Innovation, Acquisitions And Consulting: “This Is How We Will Become The First B2B Innovation Factory In Europe”. Francesco Ferri, CEO of Gellify, Speaks

By Marco De’ Francesco

The company founded by Fabio Nalucci combines innovation strategies, advanced technologies and entrepreneurial culture. In 2024, it acquired Spain’s Noba Ventures and Italy’s Antreem, Arad, Mida, and Temsi. Among the customers, Ferrovie dello Stato, which will support in the path of innovation. The collaboration with CDP. The AI assistant C.e.s.a.r.e. The DataCoreX AI platform. The four-step consulting model

“We want to become the most important B2B innovation factory in Europe.” Francesco Ferri, an increasingly emerging name in the world of innovation and ICT in Milan, has been at the top of Gellify, the Group founded in 2017 by its president Fabio Nalucci, for a couple of years. The group is now proposing an innovative consulting model. “We bring together innovation strategies, advanced technologies and entrepreneurial culture,” Ferri continues. “We can create innovative business plans and assist customers even in the most concrete phases of their implementation, through the creation of digital products. But also access to the frontier technologies generated by the more than 60 start-ups in which the group has also invested.”

International ambitions are underpinned by acquisitions. In mid-2024, for example, 51 per cent of Noba Ventures – the Business Prototyping Company, a company that develops and launches new products, services and business models, was bought in Spain. In Brazil Alterego, leader in customer business performance. And in Italy Antreem, which deals with digital transformation, but also Arad, Mida and Temsi which respectively deal with omnichannel experience, people ecology and process optimization. An example of this approach to consulting are the activities in the context of the tender that Gellify won – launched by the Italian State Railways Group – for the assignment of strategic origination, mentoring, experimentation, international hub, reporting and trend analysis services. The three-year assignment will allow Gellify (which won one of the three lots worth a total of 8.8 million euros) to support Ferrovie dello Stato in the path of innovation, with a focus on cutting-edge solutions capable of driving the transformation of the mobility sector. “Technological acceleration is enormously shortening the life of products and market trends. And economic contexts change quickly,” says Ferri. “In this context, companies must constantly review their innovation processes.”

The scope of the services offered also includes corporate venture capital activities, i.e. support for large companies that want to create their venture capital or, even, have it managed entirely by Gellify. Here the best known collaboration is with CDP, but there are also others covered by non-disclosure or in the making.

Returning to consulting companies in the field of innovation, some examples will serve to better understand. An emblematic one could be that of C.e.s.a.r.e. (Computerized Expert System for Advanced Responses and Engineering), a virtual assistant created in collaboration with Fpz. This “super agent” built with the latest generation of artificial intelligence centralizes company information, making it immediately accessible to technical and commercial teams, facilitating faster and more informed decisions.

In the financial sector, Gellify has introduced DataCoreX, a platform that uses artificial intelligence to optimize financial advice. By automating the analysis of customer data, DataCoreX provides personalized recommendations, improving operational efficiency and quality of service in banking and insurance institutions. Again, in retail, the collaboration with Douglas (retail) has led to the development of AI solutions focused on supply chain management and a next-generation warehouse. These advanced technologies have optimized inventory and synchronized customer demand with supply, creating a smoother and more personalized shopping experience. Finally, in the manufacturing sector, Gellify has helped companies by implementing IoT sensors and predictive maintenance algorithms, to monitor the performance of machinery in real time, anticipating failures and improving equipment reliability. This approach has made it possible to offer not only high-quality products, but also integrated digital services, creating new revenue opportunities and strengthening customer relationships.

C.e.s.a.r.e. (Computerized Expert System for Advanced Responses and Engineering) is a virtual assistant created in collaboration with Fpz. It centralizes business information, making it immediately accessible to technical and commercial teams, facilitating faster and more informed decisions.

With innovative technologies, the challenge is to understand which solutions can really be integrated into the processes of the client company. Gellify selects the most suitable according to the individual case and the type of need and integrates them into the innovation roadmaps of large companies; defines pilot projects to test them in controlled environments, before a possible large-scale implementation. According to Ferri, “on the basis of these criteria, GELLIFY filters the most promising technologies and accompanies them through to implementation.” In other words, it is a matter of supporting companies in the process of integrating solutions, providing mentorship and practical support to ensure that innovation becomes an integral part of the business.

The end-to-end consulting model: a structured path that accompanies the client-company from the definition of the strategy to implementation and continuous improvement

How does the end-to-end model work? It is structured in four phases.

The first step is “proper” strategic consulting, to identify the most promising opportunities and define a clear roadmap for digital transformation. What does the company need? What are the steps for innovation to become an engine of concrete growth? How quickly can results be achieved? In this phase, Gellify works closely with companies to define priorities and goals. On the other hand, according to Ferri, “innovation is not just a question of technology, but of vision and strategy.”

With innovative technologies, the challenge is to understand which solutions can really be integrated into the processes of the client company. Gellify selects the most suitable according to the individual case and the type of need and integrates them into the innovation roadmaps of large companies.

Once the direction has been mapped out, the added value of Gellify lies in the possibility of accessing emerging technologies and tailor-made solutions, capable of responding in a targeted way to the needs of companies. “We don’t propose mainstream solutions: if a company wants an ERP like SAP or a CRM like Salesforce, it’s not us. We bring frontier innovation, solutions that respond to specific needs and that are not yet mainstream, but that will make a difference in the coming years,” explains Francesco Ferri.

As for the third phase, innovation must be integrated into business processes and produce measurable results. In practice, Gellify follows companies in operational implementation, supporting them in the digital transition and staff training.

Finally, innovation is a continuous process: it is not enough to adopt a new technology, it is also necessary to monitor its results and adapt it over time. Gellify supports companies in assessing the return on investment and optimizing solutions, ensuring that technological evolution goes hand in hand with market needs.