In October 2024, I had the privilege of joining Antler in Berlin. It was an incredible experience — more than 80 brilliant people from all over the world, each bringing unique perspectives, skills, and ambitions. I was fortunate to learn from them, exchange ideas, and be inspired every single day.

The acceleration program was intense and well-structured. Through a mix of group and individual exercises, we explored different possibilities, always with one goal in mind: identifying real problems worth solving, backed by strong market demand. During this exploratory phase, I spoke with several potential clients in the marketing sector. Those conversations revealed a set of recurring challenges that I felt were both important and solvable.

That’s where my background in AI and development tools came into play. The result was Apte — a tool that allows websites to deliver highly personalized user experiences. By identifying the profile of a visitor in real time, Apte can adapt the content to match that person’s unique needs. For example, a skincare brand could tell a very different story to a woman in her 20s than to a woman over 60, even if they are looking at the same product page.

The project quickly attracted interest from Antler and other investors. It was also selected as one of the finalists in PLAI, the accelerator by Mondadori Italia.

That said, the main reason I created Apte was because of Antler and the idea of finding a co-founder — something I haven’t yet achieved. This project cannot truly succeed without another person on board. I will continue refining the product and validating the problem, but at the same time, I’ll be exploring other ideas that I can confidently move forward with on my own.

Sometimes, the journey shapes the destination more than the destination itself and Apte is a big part of that journey.