Interview Column #Perspectives - Obloo

Antonio Tavera, Fabio Cermelli - CEO and CTO of Focoos AI

1. Why did you start Focoos AI??

We started Focoos AI because we wanted to bridge the gap between groundbreaking ideas and scientific discoveries in the laboratory of the Politecnico di Torino and the commercial market. But it wasn't just about launching another tech company. We saw a real need to give young talents, especially in Italy, a chance to shine and grow professionally without feeling the need to leave their homeland in search of opportunities. The vision for Focoos AI was twofold: to create a thriving business in Italy, and at the same time, to cultivate an ecosystem that encourages innovation.

2. How does your technology work??

We've developed a technology to automate the generation of artificial neural networks specialized in artificial vision. This means they can autonomously understand and analyze images and videos. The cool part? These networks are designed to be both efficient and "frugal," meaning they don't need a massive amount of resources to do their job.?

The big goals here are to slash the time and money it usually takes to develop these technologies and to cut down the operational costs for using AI solutions. We're not stopping there, though. We're in the process of building a platform to host these artificial models. This platform will make these models readily available, sort of like off-the-shelf solutions, to all our potential clients.?

3. What emerging or niche technologies are you currently keeping a close eye on, and how do you envision them impacting your industry in the next 5 years??

For sure Generative AI. It is an exciting area of artificial intelligence that focuses on creating new content, whether it's text, images, videos, or even code, based on learning from vast amounts of data. It's like teaching a computer to be an artist, a writer, or a designer, generating original output from what it's learned. The potential market for generative AI, even if it is a niche, is huge because it can be applied across so many industries – from entertainment and art, where it can create new pieces, to advertising, where it can generate tailored content, and even in software development, where it can write code.?

However, one of the big challenges with generative AI, especially as it becomes more sophisticated and widespread, is sustainability. These systems require significant computational power, which in turn demands a lot of energy, contributing to higher carbon footprints. This is where our technology comes in. We can apply our technology to create more efficient and frugal Generative networks. Our approach would reduce the computational load necessary to run generative AI models, making it possible to leverage these powerful tools in a more environmentally friendly way. This means businesses can harness the creative power of generative AI without the hefty environmental cost.

4. Many successful companies pivot or iterate their initial ideas. Can you describe a significant pivot or evolution your start-up went through in terms of technology or product strategy and how did it contribute to your current success??

Our startup didn't exactly pivot in the traditional sense where the core idea or technology changes, but we did make a significant shift in how we approached the market, particularly in our business model. Initially, we set out with the plan to sell our technology directly, much like our competitors, who charge hundreds of thousands of dollars to access a software to maybe develop a single solution. However, after engaging with the market and with potential clients we quickly realized that this pricing model was neither acceptable nor sustainable for them.?

This realization led us to rethink our strategy. Instead of selling the technology itself, we decided to offer the final, ready-to-use model and charge for its usage. This pivot to a pay per use model made our advanced technology accessible to a broader range of businesses, especially those for whom the high upfront cost was a barrier. This approach aligns with the current market demand for more flexible and cost-effective AI solutions, and it allows our future clients to benefit from advanced AI capabilities without the hefty initial investment.?

5. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the tech industry. How does your technology contribute to environmental or social goals and what role do you believe tech companies should play in addressing these challenges??

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at our company – it's not just a buzzword for us but a guiding principle. Our technology is specifically developed to design artificial neural networks that are significantly more efficient and "frugal" in their operation than any others currently available in the market or mentioned in scientific literature. By focoosing (sorry for the word pun) on efficiency, we aim to dramatically reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact typically associated with running complex AI systems.?

Tech companies should prioritize developing solutions that are not only groundbreaking but also designed with sustainability in mind. By doing so, we can help mitigate the tech industry's environmental footprint and contribute positively to society. Our commitment to creating 'frugal' AI models is just one example of how technology can be harnessed to meet the world's needs in a responsible and thoughtful way.

6. Your favorites! (podcasts, articles, books)?

We love to read books about everything. We read mostly non fiction books (The Lean Startup, From Zero to One, Thinking Fast and Slow, Never Split the Difference, Give and Take are our favorites) and biographies (Open by Andre Agassi, That will never work, the Birth of Netflix by Marc Randolph, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, Adrenalina by Ibrahimovi?, The Innovators by Walter Isaacson).