With the Berkeley SkyDeck Europe project 9 new start-ups in Lombardy

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - The 'Berkeley SkyDeck Europe - Milan' project continues to be enriched with new start-ups. On the occasion of the Demo Day at Mind (Milan innovation district), a further 9 selected start-ups were presented, which receive a dowry of 1.3 million euro, in addition to direct contact with Italian and European companies and investors, after attending the six-month programme held partly in California and partly in Mind. The Lombardy Region supports this project to accompany the growth of start-ups, also guaranteeing the connection with qualified financial operators, able to support the development of entrepreneurial initiatives through equity investments. With this Demo Day, SkyDeck Europe has reached the end of its fourth edition after having accelerated in its first two and a half years of activity 36 start-ups selected from 3,335 applications from all over the world, generated EUR 5.2 million in direct investments and EUR 4.3 million in external investors and grants. Among the relevant data recorded by the 27 start-ups in the first three batches is an increase in the workforce of around 50 per cent, with a total of 90 jobs created.

"Skydeck Europe has become one of the world's leading innovation hubs, we receive ideas from all over the world and bring them to life. Ours is a challenge met. Our goal is to transform ideas into stable companies that generate economic spin-offs and new development possibilities. This is the opportunity that we are offering from Lombardy to the whole world,' said Lombardy Region Economic Development Councillor Guido Guidesi. The initiative, promoted with Fondazione Cariplo, was launched in 2022 by the UC Berkeley SkyDeck accelerator, the Italian innovation hub Cariplo Factory, and the international real estate group Lendleasea. The six-month programme gave start-ups the opportunity to engage with both ecosystems, through a first month in-person in Berkeley, California, at the headquarters of one of the world's top accelerators, and a final sprint in the Village Pavilion space at Mind. In addition, the programme leveraged the skills, laboratories and networks of the universities selected through the call for proposals promoted by Fondazione Cariplo: Politecnico di Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano, Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione Iulm, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale Amedeo Avogadro, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori Pavia and Università degli Studi di Bergamo.

The nine new start-ups taking part in the Demo Day were selected from the large number of applicants from all over the world (from Canada to Singapore, from Kenya to Armenia, from India to Romania, as well as the United Kingdom, France, Spain...) who participated in the call for applications launched in July last year. The start-ups that participated in the acceleration programme operate in the EdTech, Sports Tech, GreenTech, HR Tech, Cybersecurity, New Materials, and Enterprise Software sectors. In detail, Audemic.io (UK): positioned in the rapidly growing market of 'knowledge workers', it offers AI-based learning optimisation technology. By 2022, the startup has already reached a value of over $169 billion globally, with a projected annual growth of 8.9% until 2027. Distinkt (Spain): develops innovative fluorescent inks based on nanotechnology, which can be used to print signs, barcodes or Qr codes on any material or object, certifying their authenticity. Distinkt has patented the technology and a target market (Anti-Counterfeiting Packaging Market) worth $105 billion with a CAGR of 7.8%. Inro (France): is an artificial intelligence-enhanced direct marketing tool for digital brands. Inro allows brands to establish a conversation with each customer on a large scale and engage them with personalised messages based on their purchase history. Kfobix Inc. (US; Delaware): Kfobix's patented superhydrophobic coating, which is lightweight, low-cost, durable and easy to apply, is used to prevent the formation of ice on wind power lines, improving electrical distribution safety and renewable energy efficiency. Klaaryo (Italy): is the talent intelligence platform that helps HR teams find and engage the best candidates in the market. Mon5 (Italy): offers advanced IT security solutions for the manufacturing sector, anticipating the migration of cyber attacks from the IT department to the OT department. The platform also monitors the performance and energy consumption of hardware devices. The start-up already works with large companies, including Leonardo. Ochy (France): has developed advanced artificial intelligence-based technology with a proprietary biomechanics algorithm to help runners run more efficiently to minimise the risk of injury and improve performance. It provides quality running form and posture analysis from anywhere. Plino (Italy): offers an immediate and error-free system for making strategic business decisions based on data. Powered by Gen-AI, the software integrates all company data, analyses it automatically and answers any questions in natural language through an intuitive chat interface. Supplai (Italy): is a simplified procurement management platform for SMEs in the food and beverage sector that easily integrates purchase orders, communications and payments with their suppliers. Powered by artificial intelligence, Supplai extracts data from files, makes suggestions and creates customised insights, making procurement activities faster, more efficient and paperless.