Axel D’Addario is a seasoned corporate innovator, entrepreneur, and author. At the age of 18 years, he embarked on his professional journey in real estate. Over the past nine years, he has excelled in innovation, creativity, and sustainability, consistently creating value, driving growth, and delivering cutting-edge solutions.
Currently, Axel serves as the Chief Strategy Officer of HydraPatch®, a unique brand offering transdermal products designed to deliver essential nutrients directly to the bloodstream to solve global dehydration issues. Additionally, as a partner at NXT Level Holdings, Axel plays a key role in guiding companies through every stage of their business journey, from ideation to exit.
The Career Trajectory
Axel has an impressive track record of exploring business environments at a young age. He started his first company in the real estate industry in 2015 and fell in love with the idea of creating his own destiny. In 2019, Axel met Clifford Rowley, founder and CEO of HydraPatch®, who was just beginning the R&D process for the brand’s innovative product. Over the next 4+ years, the team faced numerous challenges in bringing the novel product to market, testing their patience and perseverance. Now as they approach one full year in the market, HydraPatch® is highly valued by endurance and performance athletes at the highest levels of professional and collegiate sport, along with youth and amateur athletes, construction workers, package handlers and drivers, and everyday consumers.
Axel’s Leadership Philosophy Over the Years
Axel’s leadership style has always revolved around “leading by example.” Building trust through actions has been crucial in gaining the confidence of his fellow executives and the team. Axel has a hands-on approach to getting the job done, and his leadership style has evolved to emphasize the significance of understanding people and social dynamics for success.
Strategies to Build and Maintain a High-Performing Team
Axel has built a small but dedicated team of versatile professionals who strive to be flexible and nimble and always make instant change. As the team leader, Axel constantly evaluates each division of the business to identify opportunities for enhanced efficiency, ensuring that the team can keep pace with its rapid growth.
The Inception Story Behind HydraPatch®
Clifford Rowley, founder and CEO, came up with the idea for the HydraPatch® after spending over two decades in professional and collegiate sports and also establishing another isotonic performance brand. Recognizing that dehydration is a global issue and traditional methods of nutrient replenishment often fall short, Rowley created HydraPatch® to address this gap. It offers up to 8 hours of continuous nutrient delivery, supporting wellness before, during, and after activity, and even while sleeping.
Committed to Excellence
As an executive team, Axel and other key executives maintain very high standards. They successfully made 33 different revisions of the product over more than 4 years during their R&D phase, and every change was crucial to creating a unique product with a 99.6% consumer approval rate. Their hard work, sacrifice, and determination allowed them to overcome various barriers, leading to overwhelming success and positive feedback.
“We look forward to continuing this path of incredible growth and are blessed to be at the helm of such a market-moving innovation,” pinpoints Axel.
The Significant Contribution to Social Impact
Human trafficking is a heinous act of violence, and upon learning about the details, Axel felt compelled to take action. So, he founded the Support Our Survivors Campaign, which quickly gained momentum and raised over $250,000 for survivors. It also established partnerships with several anti-human trafficking organizations. For Axel, participating in initiatives that drive social impact is extremely important as it allows him to focus on what’s truly important: people and relationships.
Regarding HydraPatch®’s contributions to social impact, Axel states: “The feedback we have been receiving from the success of the HydraPatch® has not only been related to the success of endurance and performance athletes (e.g., faster race times/PRs, performing longer, etc.), we’ve heard from people who feel they can combat symptoms of their chronic ailments, diseases, and disorders while wearing the HydraPatch® daily.” “It’s the “thank you” from all of our customers that keeps us going,” Axel emphasizes.
Corporate Social Responsibility at HydraPatch®
Corporate social responsibility has been a significant part of HydraPatch® as the brand continues to grow its novel, direct-to-the-bloodstream product line. The team always aims to improve everyone’s wellness experience with the brand and looks forward to striving towards continued, sustainable growth with a vision to provide hydration and recover benefits globally.
The Newest Trends: At a Glance
Axel believes that for the past two decades, America has been on a trend toward better health and wellness, as well as stronger signs of awareness amongst everyday consumers when making daily health and wellness choices. Transdermal technology has been around for thousands of years and is continuing to grow globally. These are a few emerging trends that hold significant promise for the future.
Forging Futures with a Distinctive Approach
Looking ahead, Axel remains committed to HydraPatch®’s long-term vision and aspirations. In the next 3–5 years, the company’s strategic priorities include scaling its business to become a household name and global brand while continuing to strive towards customer excellence and improving the consumer journey.