What SWHARD does

SWHARD S.r.l. is an Italian private R&D company founded in 2012, headquartered in Genova with a secondary engineering site in Rovereto. Operating as an "autonomous R&D department" for clients, the company delivers end-to-end technology development across hardware design (FPGA, DSP, low-power systems), embedded and real-time firmware, and software GUI development. Its customer base spans telecommunications, automotive, automation, biomedical, space/aerospace, and smart city/IoT sectors.

The company's proprietary product portfolio includes NeuroBoard (a neuromorphic AI hardware accelerator with 4,608 neurons on 8 NM500 ASICs plus FPGA neurons, supporting M.2/PCIe slots and standalone Linux-embedded operation), Sentry (a patented wearable for post-operative rehabilitation monitoring with 5° movement detection accuracy), and LogOil (an IoT system for tanker fuel management achieving 99.8% leak detection accuracy). Beyond proprietary products, SWHARD participates in multiple EU-funded research consortia including RAISE (BeTWIN port monitoring, CognitivePark smart park, U-Space Link edge platform, INVICTUS rehabilitation ecosystem), ESA (Athena radiation simulation), and FILSE (SOCRATE healthcare continuity, WELDingWorker generative AI welding training).

The business model combines professional services revenue (project-based R&D engagements with enterprise and government clients) with hardware product sales (proprietary products sold direct). Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales via website, email, phone, and LinkedIn. Notable institutional clients include the European Space Agency, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, automotive industry firms, port authorities, and healthcare facility networks. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification (KIWA, valid through 2026) and has a team of 1-10 employees drawing on a global network of specialized professionals.

Name

SWHARD

Legal name

Swhard s.r.l.

Website

https://swhard.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SWHARD is an Italian R&D services firm providing end-to-end hardware and embedded software development, plus proprietary AI/IoT products (NeuroBoard, Sentry, LogOil), serving enterprise clients in telecom, automotive, biomedical, aerospace, and smart city sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Genova

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. R&D Services: B2B R&D services providing an external autonomous R&D department for clients. Covers hardware design, embedded/real-time software, firmware, GUI development, prototyping, and product maintenance across telecommunications, automotive, automation, biomedical, and simulation sectors.
2. Proprietary Products: Development and sale of proprietary products including Sentry (rehabilitation wearable), LogOil (IoT fuel management), and NeuroBoard (AI hardware accelerator). Products sold directly to enterprise customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SWHARD is an Italian R&D company (Swhard s.r.l.) that acts as an autonomous external R&D department for organizations needing embedded systems, hardware, firmware, and software engineering expertise. Beyond contracted R&D services across space, healthcare, automotive, and maritime sectors, the company develops and sells proprietary products including NeuroBoard, Sentry, and LogOil, and runs applied research projects such as Athena, BeTWIN, CognitivePark, U-Space Link, INVICTUS, Biomed, SOCRATE, and WELDingWorker.

Product overview

SWHARD is an R&D company offering embedded systems development and technology transfer services. The core product portfolio includes NeuroBoard (AI hardware accelerator with neuromorphic chips), Sentry (wearable rehabilitation monitoring system), and LogOil (IoT fuel transportation management). These are complemented by multiple R&D projects spanning space technology (Athena/ESA), healthcare rehabilitation (INVICTUS ecosystem with Sentry, Pinch, WeTAG), environmental monitoring (BeTWIN, CognitivePark), drone communications (U-Space Link), biomedical robotics (Biomed), VR/AR/XR applications (Inbox, VRPP, WELDWAISE), and healthcare continuity (SOCRATE, WELDingWorker). The company provides end-to-end R&D services from hardware design to software GUI development across telecommunications, automotive, automation, biomedical, simulation, and green/low power domains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NeuroBoard: AI hardware accelerator powered by 4608 neurons on eight neuromorphic chips (NM500 ASIC) and very fast in FPGA neurons.
• LogOil
• Sentry
• Athena

