June 23, 2025 /Forbes.fr/ DecisionBrain CEO and Co-founder Filippo Focacci was interviewed by Forbes France about how DecisionBrain is transforming the way companies make complex decisions—combining AI and operations research to deliver real, measurable impact. To read the article in French from the original source (Forbes France), click this link.
DecisionBrain develops modular and accessible technology that optimizes complex decisions, offering companies of all sizes agile and innovative industrial performance.
December 2012. In the hushed shadows of a Parisian garage, two applied mathematics enthusiasts, Filippo Focacci and Daniel Godard, join forces. Former collaborators at ILOG, a pioneering company acquired by IBM, they share a common ambition: to design technologies that facilitate optimal decision-making in complex environments.
Concretely, they dreamed of a tool that was both robust and scalable, capable of adapting to the uniqueness of each company. “We wanted an extremely solid technical base, but one that could be built in stages, like a set of bricks,” says Filippo Focacci. Thus, a modular architecture was born, inspired by Lego: neither rigid nor complex to deploy.
At the heart of this vision is a low-code platform, a library of standardized components, and proprietary artificial intelligence algorithms. The goal? To accurately model the rules, entities, and constraints of each business, without ever sacrificing responsiveness.
Industrial production, supply chain, logistics, workforce management, and even maintenance: in all these areas, DecisionBrain develops solutions capable of reconciling operational performance and field complexity. Moreover, “our solutions adjust to competing objectives and unforeseen events,” Filippo continues. This choice of flexibility is disrupting the codes. Tools once reserved for multinationals are becoming accessible to ambitious SMEs. Thus was born DecisionBrain, conceived as a laboratory for pragmatic innovations where flexibility and ease of use are paramount.
From the outset, DecisionBrain’s mission has been to address issues too complex for rigid, fixed solutions. Indeed, in a business world subject to increasing tensions (shortages, tight deadlines, constant trade-offs), the quality of decisions is no longer a luxury, but a condition of survival. DecisionBrain’s approach was built around this requirement. “Our core business is planning and scheduling in contexts where each decision has a significant economic impact,” explains Filippo Focacci. Whether it’s optimizing the management of shared bikes in London or streamlining operations at a port in Shenzhen, the use cases addressed by DecisionBrain have one thing in common: a tangle of constraints and competing objectives.
So, rather than imposing a fixed tool, DecisionBrain opted for intelligent modularity. In fact, each solution is built as an assembly of technical building blocks, adjusted to the client’s specific needs. “Our solutions allow us to build by building blocks, according to needs, to address very specific cases that standard solutions cannot handle,” emphasizes Filippo. This modular architecture thus allows for rapid deployment, while guaranteeing valuable long-term scalability. Unlike rigid tools fixed in their original parameters, DecisionBrain solutions adapt over time, following market changes and internal requirements.
Our core business is planning and scheduling in contexts where each decision has a significant economic impact,”
Filippo Focacci
CEO and Co-founder, DecisionBrain
Now established in Paris, Montpellier, Bologna, Hong Kong, and the United States, DecisionBrain combines international reach with the agility of a human-sized structure. This assertive positioning allows the company to remain true to its mission: to design technologies that facilitate optimal decision-making in complex environments. “Our greatest pride is seeing small businesses access solutions that were once reserved for giants like Amazon,” says Filippo Focacci. The diversity of its clients, from Toyota to IBM to Carhartt, as well as an annual retention rate exceeding 95%, testify to the strength and relevance of this hybrid model, which is at once expert, accessible, and sustainable.
But behind the algorithmic expertise, there’s above all a team. And at DecisionBrain, people are never secondary. “We value diversity. It’s a legacy of our time at ILOG,” insists the co-founder. Today, the company’s 57 employees represent 13 nationalities, with a female percentage approaching 40%. A rarity in tech. This wealth of profiles fuels a caring corporate culture, attentive to integration and shared values. “ We don’t just recruit with the head, but also with the gut. We have to feel that the person will be able to integrate as a human being and share the company’s values,” assures Filippo Focacci. A simple but powerful conviction that allows DecisionBrain to remain agile without ever losing its human roots.
At DecisionBrain, we deliver AI-driven decision-support solutions that empower organizations to achieve operational excellence by enhancing efficiency and competitiveness. Whether you’re facing simple challenges or complex problems, our modular planning and scheduling optimization solutions for manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, workforce, and maintenance are designed to meet your specific needs. Backed by over 400 person-years of expertise in machine learning, operations research, and mathematical optimization, we deliver tailored decision support systems where standard packaged applications fall short. Contact us to discover how we can support your business!
