In 2021, the Re Learn team won the “AI & Robotics for Climate Change” challenge with Nando
In 2021, it was one of the solutions presented at the 14th edition of the RomeCup during the ‘Innovative technological solutions for climate change’ hackathon, organised with Invitalia. Today, it is a technology that operates on an international scale and has just closed a €3.3 million capital increase.
Nando is a platform based on artificial intelligence, machine learning and computer vision for monitoring urban and industrial waste and reducing food waste. The solution was developed by the start-up founded in 2021 by Riccardo Leonardi, Fabrizio Custorella, Giovanni Lucifora, Federico Fedi and Simone Cavariani, protagonist and winner of the final challenge of the RomeCup 2021.
The insight: measure before collecting
At RomeCup 2021, teams were asked to propose a prototype accompanied by a business model to combat climate change through innovative technologies. The idea behind Nando was as simple as it was revolutionary: measure waste before collecting it. Without real-time, high-granularity data, management remains inefficient. With structured data, however, it is possible to:
- optimise operational processes
- reduce costs and waste
- improve the quality of separate waste collection
- take targeted action on food waste
Today, the platform processes over 40,000 images per day from different countries, from Japan to the United States, from Europe to the United Arab Emirates.
From challenge to global market
In 2026, the start-up announced a €3.3 million capital increase, led by Maia Ventures (through the Maia I fund with EIF – InvestEU participation) and Cdp Venture Capital through the Acceleratori Fund, with the involvement of existing investors. It has over 80 customers, including large waste producers, urban service managers, facility management companies and collective catering operators. As CEO Riccardo Leonardi explained, growing pressure on operating costs and staff shortages make waste measurement a crucial factor in process optimisation.
RomeCup as a growth ecosystem
Every growing start-up has a story of study, risk and entrepreneurial vision. Nando has built his career with determination and skill. RomeCup was one of the first arenas where that idea found an audience and debate. We like to think of RomeCup as an open laboratory: a place where talents meet, measure themselves and, sometimes, begin trajectories that take them very far.
The strength of the team
‘We are proud of the team, a team made up of young people who love the environment and who one day will be able to transform waste into a resource using technology.’ Presentation by Riccardo Leonardi (29 April 2021), in the form of an elevator pitch (3 minutes).
On the jury
Alfredo Bruni, Development and Open Innovation Coordinator, Invitalia
Daniele Carnevale, Associate Professor at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
Fulvio Conti, Head of Agriculture and Environment Practice, Almaviva
