Italian startup Gyver is building AI-powered workforce tools for electricians and industrial employers as Europe faces growing shortages of skilled blue-collar workers across energy and infrastructure sectors.
Gyver, the Italian startup developing workforce infrastructure for Europe’s industrial and energy sectors, has raised €1.4 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Brighteye, with participation from āltitude, Vento Ventures, Zanichelli Venture and existing investor Antler, alongside several business angels.
Founded by Francesco Defendi, Leo Acciarri and Mattia Zarrelli, Gyver is focused on addressing the growing shortage of skilled blue-collar workers across Europe, particularly in sectors linked to electrification, energy and industrial infrastructure.
As Europe accelerates investment into renewable energy, data centres and grid modernisation, demand for skilled electrical workers continues to increase. While there are currently around 28 million skilled blue-collar workers across the EU, industry estimates suggest an additional 5.8 million workers will be needed by 2030.
Gyver has developed an AI-powered conversational hiring platform designed to replicate the referral and word-of-mouth processes commonly used by electricians to find work, while helping employers identify and access skilled workers more efficiently.
The company plans to expand the platform beyond recruitment into areas including upskilling, learning and workforce productivity tools for electricians. Gyver says its long-term goal is to provide modern technical tools for tasks such as electrical design and PLC workflows, helping improve productivity across skilled trades.
Francesco Defendi, co-founder of Gyver, said:
We want the job of an electrician to be as cool as being a VC or a famous entrepreneur. Electricians are the most important yet neglected workers category in the modern economy. They embody the combination of brain and manual craft that cannot be replaced by AI, yet they have been left behind by modern technology. The future of work in the AI age is the future of manual craft.
Gyver’s broader aim is to become a workforce platform for electrical employers, supporting hiring, workforce management and worker enablement.
The new funding will be used to strengthen Gyver’s technology platform, including its AI agents and workflow systems, and to support growth while improving the experience for both electricians and employers.