A traveling camper, five interested cities, seventy start-ups in the digital banking and FinTech sector – selected by IWBank in collaboration with Barcamper, the startup acceleration program launched by dPixel and TechGarage. The ten best startups will be able to attend the ITForum in Rimini (22-23 May 2014) to present their project in front of an audience of representatives of the financial community and journalists. To achieve this goal, startuppers will have to go through two selection phases, the first of which on board a… camper.
The first phase of the IW Digital Tour, which will touch the cities of Milan (April 8), Bologna (April 9), Rome (April 12), Bari (May 5), Padua (May 7) and again Milan (May 9) in fact, it will feature one-to-one meetings between aspiring startuppers and the dPixel venture capital team. The meetings, for which reservations are required on the barcamper.it website, will take place on board a camper specially equipped for the occasion.
The Barcamper methodology is an innovative format for our country, and takes its cue from the practice of "barcamps", the brainstorming meetings organized in California universities, such as Stanford, in the heart of Silicon Valley. The top 20 start-up projects and the most promising teams, identified in this first scouting phase, will participate in TechWeek, a week of full-time mentoring at the IWBank headquarters in Milan, from 12 to 16 May. For them, five days of intensive courses, during which lectures, group work and moments dedicated to individual projects on financial, technological and marketing aspects will be alternated. Complete training aimed at professionally presenting the project to potential investors.
However, the news does not end here: the 10 best TechWeek teams, selected by IWBank and dPixel representatives, will have the opportunity to present their idea during the ITForum in Rimini, on 22-23 May. The aspiring start-ups will present their project following the innovative methodology patented by TechGarage, a non-profit association committed to enhancing entrepreneurial talent linked to innovation. For aspiring startuppers, two batteries of six-minute pitches are planned in front of an audience of stakeholders, possible investors and journalists passionate about innovation.
“IWBank, with this project, wants to concretely support the merit of young Italians who invest their talent for the growth and innovation of the Italian economy and finance – said Gianluca Needs, General Manager of IWBank. Our Bank, 'naturally' close to the world of innovation and technology, pays great attention to research and development initiatives that allow the new generations to emerge and to see their value and commitment recognized and rewarded”.
"Barcamper has proved to be an extraordinary tool for reaching young talents in a capillary and inclusive way and fostering the enormous unexpressed potential for growth and competitiveness that lurks in our country, which often does not invest in its young people and does not support the new generations - commented Gianluca Dettori, founder of dPixel. With Barcamper we are at the forefront of animating the ecosystem of startups and venture capital in Italy and I am honored and happy to be able to support IWBank in this important challenge".
