In Bologna, there is a business that was set up by an engineer, a mathematician and a physicist turning phone calls, data and dispersed knowledge into organised and traceable processes. Because today, the real competitive advantage is not having more information, but managing its use better. For FARE INSIEME, Giampaolo Colletti interviewed Andrea Mordenti, one of the co-founders of LAIF.
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
The best companies are born out of the sharing of knowledge and teamwork which means they can be diverse and, therefore, winners. The one we are about to illustrate is the story of a company that was set up in Bologna thanks to the intuition of an engineer, a mathematician and a physicist. They joined forces to supply useful tools to navigate the complexity of contemporary organisations, thanks to a targeted use of artificial intelligence. This is the story of LAIF, a young Emilian business that has been capable of turning AI from an overused word to a compass in a short time, tidying up the everyday chaos of companies. Missed phone calls. Information that remains in people’s heads. Customer requests that get lost between chats, e-mails and misplaced notes. A continuous background noise that slows down processes, causes inefficiencies and creates frustration. That is precisely where LAIF was born - not out of a theory, but out of a concrete problem.
Company profile. We find ourselves in Bologna, in one of the most dynamic ecosystems in Italy where manufacturing, universities, innovation and industrial culture have coexisted for decades. This is where this innovative company founded by professionals boasting extensive experience in data analysis, AI and software development took shape. Everything started in 2024 and, today, the company manages over 40 applications for more than 30 clients, with a turnover already exceeding €1 million in the first year. The reference market is mainly the Italian one, made up of SMEs in the manufacturing and services sector, with an international expansion trajectory driven by Helia, an AI business unit that now operates independently. Between Laif and Helia, the group currently includes 30 collaborators and employees. But the focal point is the method. “We did not want to build the nth platform that uses AI as a slogan. The objective was to make AI democratic, i.e. to make it accessible and useful from day one,” illustrates Andrea Mordenti, one of the co-founders of LAIF. This young 39-year-old entrepreneur who was born in Cesena and trained between Romagna and Emilia after taking a degree in Computer Sciences and a specialisation in Robotics, and after spending 12 years as an employee, decided to set up a business with two colleagues-cum-friends. A choice of fields or, in other words, fewer special effects and a more real impact on the everyday work of businesses. Helia, the product that currently represents the company the most, was born out of this vision. It is a platform designed to manage phone calls and information flows in an automatic, simple and traced manner. But reducing Helia to a smart switchboard would be a mistake, because the heart of the project lies in turning dispersed knowledge into shared knowledge. The point is that Helia does not just manage calls, it interprets them. It analyses patterns, identifies so-called “knowledge gaps” and helps companies understand where processes get stuck or where essential information is missing. It practically makes visible what usually remains invisible.
Technologies and people. LAIF is growing fast precisely because it starts from actual problems. “Many companies today are submerged with data, but cannot turn them into decisions. That is precisely what we do,” says Mordenti. The model is similar to that of the best local manufacturing enterprises: they observe the problem, design a solution and continuously improve the process. Only here the material is not steel or mechanics, but information. And the factory is digital. Even the way of working reflects this culture. Developers, AI engineers, designers and consultants collaborate in a transversal manner, almost like a permanent laboratory. “Artificial intelligence does not replace people, but it enables them to focus on the activities that are actually important,” stresses Mordenti. This is where technology and human capital cease to be an alternative and become complementary. In just a few months, Helia has been implemented by small and medium Italian manufacturing enterprises precisely because it meets an actual need, i.e. to better organise internal knowledge and make the relationship with the clients and the team more fluid. And, while the global debate over AI swings between enthusiasm and fear, LAIF chooses a different path: one that is pragmatic, industrial and measurable. Innovation is not born following technological fads, but when people’s everyday problems are closely observed. Even the apparently small ones, even those that start with a missed call.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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