Products and services

• Contracted Embedded Systems R&D Services Autonomous external R&D services covering embedded systems design, hardware development, firmware, software engineering, and integration, delivered to clients across space, healthcare, automotive, and maritime sectors.
• NeuroBoard Proprietary SWHARD product in the neural/embedded platform domain, supporting the company's embedded-systems R&D activities.
• Sentry Proprietary SWHARD monitoring/control product aligned with the company's embedded systems portfolio.
• LogOil Proprietary SWHARD product targeting oil/maritime telemetry and oil-condition monitoring use cases for port authorities and maritime operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• LogOil achieves 99.8% accuracy in load/unload/leak detection with +/-2 liters per metric ton precision
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability12 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FILSE - Finanziaria Ligure per lo Sviluppo EconomicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFILSE is the Ligurian Financial Company for Economic Development. SWHARD participates in FILSE co-financed projects including SOCRATE (healthcare continuity of care solution) and WELDingWorker (welding training with AI, XR, and wearable technologies).
• RAISE (RAISE Ecosystem)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded research initiative. SWHARD participates in multiple RAISE projects: BeTWIN (port monitoring), CognitivePark (smart park), U-Space Link (edge data platform), and INVICTUS (rehabilitation ecosystem). Projects funded by European Union.
• ESA (European Space Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWHARD develops Athena project for ESA - a dedicated multi-mission platform to simulate radiation effects at different scales from DNA to whole human body, and times from picoseconds to minutes.
• IIT (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWHARD provides technology transfer support for BioMed Projects including development of robotic prostheses and exoskeletons for IIT research programs.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SECO S.p.A. Italian edge-computing and embedded hardware specialist with proprietary IoT platforms and human-machine interface technology. Comparable as a small/medium Italian embedded-systems firm bridging R&D services and proprietary product sales.
• Cambridge Consultants: Deep-tech product development and R&D consultancy serving medical, industrial, aerospace, and consumer markets. Highly comparable as a multi-sectorial, IP-generating R&D boutique with both services revenue and proprietary product spin-outs.
• TTP plc (The Technology Partnership): UK-based independent technology and product development consultancy with deep capabilities in embedded systems, life sciences, and industrial AI. Closely comparable in business model (project R&D plus proprietary IP) and sector breadth.
• Moviri S.p.A. Milan-based technology and R&D consultancy with capabilities in performance engineering, AI/ML, and embedded systems. Comparable as an Italian boutique combining deep-tech R&D services with proprietary software offerings.
• BEOND Group: Italian innovation and technology consulting group with embedded-systems and industrial-IoT practices. Comparable as a small/medium Italian R&D boutique competing for similar enterprise and public-sector engagements.
• Eurotech S.p.A. Italian listed company specializing in embedded computing hardware, edge AI, and IoT platforms for industrial, transportation, and defense. Directly comparable in low-power embedded hardware expertise and industrial IoT productization.

Emerging players

• BrainChip Holdings: Listed neuromorphic-AI chip company whose NM500 ASIC underpins SWHARD's NeuroBoard. Comparable as a competing neuromorphic computing platform targeting edge AI and embedded workloads.

Broad incumbents

• Reply S.p.A. Italian-headquartered digital services group with strong focus on embedded systems, IoT, and industrial R&D. Comparable geographic anchor and multi-sector R&D positioning, but operates at vastly larger scale as a listed consultancy group.
• Capgemini Engineering: Global engineering R&D and digital services arm of Capgemini serving automotive, aerospace, industrial, and life-sciences clients. Comparable multi-sector R&D positioning but at global-incumbent scale versus SWHARD's boutique posture.

Regional players

• Brembo: Italian-headquartered engineering firm combining automotive components with mechatronics R&D. Comparable Italian industrial-tech R&D context though focused on a narrower automotive vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swhard-s-r-l-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SWHARD