“Real progress is only possible when the advantages of a new technology are available to everyone” H. Ford

All the best stories start with a challenge. XENTA’s challenge dates back to 2004 when Stefano Bertazzoni and Lorenzo Mongiardo launched a start-up based on a very simple but revolutionary concept: using a joystick, that easiest and most intuitive of human-machine interfaces, to make maneuvering yachts something anyone could do with ease. It was such an innovative idea that it was considered visionary at the time, and the XENTA joystick arrived on the market well before any of the other systems available today.

“The sea has been a great passion of mine since I was a child and I have always sailed – says Stefano Bertazzoni – My very intense first-hand experiences meant I often wondered how they could be made even more enjoyable by simplifying life aboard. Mooring was one of those tricky operations that could create tension and so was well worth looking at. Lorenzo and I analyzed the problem from a practical perspective but also and most importantly, from an engineering one. That led us to develop a solution so innovative that it became a real technological and cultural challenge. Being able to steer boats not with the wheel but using a joystick was a real game-changer for owners and the yachting industry as a whole”. 

“Stefano got me involved in an area, the nautical one, and a problem, steering boats, that I was not very familiar with – says Lorenzo Mongiardo – But being able to work on an idea that no one else had thought of was enormously stimulating for me. We approached the design of the joystick together by thinking about how we could ensure the system emulated the behavior of an expert helmsman rather than confining ourselves to just analyzing and describing the dynamics of the boat, the forces involved. That was most definitely a point that helped XENTA’s success. That type of design development and our passion for innovation that still continue to underpin the philosophy of all XENTA products”.


Today, the duo pour that same passion into driving constant development with a focus on systems reliability and all that it offers, as well as an unswerving focus on innovation.

XENTA Navigation Systems. Our ability to innovate has made us the leader.