A new Italian reality aims to change the way in which companies access artificial intelligence, starting not from the tools but from the real needs of the market. It is called Deploiable and was founded in Rome by Roberto Macina, Valentina Iannucci and Alessandro Piccinini, with a first round of investment of 500 thousand euros.
The model that Deploiable intends to bring to Italy and Europe is that of the product lab: to serially develop AI products on market niches, designed from the beginning to be acquired by small and medium-sized companies, not to become large unicorns. The inspiration comes from models already widespread in the United States, still little replicated in the old continent.
The first investment round is financed by the Cannonball fund and the business angels Claudio Enriquez, Enrico Reggiani and Mirko Faiozzo.
A new way to innovate with AI
The idea comes from a double problem that Macina and the team say they have observed in the market. On the one hand, many companies see artificial intelligence only as a tool to optimize internal processes and reduce costs, neglecting its potential as a strategic business lever. On the other hand, the classic cycle of European startups produces few exits compared to more speculative ecosystems, such as the US one.
“Today many companies that want to innovate find themselves faced with two paths: innovate from within if the right skills are present or seek innovation from the market. Very often this last path stops because startups and industry speak two different financial languages”, explains Macina, co-founder and CEO of Deploiable. “Deploiable was created to bring a new way of innovating using artificial intelligence, which drastically speeds up the development of products that can generate metrics and revenue quickly. The goal is not to create unicorns but innovative products attractive to small and medium-sized businesses that can be acquired as ‘micro-exits'”, he says.
Who drives Deploiable
At the head of the company is Roberto Macina, a software engineer with a background that includes various experiences in the world of startups and venture building. In 2010 he left a telecommunications company to found Qurami, a startup that developed a queue management application, allowing users to check waiting times from smartphones in places such as municipal offices, university secretariats and hospital groups. In 2018 Qurami was acquired by ufirst, where Macina held the role of COO and co-founder.
He subsequently co-founded Wda with Mario Costanzo, focusing on venture building in Italy at a time when the model was still little explored. The company was then acquired by the Next4 investment holding at the end of 2024.
The co-founders Valentina Iannucci, in the role of strategy lead, and Alessandro Piccinini, deployment lead, also sit on the board of directors of Deploiable.