One of the exciting parts of starting Elettra seven years ago (yes, seven years already!) was naming it. Many people ask us where the name came from.

We had two criteria that guided our naming process: we wanted a name that had a story and that was tied to communications history.

Elettra was the name of the steam yacht that housed inventor Guglielmo Marconi’s private floating laboratory.  Marconi, the Italian inventor known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission, did much of his research from the Elettra. It played an important part in the evolution of his work, especially in short wave wireless communication

In fact, the vessel had such a profound impact on his life that Marconi eventually named his daughter Elettra as well.

Well, when you find a good name it’s hard not to put it to good use.