Over 2.000 companies (two thirds Italian and one third foreign) registered and over 5.000 proposals for meetings between Italian and foreign companies. These are the first important results of the "Business Matching" digital platform which, thanks to a "matchmaking" algorithm, matches Italian and foreign companies based on their characteristics and needs. Launched last November by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, with the collaboration of the subsidiary SIMEST, the platform, achieved in six months the goals that had been set for a year.
The platform was created to create business opportunities and bring Italian companies into contact with their counterparts in the main markets of interest to export and the internationalization of the Italian economic system. After launching its operations on more distant and complex markets such as India, China and Japan, the portal expands its range of action to other countries: from next May 23rd the tool will be extended to Morocco to then expand in September too to Indonesia. By 2022, the platform will also be open to Mexico and to United States.
On the occasion of the closing events of the Indonesian Presidency of the G20, the Business Matching platform was identified as a digital space to host the G20 Digital Innovation Network, which will showcase the most promising startups and venture capitalists from the G20 countries, encouraging the creation of collaborations and new business projects.
In the coming months, a program will also be developed to enhance the female managerial and entrepreneurial component present on the platform in agreement with the Women20 (W20), the G20 engagement group that brings together women's organizations, businesswomen's associations and think tanks, with the goal of promoting the economic empowerment of women internationally.
How the Business Matching platform works
The portal, created by CDP, is available in eight languages. After registering for free, the Italian company is invited to indicate its intentions and business strategy towards foreign markets and the profile of the foreign counterparts it wishes to meet. At this point, the company will receive notification of possible matches with counterparties and the relative percentage of affinity based on their profile and the objectives entered during the profiling phase. It is also possible to view the information on the foreign company and choose whether or not to accept the contact proposed by the algorithm. If successful, you can fix a virtual meeting in a dedicated space within the platform with the availability, if necessary, of activating an external interpreting service.
To facilitate access and allow companies to use the platform on the move, CDP has created a dedicated App, already available on the main stores. In addition, focus sheets have also been published on the online portal with information and insights on each country in which the service is operational.
