Torino, 19/02/2025

The funding was led by Galaxia, CDP Venture Capital's National Technology Transfer Hub dedicated to aerospace, which participated with a follow-on from the previous pre-seed investment, as well as Piemonte Next, the fund set up and managed by CDP Venture Capital and underwritten by the regional finance company FinPiemonte to maximise investments in innovation for the region, and VC Partners SGR, Vertis SGR, Vento and Exor Ventures.

Focoos AI offers a web platform that gives access to highly efficient machine vision models with low computational power, i.e. low-energy consumption, enabling the development and integration of AI solutions in a fast, optimised manner.
These models are designed to be easily adapted to the specific needs of companies that can then customise them on their own for computer vision applications in areas such as smart cities, industrial production and satellite image analysis.
Models created with Focoos AI's proprietary technology are up to four times more efficient and 10 times faster than market standards. This not only reduces cloud costs, but also makes it possible to run AI applications directly on edge devices such as cameras and drones.

The investment of 2.65 million euro will be allocated to:

• Integration of new functions on the platform, improving the customisation of models and performance monitoring capabilities.
• Training of efficient foundation models, ready for immediate use in various industries.
• Market launch and international growth through the creation of strategic partnerships and access to new vertical markets.
• Expansion of the research and development team and the commercial division.

Fabio Cermelli, CTO and co-founder of Focoos AI, said: “Today technology optimisation is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Our web platform, already in beta for the first users, will soon be accessible to all and will bring a new standard of high performance with minimal consumption. This technology is backed by tireless work and an extraordinary team that never stops. This investment allows us to accelerate even more, giving further momentum to our vision.” 

Antonio Tavera, CEO and co-founder of Focoos AI, added: “This investment round is not an end point, but rather a new beginning for Focoos AI. The trust of our investors is concrete proof of the soundness of our vision and the path we have taken. We want to change the rules of the game: make artificial intelligence accessible to all, removing technological and economic barriers. AI must be designed to bring maximum benefit to humanity, balancing innovation and sustainability. And we at Focoos AI are more determined than ever to lead this changeo.”

Claudia Pingue, Senior Partner and Manager of CDP Venture Capital's Technology Transfer Fund, said: “We are delighted to renew our support for Focoos AI, a company that is redefining the application paradigm of computer vision. Its vision of affordable, efficient AI capable of running on low-power devices is a decisive step towards the large-scale adoption of these technologies. This investment confirms our commitment to supporting deep-tech solutions that can sustainably strengthen industries worldwide”.

Roberta Vercellotti, founding partner of VCP, added: “We are excited to invest in Focoos AI and to collaborate with an outstanding team led by Antonio Tavera and Fabio Cermelli. Focoos AI's frugal approach towards AI models for computer vision has a wide range of potential applications and use cases, and this investment round will allow the company to expand its reach to developers around the world in search of the best performing and most efficient models. I will join a board led by Barbara Caputo, co-founder of Focoos AI, Professor at Turin Polytechnic and renowned expert in the field of applied computer vision, and work with the entire team to help them realise their vision of becoming a leading provider of frugal neural networks.”

Alessandro Papoff, Investment Manager at Vertis, said: “At Focoos AI we found an ideal solution to democratise artificial intelligence, making computer vision accessible to any industry and device. This technology cuts development and operational costs, ensuring a perfect balance between efficiency and accuracy of neural networks. We are thrilled to support Antonio and Fabio, two extraordinary talents with a clear vision and very strong motivation, as they take on the challenges ahead.”

Mario Alparone, Director of Finpiemonte, remarked: “The use of AI algorithms goes hand in hand with the increasing digitisation under way. With this new round of Foocos AI, where we are among the investors with the PiemonteNext fund, we want to continue to support the challenge of this start-up and its team, aware of its potential in the field of Artificial Intelligence and its added value in the areas of technological innovation and energy efficiency”.