‘PIAZZALE EUROPA’ MAGAZINE – INNOV@UNITS – ISMET BALIHODZIC

Tell us about your experience at the University of Trieste: from the DEAMS course to the dissertation on the internationalisation of Made in Italy, with which you won the Cav. Filippo Marazzi prize.

My experience at UniTS has been crucial for my personal and professional development. I studied at DEAMS, where I had the opportunity to learn more about international economic dynamics and business models, with a special focus on innovation and business competitiveness.

My studies have culminated with a degree thesis entitled ‘Internationalisation Strategies for Made in Italy: Between Tradition and Innovation’. I devoted a lot of time and passion to this piece of work because I strongly felt the link between the cultural identity of our country and its projection in global markets. I analysed real cases of Italian companies, such as Snaidero and Calligaris, which have managed to find success abroad, keeping their authenticity intact while effectively adapting to very different contexts.

This work led me to win the Cav. Filippo Marazzi graduation prize, awarded to the best paper on the internationalisation of Italian companies. It was an important recognition for me, not so much because of the title itself, but because it confirmed that my curiosity and commitment could really generate something of value.
It was an experience that ignited the desire in me to contribute to the future of work and talent management in a concrete way – a theme that I now pursue with great enthusiasm at Talentware.

How have your professional experiences evolved in the period following graduation? From your university course to the start of an entrepreneurial project, what made you realise that you wanted to get involved first hand?

After graduating, I was lucky enough to embark on a career path that allowed me to explore different organisations, both corporate like Ferrero and Microsoft, and consultancy such as Bain & Company. I worked closely with managers, HR and development teams, gaining firsthand experience of the challenges in people management, internal growth and disparities between skills and opportunities.

This phase was crucial because it gave me two things: awareness and vision. Awareness of how talent, if properly harnessed, can really make a difference to an organisation. Vision because I realised more and more that a tool able to really prioritise people’s skills and goals was missing.
At a certain point I felt that it was no longer enough for me to observe these problems from the outside. I wanted to try to solve them. And from there the idea of Talentware was born: an entrepreneurial project that combines my passion for technology with the desire to improve the way companies recognise and develop the potential of their employees.

From the initial idea to creating the start-up: what were the first practical steps you took? Did you get any insight, contacts or support at the University of Trieste?

Absolutely, the University also played an important role in the early stages of my entrepreneurial journey. The idea of Talentware was born from recognising a practical need: that of helping companies to enhance internal competences in a more dynamic, transparent and growth-oriented way. One of the very first key steps was participating in networking events promoted by the university, where I had the opportunity to meet other young entrepreneurs, researchers and professionals.

At the same time, I started to build a small team and collect some initial feedback from potential users and companies. We didn’t have a product yet, but we had a clear vision and a desire to learn fast. I still remember the enthusiasm - and also the recklessness - with which we started to develop the first demos and test them with HR and managers who took the time to tell us their real problems. There was no shortage of support from lecturers like Professor Venier, who with his insights - in the classroom and over coffee - offered valuable feedback and encouraged me to believe in the value of the idea. Sometimes you don't need much: you just need someone to tell you ‘this thing makes sense, try it’. And so I did.

Today Talentware is a growing company: what exactly does it do and how does it stand out? Can you paint us a picture of how the company is today? What are the most significant projects you have worked on? And how many of you are on board at the moment?

Founded in 2023 in Milan by three former Bain & Company consultants, including myself, the company was founded with the aim of revolutionising talent management within organisations.

Talentware is a modular SaaS platform that helps companies identify, develop and enhance the skills of their employees. Using artificial intelligence, the platform maps the skills present in the company, identifies skills gaps and suggests customised growth paths for each individual.

Unlike traditional HR systems, Talentware adopts a ‘skill-based’ approach, focusing on people's actual skills rather than formal roles. This enables more dynamic and meritocratic talent management, fostering employee engagement and retention.

To date, the company has a team of more than 15 professionals, with more than 10,000 employees worldwide using the platform on a daily basis.

The use of AI plays a very important role in the development of your company project: do you have complete confidence in this technology or do you detect any flaws? What values should guide its use?

Artificial intelligence is at the heart of the Talentware project. We use it to analyse skills data, suggest plans for personalised growth and support companies in making talent-related decisions. But precisely because it is powerful, AI must be used responsibly.

I do not have blind faith in technology: I believe a lot in its potential, but I am aware that it is not enough on its own. It needs human supervision, it needs transparency in the algorithms, and above all it needs clear values underlying its use. For me, the fundamental principles that must guide the use of AI - especially in the HR world - are:

• Fairness, to avoid bias and discrimination;
• Clarity, because people need to understand how decisions are made;
• Empowerment, not control: AI must help people grow, not limit or box them in.

At Talentware, we work precisely in this direction: an AI that does not replace the human being, but rather amplifies, supports and enhances them.

If you could write a ‘golden rule’ for those who want to get into business after leaving university, what would it be? And what would you have liked to have known at the start?

If I had to write a ‘golden rule’, I would say: ‘Don't wait until you feel ready: start, listen and improve along the way.’

People often think that to get into business you need all the answers right from the start. In reality, you need curiosity, a willingness to get involved and the ability to listen to people's real needs. Skills are built, teams are formed, products evolve... but if you don't take the first step, everything remains just an idea.

What do I wish I had known at the beginning?

That doubts and mistakes are part of the game, and that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but of intelligence. Today I know that building something of value does not mean having everything under control, but knowing how to learn every day, with others.