
We all need to rally around our Massive Transformative
Purpose.”
For Ricotta, it’s simply to make the world a healthier place.
“It is this bond that allowed us to deal with the forced
isolation of lockdowns. Through it all, we emerged in
a better place than where we started. 2020 pushed my
leadership skills to the limits and forced me to grow in ways
I could have never imagined when the year began.”
In addition to launching Research Foundry, we recognized
that COVID-19 has brought one major
thing into focus for just about everyone on the planet.
“We learned that we are all interconnected, that an action
in one area can quickly turn into a worldwide crisis. We
learned that our stories weave together to capture a much broader
view of all the diverse factors that impact our health,” Ricotta said.
“We also learned how much is still a mystery.”
COVID-19 accelerated the need for businesses and governments to
remotely authenticate individuals, validate transactions, and safely
transfer health information unleashing a worldwide demand for
digital identity solutions, and in December 2020, he launched his
first product offering around identity to help streamline COVID-19
testing, vaccine administration and tracking.
Ricotta added that his biggest challenge was not unlike many
organizations. “We had to come to grips with the ‘new normal’ and
a pretty significant hit in our revenue projections.”
While most people view blockchain as a technology, Ricotta sees it
as much more.
“Fundamentally, blockchains are networks. Networks create
connections, connections create communities, and communities
create markets. Communities drive change, create movements,
disrupt conventions, and even foster compassion. And one more
thing. Communities create hope,” he said. “Yes, hope. Hope that I
can make a difference, that I can impact my life, that I can impact my
environment, that I can impact the world. What lifts my heart more
than I can convey is that we are not just a technology company, we
are a company that builds communities, communities of hope.
This year has undoubtedly been one of unprecedented change for
every business and Ricotta is leaning into the change.
“I work with our leaders to identify our opportunity and share it
with the rest of the team, so the whole company can all feel
a sense of ownership, agency, and mission through challenging
times.”
Ultimately, you will never be successful without your team.
“Be a team-first leader,” Ricotta said. “Having a good sense of
humility, gratitude, and responsibility in your role as a leader will go
a long way in building a successful team and a successful company

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