Dario Principi didn’t know much about the startup universe when he joined the European Innovation Academy. The three-week entrepreneurship program was just the beginning of Dario’s entrepreneurial journey.

Since EIA days in Portugal, in 2017, a lot has happened. Dario started his own business and has a lot to share about his time with us. In this interview, you’ll learn about his experience and discover more about his company as well as the upcoming challenges.

1. Hi Dario! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Let’s start at the beginning. I’m from Buenos Aires and moved to Barcelona a couple of years ago to take a master’s course in artificial intelligence. Since I moved here, I have learned a lot. The beauty of the city has opened my eyes and made me even more passionate about AI!

2. What are your passions in life?

AI is a great passion of mine but I have a lot more! For instance, I love when AI meets robotics! I also love to talk to people and that’s why I love to teach. Teaching is not about being a professor; it’s about connecting.

Currently, many of my students are also partners in tech projects. Together, we have several computer vision projects and one of them also includes virtual reality.

3. How was your EIA experience?

I joined the program without having any prior startup experience. I actually didn’t know what to expect during the program days. However, a few weeks before the start of EIA, I remember researching startup projects every day. Little by little, I got an idea of what was to come. What I didn’t know was that I’d find an incredible amount of amazing startup ideas.

Dario Principi

What I got from EIA was far more than I expected!  Every morning, I had the chance to learn a lot from amazing speakers. I have to admit that I wanted more than three weeks. There’s so much to learn that I wish we had more time. EIA was incredible for gaining knowledge about how to turn an idea into reality and also apply the things we learned every day.

4. What was your biggest challenge at the European Innovation Academy?

I’m an engineer, and as many engineers, I’m a bit introvert…so my biggest challenge was being around so many people eager to tell me about their projects. It just took some time to get used to that. After a couple of days, I was pretty comfortable and enjoyed the program even more.

5. How would you describe your EIA Days?

Every morning was full of joy during the keynotes and afternoons were all about work. We worked on our project based on what we learned in the morning and previous days. 

Creating a startup is not an easy business. Sometimes, I felt like I knew what to do in theory but wasn’t able to put into practice. That was exactly when we got the support of EIA mentors. 

The way the program is structured worked perfectly for me!

6. How would you describe your startup idea in a nutshell?

During the program, I joined some other participant’s idea. However, given the fact I was going back to Buenos Aires, I also started to develop my own business idea during that time. 

After a lot of work and a few months later, I launched my company called Artificial Inventive.

Image: “Committed with You”
Caption: Committed with Education 👩‍🎓 We provide the necessary spaces and resources so our students can reach their goals.
At Artificial Inventive our commitment is education.

Artificial Inventive provides three main services:

  • Education in artificial intelligence and robotics; 
  • AI-based solutions;
  • And we are launching a company builder to foster technology-based projects, especially AI-based projects.

In addition, and with the idea of building a big community around applied AI, I’m the head organizer of AI related events, such as CITY AI’s events in Buenos Aires.

7. How did EIA help you develop your business?

EIA gave me the basic tools for building my own startup! I know that the three-week program couldn’t possibly cover all the topics in-depth, however EIA was the cornerstone of my business. I strongly believe that everyone who wants to start their own company should attend this program or a similar one.

8. What are the next steps for Artificial Inventive?

I’m trying to find the best business model for the education service. In the meantime, we are expanding to another city thanks to a joint venture with a company that’s complementary to us.

9. Do you have any advice for youngsters that are planning to start a business?

Never in the history of humankind have we had so many resources as we do today. This is the right time to start your own business!

If I could give you a piece of advice, I’d say to remember that you always learn from your own mistakes and excel in what you decide to do!

Click here to read more inspiring stories from our alumni network!