Connecting innovators and capital and supporting emerging start-ups is decisive for strengthening Lombardy's international competitiveness.
On 29 October, Palazzo Lombardia’s Auditorium Testori was the scene of a decisive meeting for the future of innovation: ‘FutureMatch 2024: Connect today, Create tomorrow’. The event, linked to the prestigious 0100 Conference, marked the closing of the ‘Startup Days’, a week dedicated to entrepreneurial ideas aiming at a more environmentally, economically and socially sustainable future.
FutureMatch 2024 brought together 37 start-ups and numerous international investors to explore new technological frontiers in advanced sectors such as biotech, cleantech, green chemistry and deeptech. Among those present were prominent figures such as Guido Guidesi, Councillor for Economic Development of the Lombardy Region, and other high-profile representatives from the academic and financial worlds, including Salvatore Torrisi of Musa Scarl, Fabrizio Grillo of Federated Innovation @MIND, and Caroline Winnet of Berkeley SkyDeck.
The event was organised and promoted by the Lombardy Region and MUSA, with the aim of providing a ‘stage’ to foster dialogue between innovative start-ups and capital. The day’s activities were divided into three key moments:
Presentation of the StartCup Lombardy Startup Finalists and the ESA BIC Programme
The event began with pitches by 15 start-ups, including the StartCup Lombardia finalists and the ESA BIC programme, an initiative that aims to make Italy a hub of space-related innovation. Among the projects, BioFashionTech, Glutensens, and SunCubes caught the eye for the innovative solutions presented.
Berkeley SkyDeck Europe Demo Day, Milan
A highlight of the day was the 5th Demo Day of Berkeley SkyDeck Europe, Milan, where nine selected start-ups showed their progress in the acceleration programme. This project, a collaboration between the Lombardy Region, the Cariplo Foundation and the University of California, accompanies start-ups with high technological potential on a path of development and consolidation.
Competition ‘Green Chemistry: Lombardy for Sustainable Development 2024’
In the afternoon, the green chemistry competition awarded prizes to six start-ups that proposed sustainable solutions for the ecological transition. The winners were:
Genogra for Artificial Intelligence and advanced data analysis, with an innovative pan-genomic analysis platform.
Active label for environmentally friendly processes, specialising in monitoring the environmental conditions of perishable products.
Exo Lab for the use of bio-feedstock and biomaterials, producing plant exosomes for cosmetics and nutraceuticals.
Volta for electric mobility, with structural batteries for advanced applications such as satellites.
Bi-Rex for product circularity, producing sustainable fibres from agro-food by-products.
Zereau for innovative diagnostic and therapy solutions, offering compact filtration systems for the healthcare sector.
The day ended with Matching Sessions, one-to-one meetings between start-ups and investors, which allowed participants to explore the proposals presented and create potential collaborations. In the Expo Innovation area, participants had the opportunity to explore the technologies on display and engage directly with innovators.
‘Connecting innovators and capital and supporting emerging start-ups is decisive for strengthening Lombardy’s international competitiveness,’ stressed Guido Guidesi. Giovanna Iannantuoni, President of Musa Scarl, also highlighted the importance of events such as FutureMatch, which foster collaboration between start-ups, universities and investors.
The initiative ended with the awareness that the future of innovation in Lombardy passes through supporting start-ups that propose sustainable and high-impact solutions, confirming Lombardy as a nerve centre of European innovation.
