Interview with Massimiliano Arena, CEO of Slidinglife
April 2, 2022
Interview with Massimiliano Arena, CEO of Slidinglife, the innovative startup with a social vocation that helps people manage, completely online, every stage of separation and divorce from their spouse.
In our country, unfortunately, the number of divorces is increasing every day. According to some estimates, in Italy, there are 250 couples who separate every day and, in 85% of cases, it is a separation by mutual consent. I know, separating with a partner who has sworn eternal love for you is never easy, and the red tape does not help either. Now, however, you have an extra ally who can help you deal with the confusion that comes with a separation: Slidinglife. Let’s find out what it is all about.
What is Slidinglife
Slidinglife is the first platform connecting the users of separation and divorce with the whole world of liberal professions dealing with this particular moment of life. The person who is separating can contact a professional chosen on the basis of competence, geographical proximity or user evaluation and request video counselling. Lawyers, psychologists, accountants and other professionals will be on hand to give you all the information you need.
All the features of this platform are designed to guide you from an initial phase of confusion to a phase of rebirth, through information, discussion, decision and action. Moreover, even after the separation process is over, you can remain an active member of the community, support new members and make new friends.
Want to know more? You can do so by continuing to read the article where you will find an interview with Massimiliano Arena, CEO of Slidinglife.
Hi Massimiliano, it’s a pleasure to meet you and thank you for your time. Tell us more about Slidinglife. How and when did the idea come about?
I have been a matrimonial lawyer for 20 years. The idea came about a few years ago when I realised that people who come to me for separation or divorce do not just want legal support, they want help putting the pieces of their lives back together. In addition, I suffer from witnessing situations where the children pay for family disagreements.
I thought, therefore, that there had to be another way of experiencing separation, and that I could do something about it. So in 2017 I founded Slidinglife and came up with Parenting®, the web service that improves the lives of separated parents and their children by reducing disputes and stress.
How did you launch your startup? Did you use crowdfunding campaigns?
The start-up journey is difficult, but at the same time exciting. Fortunately, Slidinglife, by doing social innovation and being a pioneer in Italy in the field of legal tech, immediately aroused the interest of investors, we won a regional call for tenders and launched two crowdfunding campaigns. These are the foundations for a solid foundation and a good first plan, now we are continuing to build.
What steps do you take with clients to realise their projects?
The gateway to Slidinglife is a community that now has over 4,000 members. People from all over Italy at every stage of separation, from initial confusion to rebirth, who confront and support each other every day.
Each of them has their own story and approaches Slidinglife for a different reason. We try to understand how we can be useful and then direct them to the service that is right for them: sometimes it is legal advice, sometimes it is psychological counselling or coaching, in some cases they need a tool to help them communicate with their ex and manage activities with their children and so we offer Parenting®, in other cases they need immediate answers and we can provide them with an authoritative and constantly updated blog, vertical ebooks on various topics and webinars by professionals who deal with even the most sensitive issues in a simple way. Finally, many people “just” need discussion, distraction and friendship: in the Slidinglife community they find all this and sometimes more…
Facing a separation is always a delicate moment for a couple. What is your communication strategy?
We address both people going through a separation or divorce as well as people in the pre- and post-separation phases. We listen to each person who turns to us, we never take sides in favour of women or men, we treat each issue with the authority of professionalism and the empathy of those who know well the emotions that revolve around separations.
Projects for the future?
We want to enrich our flagship service, Parenting®, by introducing new functionalities. We are aiming at internationalisation: after an agreement in Brazil, we want to bring Parenting® to Northern Europe. We want to bet more and more on a human2human approach in legal tech and beyond.
Curiosity: Any curiosities about the final choice of the name Slidinglife?
If you are wondering whether the reference to the famous Sliding Doors is intentional, I can confirm that. The vision behind Slidinglife is the belief that there can always be a second chance in life for everyone. I believe that if something has not gone according to plan, we do not have to reduce all of life to failure. On the contrary, if we have a positive attitude, life can always have something good in store for us, and the end of a relationship can be the moment of rebirth.
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