What if every organization in Virginia, public or private, could have its own AI adoption roadmap, complete with custom training and expert guidance?
That’s the vision behind Aioti LLC (pronounced eye-oh-TEE), a startup co-founded by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as collaborators from institutions in Italy and the United Kingdom. The company is focused on bridging the AI knowledge gap across sectors. With support from the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative’s (CCI) Central Virginia Node (CVN), Aioti is building a modular platform that offers customized AI education, workforce training, and strategic consulting.
It is not yet a launched product, but Aioti represents one of several research-driven ventures that CVN is helping guide toward commercialization, with a strong emphasis on preparing the Commonwealth’s workforce for an AI-powered future.
Aioti LLC: Custom AI Training for a Smarter Workforce
Founded by Sherif Abdelwahed, Ph.D. (VCU), alongside international co-founders Ashraf Tantawy (United Kingdom) and Stefano Iannucci (Italy), Aioti aims to help organizations, from city governments to manufacturers, understand, implement, and scale AI technologies through contextual training programs tailored to their specific goals.
Unlike generic online courses, Aioti’s solution is hands-on and industry-specific, with training modules designed to match the technical backgrounds of learners at all levels.
“We don’t offer generic courses like ‘Intro to AI,’” said Dr. Abdelwahed during his CVN Speaker Series talk. “Our solution is contextual, outcome-driven, and customized. It’s focused on real use cases, whether that’s predictive maintenance in manufacturing or fraud detection in banking.”
With support from CVN, the team has also involved student talent in its early prototyping phase. Parker Gonzaga, a VCU student, contributed to the initial platform design and development, further strengthening CCI’s mission to connect research, innovation, and experiential learning.
From Research to Real-World Impact with CVN Support
Aioti’s journey began in academia, but with CVN’s support, the team is now working to translate that research into a scalable product aimed at solving a major workforce challenge in the Commonwealth.
“Virginia is pushing forward in cybersecurity and cyber-physical systems,” said Dr. Abdelwahed. “To maintain that leadership, we need a pipeline of AI-literate professionals who can meet the demand across sectors.”
That pipeline doesn’t just mean training new workers, it means upskilling current employees, helping managers and executives understand ethical AI integration, and preparing organizations to comply with emerging AI regulations.
The funding from CCI CVN has allowed Aioti to begin developing a prototype and laying the foundation for strategic partnerships. Their model includes online, hybrid, and onsite delivery formats, hands-on lab environments, and long-term consulting to help organizations build AI roadmaps.
Looking Ahead
Aioti remains in development. The team is currently building out pilot training modules, identifying target industries, and preparing to test the platform with early partners. These initial use cases will help demonstrate the effectiveness of the customized approach and provide insight into future scaling opportunities.
“We’re designing this to be adaptable for any domain,” Dr. Abdelwahed said. “Our goal is to generate learners and leaders who are competent, confident, and ready to build and manage AI systems within their organizations.”
While Aioti is not yet available to the public, its progress highlights how early-stage support from CCI CVN is helping innovative concepts become practical tools for workforce advancement in Virginia.
Supporting Innovation Across Virginia
Aioti LLC is one of several startups supported by the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Central Virginia Node. Through funding, mentorship, and commercialization guidance, CVN continues to help turn groundbreaking research into solutions that strengthen Virginia’s economy and prepare its workforce for the future.
Want to learn how CVN can help fund your startup or research project?
Visit our opportunities page to learn more.
