Technology Innovator Awards 2025 | 9 Building Bridges Between SMEs and AI Located in Milan, Electe was born from a mission to make data analytics accessible to European SMEs through artificial intelligence. This ambitious idea quickly gained momentum, and Electe now serves clients globally - with 80% of revenue currently coming from outside the EU - while strategically expanding its European presence with a privacy-first approach aligned with European data protection values. “Our mission stems from a fundamental belief: advanced data analytics shouldn’t be the privilege of large corporations with dedicated IT departments,” Fabio told us. “When I founded Electe in January 2023, this vision was personal – having served as CEO of my family’s HVAC business, Lauria Impianti, where I scaled revenue from €13.9M to €19.4M, I saw firsthand how smaller companies struggle with datadriven decisions.” The market’s response has been remarkable. Electe has built a thriving community of over 25,000 verified newsletter subscribers - doubling in the last 12 months alone - while web traffic has grown by 1000% compared to the previous year. The company has achieved consistent revenue growth, with 38% growth in 2024 compared to 2023, as companies implementing its solutions witness improvements in their operational efficiency and decision-making processes. Electe’s recognition extends beyond client success. The company has received multiple awards including the Le Fonti Awards 2025 for Excellence of the Year – Innovation & Leadership in AI Solutions and European CEO of the Year Award 2025 and the Global Recognition Award for AI excellence in 2024, and participation in the UP2B accelerator program. Overcoming Skepticism Through Results Of course, no journey is without its challenges, and, for Electe, this was proving that a solo entrepreneur was capable of building enterprisegrade AI solutions. “Traditional Italian business culture often emphasises credentials over results,” Fabio explained. “I overcame this through demonstrable customer outcomes and strategic partnerships with established organisations and trade associations.” Electe’s enterprise-grade credentials speak for themselves: EcoVadis certification, STAR certification, PCI DSS compliance, GDPR compliance and ESG reporting, with SOC and ISO certifications currently in progress. These standards demonstrate the technical rigor behind the platform. Critically, 80% of Electe’s revenue involves AI/ML projects including custom model development and proprietary platform licensing - not just platform usage. This technical depth goes well beyond typical BI tools and demonstrates genuine enterprisegrade capabilities. As an emerging company, maintaining financial sustainability without major funding rounds required Electe to find creative approaches and solutions. Rather than adopting a growth-at-any-cost mentality, Electe has maintained profitability by prioritising careful cost management and genuine product-market fit. Despite the transformative powers artificial intelligence has demonstrated across a variety of sectors, small and medium enterprises throughout Italy and wider Europe are still behind in its adoption. This lag can be attributed to a digital skills gap and limited resources, making the process daunting, fragmented, and entirely overwhelming. Enter Electe, a company aiming to close this critical gap and break down the barriers that limit access to artificial intelligence so that companies of all sizes can make informed, data-driven decisions. We took a closer look, below. Best AI-Based Data Analytics Platform 2025 (Europe): Electe A Distributed Team Approach To facilitate its ongoing growth, Electe operates through a distributed team model that has enabled sustainable growth without traditional VC backing. Whilst Fabio leads strategy and product development, the company also utilises an established network of specialised external collaborators who function as its external team. This has allowed Electe to access top industry talent whilst maintaining the flexibility and cost-efficiency essential for serving price-sensitive SME markets. As Electe grows and scales, its emerging internal culture emphasises client-centricity and rapid iteration at all levels. Every decision strategically starts by addressing real SME pain points, rather than theoretical AI possibilities. Addressing the European AI Gap Electe has observed that while the European AI market is experiencing unprecedented transformation – projected to grow from €119.80 billion in 2024 to €1,433.67 billion by 2033 – there is a critical gap in the market. Whilst enterprise solutions proliferate, small Italian companies show only 4.4% adoption in comparison to Europe’s 6.4% average. “We focus on this underserved segment, rather than competing with Microsoft or Google on enterprise features,” said Fabio. “My philosophy, outlined in my ‘Letter from 2028’ manifesto, advocates for asking not ‘How can AI optimise X?’ but ‘Should X exist at all?’ This radical reimagining approach helps us identify genuine automation opportunities rather than just digitising existing inefficiencies.” This is an approach that Electe will continue to uphold. Looking ahead, the company aims to enhance its core platform with advanced capabilities designed to address the most common pain points observed in SMEs across Europe. In particular, Electe will focus on unstructured data analysis and document processing – key areas where traditional BI tools struggle and Electe’s AI approach shows genuine differentiation. Expanding Across Europe Electe’s 2025-2027 roadmap is geared towards geographic expansion while maintaining its strong international client base. The company is targeting Germany’s business landscape – an ecosystem comprising 99% SMEs – which presents significant opportunity. Beyond that, it will focus on deeper integration with European CRM and ERP systems, enhanced multilingual support, and forming strategic partnerships with European entities who recognise the AI gap for SMEs but lack the specialised solutions to close it. “As we demonstrate strong traction across multiple markets globally, we’re considering a funding round to accelerate growth and product development,” Fabio shared. “Our goal is to build Electe into the leading independent AI analytics platform for SMEs worldwide, maintaining our focus on genuine accessibility and a privacy-first approach.” Contact: Fabio Lauria Company: Electe Web Address: www.electe.net
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