I build systems
where the machine
proposes and a
human decides.
AI agents today, physical AI next. I used to teach robots to understand people. Now I’m CTO at Bestie Bite, where 200,000+ people find places to eat, drink and stay through short video reviews, and the AI agents I run propose while people decide.
CTO, Bestie Bite — PhD Robotics, Trento — Treviso, Italy
About
I’m Placido, CTO at Bestie Bite, a Techstars-backed startup based in Rome (I work from Treviso). We build the app, the AI that checks every review is authentic, and the tools that turn community videos into insights and marketing for venues.
I came to startups from robotics. I hold a PhD from the University of Trento, where I worked on human-aware robots: predicting how people move with Vision Transformers, shared control for assistive walkers, and motion planning for robots that work alongside humans. During my PhD I was a visiting researcher at IRI in Barcelona, where my work on Vision Transformers for human motion began. Before that, I studied mechatronics engineering at the University of Padova.
Here I write about what I learn building an AI-first product with a small team: architecture choices, agent workflows, and what actually holds up in production.
Research
- Human motion prediction with Vision Transformers
- Shared control for assistive walkers
- Motion planning for robots working alongside humans
- Visiting researcher, IRI Barcelona
Last updated
Work
I take on a few teams at a time, alongside my job as CTO. Two ways to work with me:
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For CTOs of 3–15 person dev teamsfrom €6,000
AI agents with human approval
Agents review pull requests, pull commitments out of meetings and propose decisions; you approve with one tap. A 2-day setup, then 4 weeks of coaching.
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For robotics startupsequity or a 2-week review
Advisor for field and farm robots
For teams whose robots work outdoors alongside people, in fields, vineyards, orchards and farms: moving around people, sharing control with them, and getting from pilot to service.
Writing
Newsletter
The monthly article goes out by email first, on Substack. One long read on building with AI agents and people in the loop, nothing in between. First issue lands November 2026.
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Contact
Write to me about building with AI, Bestie Bite, robotics, or a coffee in Treviso: hello@placidofalqueto.com. For agents in your team, book a free Approval Audit.