Socrates Ioannidis

Socrates Ioannidis' life has revolved entirely around the realm of Olympic pistol and rifle shooting. Born and raised in the picturesque town of Volos, Greece, his journey into the world of marksmanship commenced at the tender age of 12, when his school introduced him to the sport of air pistol and rifle shooting. It wasn't without its hurdles, as being left-handed presented an initial challenge. However, Socrates exhibited unwavering dedication to his newfound passion. His relentless pursuit of excellence bore fruit when he clinched his first National rifle championship title in 1995. This triumph marked the beginning of a remarkable career that would see him don the colors of the Greek National Shooting team, where he went on to represent his homeland with distinction in competitions spanning across Europe and around the globe.

Socrates was not just a marksman; he was renowned as a technical maestro. From the early stages of his career, he dedicated as much time to honing his skills as a firearms technician as he did to his shooting prowess. At a remarkably young age of 19, he received formal training and certification from Feinwerkbau as a repair specialist. This was just the beginning. He later achieved qualifications from industry giants such as Walther and Steyr, making him one of the select few individuals certified to work on all these prestigious brands.

The spark of innovation struck Socrates in 2010 when he observed the painstaking efforts pistol shooters undertook to mold and remold their grips in a quest to attain the perfect, natural alignment with their hands. The tedious and imprecise methods involving files and putty left him convinced that there had to be a superior alternative. It was during this time that the initial seeds of the SMARTGRIP concept were sown.

Over the subsequent decade, Socrates dedicated himself to the relentless pursuit of his vision—to create a universal pistol grip that would empower both novice and seasoned shooters alike. His dream was to provide them with the means to discover the ideal, natural point of aim grip that would, in turn, enable them to unleash their full potential and maximize their performance. Through rigorous trial and error, iterating on more than 100 prototypes, SMARTGRIP emerged as a groundbreaking solution. It has ushered in a new era for Olympic pistol shooters across various major brands, offering a revolutionary experience. With SMARTGRIP, they now possess the capability to customize and fine-tune their grip fitment like never before, opening the doors to unprecedented precision and performance.