Startup Days 2025: 20 Ideas for a Sustainable and Interconnected Future Awarded

Innovative and sustainable batteries for long-duration energy storage; solutions to promote sustainable and digital tourism for Italian villages with the support of AI; software that automatically detects and locates infrastructure anomalies in real time; an AI platform that predicts cancer evolution. These are some of the winning technologies at Startup Days 2025, the initiative promoted by Regione Lombardia, MUSA Scarl, and Federated Innovation@MIND, with the support of Lombard universities and university incubators.

Over 230 approved applications, 41 finalist startups, and 20 cash prizes for a total prize pool of 495 thousand euros: these numbers confirm the strength of the Lombard ecosystem in fostering the growth of new businesses with a high technological and environmental impact.

After the closed-door final on November 11, the juries today announced the winners of the three competitions comprising Startup Days 2025 in the Sala Biagi of Palazzo Lombardia: StartCup Lombardia 2025, Sustainable and Safe Construction, and Green Chemistry Lombardy for a Sustainable Future 2025.

The Winners and the Prizes

StartCup Lombardia, now in its XXIII edition and organized by Regione Lombardia and MUSA scarl, awarded the most promising projects born or connected to Lombard universities and incubators. These are the winning startups that each receive 25 thousand euros and a Special Mention allowing them access to the National Innovation Award 2025.

For the CleanTech & Energy category, CLEAR – the floating photocatalytic system that uses sunlight to remove organic micropollutants from surface water.

For the ICT & Services category, AINANA – the first platform that combines human expertise and artificial intelligence to enhance nutritional support.

For the Life Sciences & MedTech category, EVOCLIN, the AI platform that predicts cancer evolution, helping doctors set up more effective therapies.

A double win for SatEnlight, which focuses on optical communications based on light vortices to increase speed and security in data transmission. The startup won in the Industrial Technologies category and also took home the 2025 Special Corporate Award, promoted by Thales Alenia Space S.p.A., with the aim of identifying solutions for mitigating interference for GNSS receivers.

The Special Social Impact Award goes to Cellmets, a startup focusing on cellular materials for safer and personalized helmets thanks to 3D printing and biomechanical models.

The Special Sustainability Award is won by Graphicore, a startup offering patented solutions for nuclear decommissioning and robotic manipulation in extreme environments.

Hiddenz, a startup proposing an AI-based idea to promote sustainable and digital tourism for Italian villages and support the local community, won the Special Lombardia Style Award. New to the 2025 edition, the Award is promoted by the Directorate General for Tourism, Territorial Marketing, and Fashion of Regione Lombardia with the aim of fostering the development of innovative projects in the tourism sector.

THELIA, a startup focusing on advanced optical devices that integrate 3D reconstruction and chemical-physical analysis in a single, precise scan, won the Special Mention dedicated to a startup with at least 50% female founders, which allows access to the National Innovation Award.

Category Prize Pool: 195,000 euros, 175 thousand euros allocated by Regione Lombardia and 20 thousand euros provided by Thales Alenia Space.

Sustainable and Safe Construction

The competition promoted by Regione Lombardia and MUSA scarl, in its first edition, highlights the most innovative solutions for the construction sector, with a particular focus on the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of materials and processes. The category prize pool is 150 thousand euros. Here are the winners: Brix – the platform that simplifies construction procurement, making purchases more competitive and transparent for companies in the sector; Dymond – structural monitoring software that automatically detects and locates infrastructure anomalies in real time; INCO – a social impact project that transforms unused rooms into accessible housing solutions through intergenerational cohabitation; Pillar – software that automates the financial management of construction companies, reducing errors and time waste; Pratifly – the digital co-pilot for technical firms and professionals, which simplifies and optimizes the management of building practices; Proxima – a modular ecosystem of plug-in technomodules, capable of evolving over time to adapt to different needs and functions.

Green Chemistry Lombardy for a Sustainable Future 2025

Promoted by Regione Lombardia and Federated Innovation@MIND, the competition awarded startups and SMEs engaged in the development of technologies and products for ecological transition and the circular economy.

Here are the winners—divided by categories—who receive the overall prize pool of 150 thousand euros: Technologies for water management and reuse: The award goes to Wembranex, which develops sustainable and innovative membranes for efficient water treatment and reuse; For the circular economy for chemical materials and products:, the award goes to B-Plas, which proposes innovative plant solutions for treating sewage sludge, reducing waste volumes and producing valuable circular by-products; Sinergy Flow, a deep tech startup that develops innovative and sustainable batteries for long-duration energy storage, wins the award for Innovative materials for new high-impact sectors and applications; The award for “Ingredients, formulations and products with low environmental and health impact” goes to Agree NET, a biotech startup that fights food waste with natural and innovative solutions designed to keep fresh fruit conserved longer, without synthetic preservatives or plastic; For “Digitalization and automation for R&D and production,” Rafla wins, a startup focusing on artificial intelligence systems for sustainable inspections of infrastructure, plants, and logistics, capable of reducing costs, risks, and consumption; the award related to Solutions for industrial decarbonization goes to the startup HPH.

The Statements

«Our goal has always been to ensure that anyone with an innovative idea can find the best conditions in Lombardy to develop it. Through initiatives like the Startup Days, we are committed to supporting and transforming successful ideas into economic growth and new job opportunities,» said the Councillor for Economic Development of Regione Lombardia, Guido Guidesi.

«We want to strengthen our leadership to continue being the Home of Ideas. Innovation and vision will remain our winning cards, thanks also to the contribution of the new generations,» he concludes.

«The Startup Days represent a crucial stage in the journey through which MUSA promotes the cross-pollination between research, business, and social innovation. We believe that the value of the Lombard ecosystem lies in its ability to unite different skills and visions to generate concrete, economic, and social impact. Every finalist startup is proof that the university and research are not worlds distant from the market, but vital engines for a more sustainable, digital, and competitive future. With the Startup Days, we want to strengthen this alliance between knowledge and action, networking people, ideas, and opportunities to build a new development model together,» Giovanna Iannantuoni, President of MUSA.

«Green chemistry is one of the most promising frontiers of sustainable innovation. With the second edition of the Green Chemistry Lombardy 2025 program, Federated Innovation renews its commitment to promoting co-innovation models between startups and industrial companies capable of generating concrete impact on the territory. Together with Regione Lombardia, we are building an ecosystem where chemistry becomes a strategic lever for a greener, more competitive, and responsible future. Startups and businesses thus have the concrete opportunity to lead the transition of chemistry towards sustainability, a driver of competitiveness, innovation, and responsible growth,» Fabrizio Grillo, President of Federated Innovation @MIND.