Founded with the aim of bringing digital innovation to the center of Italian businesses, Fiven is a technology group that develops artificial intelligence solutions and digital platforms for companies and public administrations. With a research center entirely dedicated to AI and a strategy based on the integration of generative technologies, Fiven aims to build proprietary models that respond to the specific needs of strategic sectors such as tourism, healthcare and public services. The company stands out for an “artisanal” approach to technology, combining engineering precision and typically Italian creativity, as CEO Valerio D’Angelo explains.
How far have you reached and what are the main progresses in Fiven’s activity?
“We have taken important steps, both in the development of our proprietary models and in the expansion of collaborations with Italian companies. Our objective remains to make the potential of artificial intelligence accessible and truly useful even to smaller companies, which are often extraordinary but undervalued”.
The secret is a homemade artificial intelligence.
“We work precisely to bring out technological Made in Italy, made up of creativity, engineering and the ability to integrate innovative solutions from the global market.
In this sense, how can the country’s technological independence be strengthened, especially in the AI sector?
“I believe that the key is specialization: every company, even a small one, should aim to develop excellent skills in specific sectors such as tourism, mechanics or transport. We, for example, have invested in the creation of small language models for tourism, with customers already active in this area. Independence from large foreign providers is fundamental, and we need an industrial vision that encourages these initiatives also through targeted incentives and rules”.
In international comparison, Italy always seems to have to catch up. What is missing to make the leap in quality, especially considering the recent regulations on artificial intelligence?
“The standards are a first step, but concrete actions are needed to accelerate the adoption of AI technologies in companies and public administration. An example: solutions for process automation could revolutionize sectors such as bureaucracy or citizen services, freeing human resources from repetitive tasks and allowing them to focus on activities with greater added value.
You have chosen a startup reinvestment and acquisition strategy. What role does this choice play in Fiven’s growth?
“Our strategy is based on substantial investments in research and development and on the acquisition of innovative companies, to accelerate the adoption of our technologies: we have invested over six million euros in the last year alone. The acquisition of startups allows us to quickly bring new solutions to the market and scale faster”.
Looking ahead, what are the main projects you are focusing on?
“We are continuing to extend the Duolly project, our main Plug & Play product which transforms any digital application into a GPT based on existing content. We are exploring new areas of application both external and internal to organisations: verticalisation represents the next step for us, with particular attention to the public and healthcare sectors, where we already have pilot projects underway”.
We often talk about the risk of AI taking away jobs, your approach seems different.
“Absolutely. Artificial intelligence does not replace human work but transforms it, freeing people from repetitive tasks. The true value lies in bringing people back to the center of the process, engaging them in activities of greater value and preventing technology from being perceived as a threat. Our model is similar to excellent craftsmanship: Italian care and expertise are unique resources also in innovation”.
So what do you ask of the institutions to support the growth of businesses like yours?
“Specific incentives and rules are needed.
Which encourage collaboration and aggregation between Italian companies, also with tax breaks in the event of mergers and the development of new technologies. In practice: the solution is to give a preferential lane in public tenders to companies that invest in national research and development. It would be a strong signal.”