Start-ups conquering Silicon Valley

US investors are mainly interested in making deals in the biomedical, energy-saving sectors linked to the use of artificial intelligence and aerospace. The start-ups from Central Italy that took part in the mission organised in September in San Francisco, in the technological heart of California's Silicon Valley, by Intesa Sanpaolo are beginning to reap the rewards. Of the 12 start-ups involved, five were from Central Italy: 2NDSpace (Faenza), Novac (Modena), PINPOINT (Bastiglia, Modena), Monitor The Planet (Faenza), and Novalimb (Rome).

"We have developed an international dimension to our acceleration programme that we dedicate to start-ups, Up2Stars, and thanks to the expertise and collaboration with INNOVIT, a unique opportunity has been created for Italian start-ups to come into contact with investors and players in Silicon Valley," explains Anna Roscio, Head of Sales & Marketing Imprese Intesa Sanpaolo, who was part of the team that accompanied the start-ups. "The aim," she adds, "is to provide the selected start-ups with the tools, resources and skills they need to expand and innovate in the global context, while at the same time helping to enhance the quality of Italian entrepreneurship abroad.

INNOVIT,' Roscio clarifies, 'is a multi-year strategic initiative of the Italian Government, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the support of ICE - Institute for Foreign Trade, and supervised by the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco. In fact, it is a hub for Italian innovation and culture, with key operational partners such as the Giacomo Brodolini Foundation and Entopan Innovation'.

"We have had positive feedback, some leading American companies have been enthusiastic," says Riccardo Carlini, Business Development Officer of 2NDSpace. The company, which in the last 12 months has turned over EUR 500,000 and is now aiming to double its revenues in the next 12 months, has developed an access system to a fleet of multi-operational satellites that can be rented on a pay-per-use or subscription basis. "We are negotiating with potential partners who could activate channels for us in the US market, also to obtain funds," he says.

"We formed a business partnership with a company that is involved in innovation in both America and Japan," says Nicolò Luppi, technology and product manager of PINPOINT, a company that has developed a system to reduce the energy costs of machinery using artificial intelligence. "What caught the Americans' attention is the ease of installation of the system, which does not need sensors. The company is closing a EUR 4 million round and makes half a million a year, which it aims to multiply in the coming years.