The Milan-based app Finanz has won the To The Peak 2026 Start-up Competition

For three days, Bolzano became the European hub for innovation. The third edition of To The Peak, the summit dedicated to start-ups, founders and investors – originally launched as Bolzano Slush’D – concluded on 11 September, bringing together over 1,000 participants from 21 countries, more than 150 start-ups and over 200 international investors. The investors present represented €18.2 billion in assets under management, whilst more than 1,000 meetings between founders and investors were organised during the event; the delegations included representatives from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, the Nordic countries and over 40 investors invited by ITA – the Italian Trade Agency.

The highlight of the event, however, was the Startup Competition, a showcase for some of the most interesting projects currently active in Italia and across Europe, which saw Finanz take first place: an Italian app designed to help anyone manage their money, save and make their first investments. This result paves the way for tangible support for growth: the winners are set to receive a minimum investment package of 460,000 euros from 360 Capital, tba network and BluLime.

Also making it onto the podium were Capsule Corporation, which is developing water-based satellite propulsion systems; the Palm Health platform for AI-supported paediatric medical record management; uSafe, which specialises in workplace safety; and, finally, the Austrian start-up Serwas, which installs liquid-cooled servers in buildings, reusing up to 98 per cent of the waste heat.

“This third edition of To The Peak has confirmed the vitality of our national ecosystem and its ability to attract founders, investors and corporates from across Europe. This year’s figures show that To The Peak is increasingly becoming a key reference point for innovative companies ready to scale up,” commented Cristian Frigo, Co-founder and CEO of To The Peak.