Catania's Aitho offers 5,000 euro to those who return to Sicily

Five thousand euro to return to Sicily. But above all, a three-year Impact Bond, being studied with a leading banking institution, to transform the return of digital talent from a corporate initiative into a structured financial project. The challenge launched by Aitho, a Catania-based tech company specialising in artificial intelligence and software development, goes beyond corporate welfare: it is an attempt to build a private policy against the tech diaspora, linking Catania to international markets and Switzerland in particular.

The announcement came during CATAN.IA 2026, an event organised by Aitho and Datapizza at the Vecchia Dogana Hub in Catania, with over 500 participants including companies, institutions, start-ups, universities and students. The theme was one of the most delicate for the island: the flight of qualified human capital. A fracture that not only concerns young people leaving Sicily to seek work elsewhere, but also the territory's ability to build businesses, retain skills, attract investment and produce innovation.

Aitho tries to turn the narrative upside down: no longer just Sicily as a place to start, but as a base from which to work for global customers and markets. "The most recurrent narrative in the South is that there is always a lack of conditions, capital or infrastructure to make things happen. With this event we show that Catania is not starting from scratch and has all the skills to create connections of the highest level,' says Davide Pisasale, co-founder and CEO of Aitho.

The Catania-based company has a well-established track record behind it. The company, established in 2016 by brothers Davide and Giambattista Pisasale, is now an Srl benefit company and innovative SME. It is preparing to exceed 5 million in turnover in 2026, with a workforce of over 60 employees. The numbers tell of a small tech company that is now structured, but also of an economic model that is very much linked to human capital.

The most immediate measure is the 5,000 euro return bonus for Sicilian digital professionals who decide to take up residence on the island. According to Pisasale, Aitho is the only company in the area to have introduced such an incentive. The formula should, however, be read within a path that has already been set in motion: in previous years the company had experimented with a 3,000 euro bonus for 'returning brains' and for those who signalled talent to be hired. Now the bar is raised and flanked by a more structured hypothesis: a three-year Impact Bond dedicated to the return of tech professionals and highly specialised youth employment.