From Italian industrial districts to Silicon Valley. They are 12 SMEs in the aerospace supply chain involved in mission organized by Understanding St. Paul negli United States together with Innovation, the Italian Innovation and Culture Hub in San Francisco. Companies active in the Space Economy, Aerospace, Security, and Robotics sectors participate in meetings with American space industry professionals, technology insight sessions, and opportunities to engage with investors and potential industrial partners.
The initiative is part of the path of internationalization of Italian companies, with particular attention to a supply chain that in recent years has become increasingly important for national technology and industry. "We have always been the go-to bank for SMEs, and we are also the go-to bank for the aerospace supply chain, which develops from our local areas and industrial districts to achieve challenging goals, including in the United States and Silicon Valley, the cradle of innovation and many opportunities, as we have already demonstrated over time. Our role is to identify new opportunities for growth abroad with them and develop new tools to support them in industrial projects, partnerships with new investors, and cultural as well as economic outcomes," he emphasized. Stephen Barrese, head of the Territorial Banking Division of Intesa Sanpaolo.
Connecting Markets, the AI platform for finding new partners
Counterbalancing the mission's physical meetings is the new digital tool presented by the bank right here in Silicon Valley. It's called Connecting Markets and it is a platform, based onArtificial intelligence designed for help SMEs a locate companies with which to start relationships commercial or industrial abroad.
The database collects information on over 560 million companies, operating in more than 2.000 industries and over 170 countries. Businesses can use it to search for potential customers and partners, identify suppliers and supply chain operators, evaluate potential acquisitions or collaborations, and diversify export markets.
The platform arrives as Intesa Sanpaolo brings a group of Italian companies to the United States to foster new commercial and industrial contacts. This combination of foreign missions and digital tools aims to streamline the path of SMEs in international markets.
The 12 Italian aerospace SMEs
The selected companies come from various Italian industrial districts: Forwards of Naples, Apr e Bisiach & Carrù of Turin, Bercella from Parma, Bright Solutions of Pavia, Cospal Composites of Bergamo, Curti from Ravenna, Dino Paoli from Reggio Emilia, Leah from Padua, Netgroup of Naples, Novation Tech of Treviso and Sab Aerospace of Benevento.
The mission represents the third initiative undertaken by Intesa Sanpaolo in Silicon Valley together with Innovit, an institutional project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation implemented through the Italian Trade Agency (ICE). The program aims to connect Italian companies with California's technological and industrial ecosystem through meetings and networking activities.
Aerospace: Over $1 Billion in Financing for SMEs
The sector is also one of the sectors on which the bank has focused part of its financing activities. Intesa Sanpaolo has supported over 500 SMEs in the Italian aerospace sector, with financing exceeding 1 billion euros, and was the first European commercial bank to join theEsa Investor Network.
In July, a collaboration also arrived with European Investment Bank (Bei) e European Space Agency (ESA) which aims to activate €300 million in new financing for investments by aerospace SMEs, through European resources and guarantee instruments.
Support for the supply chain is part of a broader commitment towardsinternationalization of SMEsSince 2020, Intesa Sanpaolo has provided a total of over 141 billion euros in credit to small and medium-sized enterprises, of which 12 billion euros for internationalization and exports and 14 billion euros for extraordinary financial transactions, including acquisitions, mergers, and capital opening.
On the international front, the bank is also looking at other markets. "India and Brazil in particular can represent growth opportunities for Italian small and medium-sized businesses," said Barrese, explaining that partnerships with other banking operators in various geographical areas are under consideration.
