AI Executive & CTO — Bridging Academic Research and Enterprise-Scale AI
Milano, Italy15+ years in Data & AI
01 — About
About Daniele Restelli
I am a Data Platform & AI Executive with over 15 years of experience.
Currently serving as CTO at Blimp srl (e-novia spa), I lead the development of AI-driven
products and large-scale cloud infrastructures. My career is defined by a dual
commitment to industrial excellence and academic rigor. As an Adjunct Professor
at LIUC — Università Carlo Cattaneo and Università Cattolica, I ensure that innovation is always scalable,
ethical, and ROI-driven.
02 — Expertise
Areas of Expertise
Team Building & Organizational Scaling
Track record of scaling startups from zero to 20–30 people, building multidisciplinary teams of software engineers, AI engineers, data scientists and UX designers. Established strategic technology partnerships — including with NVIDIA — to accelerate AI product development.
Data Engineering at Scale
Architected and scaled a real-time and batch Azure-based data platform ingesting IoT sensors, telco feeds, mobility datasets and third-party data lakes. Centralized governance across heterogeneous providers, ensuring reliability, consistency and full traceability.
Edge AI & Computer Vision
Founded Reflection.AI and built a near real-time computer vision platform for audience analytics, later integrated into industrial products. Led ML and CV model optimization deployed on NVIDIA GPU edge devices and at cloud level for mobility measurement and retail intelligence use cases.
Academic Research & Teaching
PhD in Information Engineering (LIUC). Adjunct Professor since 2002, delivering courses on Natural & Artificial Intelligence, Information Systems, Computer Networks and Databases. Associate Researcher at the Centro di Ricerca sui Sistemi Informativi for 11 years.
Enterprise Governance
Design and implementation of shared Enterprise Data Architectures across complex multi-business-unit organizations. Expertise in ISO 27001 information security and ISO 9001 quality governance, GDPR-compliant privacy-by-design data processing, and enterprise data lifecycle management frameworks.
Venture & Product Acceleration
Senior advisor for startups and investment funds: bootstrapped a startup from €0 to €1.5M in 9 months; led technical due diligence for AI acquisitions exceeding €5M. Directed a €7M/year digital portfolio with full P&L ownership across tier-one enterprise clients.
03 — Career & Projects
Career and Key Projects
Blimp srl · e-novia spa Group
CTO & Head of Technology, Data Intelligence Cluster — 2021–Present
Azure cloud-native data platform · IoT + edge AI on NVIDIA GPUs · mobility analytics, retail intelligence, advertising measurement · NVIDIA Technology Partner
Synergo Capital SGR · Digital Magics · The Innovation Group
Tech & Innovation Manager — 2019–2021
Bootstrapped a startup from €0 → €1.5M ARR in 9 months · Technical due diligence on AI acquisitions >€5M · Architecture review and organizational scaling for scale-ups
Reflection.AI
Founder & AI Engineer — 2018–2020
Founded AI startup · Designed near real-time computer vision platform for audience analytics · Core CV architecture later integrated into industrial-grade products · Intel AI Builder Partner
RCS MediaGroup — Corriere della Sera
Senior IT Project/Product Manager — 2015–2018
End-to-end governance of a flagship digital ecosystem generating €1.5M/day in revenue · ~60% operational cost reduction · Large-scale streaming infrastructure for national live events
Connexia · DOXA Spa
Head of Digital Projects & Delivery Manager — 2012–2015
€7M/year digital portfolio · 14-person team · Full P&L responsibility · Clients: Allianz, Generali, L'Oréal, Mondadori, Ermenegildo Zegna, Safilo, Sorgenia
Lab4 Consulting Srl
Founder & CEO — 2000–2011
Founded data-driven web application company · Intranet platforms and web dashboards for private companies, EU-funded projects and universities · Full lifecycle from pre-sales to delivery
LIUC — Università Carlo Cattaneo
Adjunct Professor & Associate Researcher — 2002–Present
Courses: Natural & Artificial Intelligence · Information Systems · Computer Networks · Databases · Research on information systems planning for advanced organizations and SMEs
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Adjunct Professor — 2002–2008
Course: "Sistemi di Elaborazione" — core concepts in information processing systems
National Innovation AwardCNR & Presidenza della Repubblica Italiana
