About us
Surprising the future.
VAIMEE builds interoperable digital twins — software that keeps a faithful, live model of something real and makes it useful to the people responsible for it. We are a spin-off of the University of Bologna, and our first twin, Agorà, helps farmers make every drop count.
ვაიმე
vaime · /vaɪmɜ/
Where the name comes from
Oh my!
Vaime is a Georgian exclamation of surprise, astonishment and wonder — like the English “Oh my!”. It is the reaction we hope for the first time someone sees what their data, or their water, can do.
Our work rests on an open, replicable and scalable model, applied where data is highly heterogeneous, dynamic and unstructured — combining knowledge graphs, artificial intelligence, digital twins and the Internet of Things.
We use data to guide you to make the right decisions.
For you, for us
We combine data based on models developed in partnership.
With you, with us
We work alongside you to turn numbers into a driver of sustainable impact.
For the future of all
Our story
From a water project in Brazil to fields in the Netherlands.
Interoperability is the unglamorous obstacle between good models and useful software. We built the layer that solves it — then used it to help farmers save water.
- 2020
VAIMEE is founded
A University of Bologna spin-off, born out of research on smart water management. METER and Siemens are among our first customers.
- 2021
DASI Breaker
Interoperability research that shaped Milky Data Way.
- 2022–23
My3Sec and DESMO-LD
Blockchain and linked-data projects — and the start of Agorà’s co-design with Royal Agrifirm.
- 2024
Agorà
Digital twins for agritech: the sensor-less irrigation advisor goes to the field.
- 2025
AgriTwix
An immersive learning environment that teaches better irrigation decisions on real data.
- 2026
Customers, proofs of concept, biofertilizers
Royal Agrifirm becomes a customer, proofs of concept start with Selenella, and AgoràWasteMap joins the I3-4-BIOFERTILIZERS project.
- 2026–29
HARMONI
Digital twins for climate: resilience of critical infrastructure to NaTech disasters.
The team
A hybrid team: human expertise and AI, working together.
Engineers, agronomists and marketing — alongside the AI agents that help us build digital solutions for agriculture every day.
Engineers
Luca Roffia
CEO
Bita Alaee
Engineer
Gregorio Monari
Engineer
Agronomists
Galavizh Azarbarzin
Agronomist
Avin Azarbarzin
Agronomist
Francesco Vinzio
Agronomist
Marketing
Giulia Gulminelli
Marketing
+ AI agents
Coding, research and analysis agents work next to every person on the team — so a small team can build like a much larger one.
Founder & CEO
Luca Roffia
Software engineer (MSc 2001, PhD 2005, University of Bologna). Twenty years of research on digital twins, interoperability, knowledge graphs and the Web of Things. He teaches computer architecture and logic design at the University of Bologna’s School of Engineering and Architecture.
60+
journal and conference articles
1,100+
citations · h-index 20
20+ yrs
of research
5+ yrs
as an entrepreneur
Recognition and reach
From Bologna to the world.
- Winner
Knowledge Graph Conference startup competition — New York, 2023
#DEEPTECH - Finalist
CITYPRENEURS 2024 by WFUNA — Gyeonggi, Korea
#AGRITECH - 3rd place
FAO Global Challenge “Seed to Scale: Data for Farm Value” — Rome, 2025
#AGRITECH - 3rd place
8th China (Jinan) New Growth Drivers Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest, 2025
#AGRITECH
Acceleration programmes
- 2024 — 1st Ecosister accelerator programme (ART-ER)
- 2025 — Impact Deal, 3rd edition, by Fondazione CRT and OGR Torino with TOP-IX
- 2026 — OGR Bridging Growth with Mind the Bridge, selected among 450+ startups
Where we work
- Italy — headquarters in Bologna; proofs of concept with Selenella, and in contact with Fondazione Fratelli Navarra to pilot the solution further
- Netherlands — three years of co-design with Royal Agrifirm, now in production
- China — Jinan, first contact with the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Mechanization Sciences
- Nigeria — working to secure funding, in collaboration with Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil
- Mexico — Mexico City, visiting its urban farming, with support from the SUAVE project
- Georgia — letter of intent sent to the Ministry of Agriculture, supported by the Association for Farmers Rights Defense (AFRD)
Track record
Who we have worked with along the way.
Research institutes, companies, European projects and programmes we have built with since 2020 — some current, some finished.
Customers & industry
European projects
Programmes, accelerators & competitions
These names and logos record the realities we have been and are in touch with, through projects, pilots, programmes and competitions. Not all of them are current partnerships, and none of them implies an endorsement of VAIMEE or Agorà. Every logo remains the property of its owner and is shown for identification only.
Contact
Join us to create a worldwide impact.
Farmer, agronomist, cooperative, developer, researcher or investor — if water matters to you, we would like to hear from you.
- Registered office
- Via Adelaide Ristori 11
40127 Bologna, Italy - info@vaimee.com
- CF / PIVA
- 03859291209
- REA
- BO-551672