Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, Compagnia San Paolo and Fondazione CRT have signed an agreement which aims to promote innovation in the city of Turin, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs through a series of initiatives to be implemented in the three-year period 2019-2021.
Through their partnership, the bank and the two Turin-based foundations aim to attract new startups, but above all new investments in startups and Tech funds active in particular in the fields of artificial intelligence and the blockchain. “The joint participation procedures will also be defined in the initiatives for investments in funds specialized in acceleration programs which intend to enter key markets and sectors with particular reference to the innovation trends of the circular economy and data-driven economy”, reads a joint note.
The partnership will enhance the "common spaces for innovation", the Officine Grandi Riparazioni (OGR) in Turin, a historic building transformed by the CRT Foundation into a center for contemporary culture and innovation, "venture capital finance", Neva Finventures , the Corporate Venture Capital headed by Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and "the skills to accompany innovation", LIFTT, the hi-tech lift born from the public-private alliance between the Turin Polytechnic and Compagnia di San Paolo to bringing investment opportunities closer to research results. All this by creating a "hub for innovation in Turin", unique in Italy and competitive with those of the "most innovative cities" in Europe.
"Innovation is a fundamental element for supporting the country's economy," says Carlo Messina, CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo. “Intesa Sanpaolo has long been committed to promoting the growth of this ecosystem, which is increasingly central to the development of Italian companies. Countries with a focus on innovation show greater GDP growth while in Italy the annual capital requirement for startups is estimated at around one billion euros, of which 75% is not covered by specialized operators and the financial sector. This memorandum, the result of the careful and strategic vision typical of banking foundations, has the dual objective of making the city of Turin an international hub of innovation and acting as a stimulus for the country's new economy, increasingly promoting the meeting between universities and Businesses, young people and investors”.
But there is also another novelty regarding Turin: as part of the collaboration between Piccola Industria Confindustria and Intesa Sanpaolo, Skills4Capital was born, the training platform dedicated to entrepreneurs and their collaborators created by Intesa Sanpaolo Formazione.
Remaining in the area of innovation, the "Imprese Vincenti" event was held today in Catania, in the context of which Intesa Sanpaolo awarded 15 excellent companies in Sicily: Dell'Oglio, Simone Gatto, Irritek, Italkali,, Fratelli Arena, Agriplast, SEAP Water Purification, Cielle Imballaggi, Fiasconaro, Donnafugata, Siaz, Aurora, La Madia, Tenute Tornatore.
