Eleven start-ups made it to the finals of the Italian Master Startup Award 2024, the only Italian award on a national basis that recognises the actual results achieved on the market by young companies, at least two years old, with a high knowledge content from the scientific research system of universities and public research organisations in the PNICube network.
Companies are engaged in the Life Sciences / MedTech, Cleantech & Energy, ICT and Industrial sectors. There are those who provide hi-tech services for sustainable forest management, those who develop ‘digital twins’ for more sustainable energy systems and mobility, those who in the energy field propose innovative solutions for monitoring consumption and new technologies in the field of electrical engineering. But that is not all.
There are those who are developing the world's first regenerative cell therapy for the treatment of spinal injuries, those who produce innovative wearable technologies for the remote monitoring of patients, and those who focus on robots for micro-mobility services in airports, hospitals and museums, or to free humans from low-value operations in companies. There are also those who offer services in the blockchain and cryptocurrency market, those who produce super-components for aerospace, and those who have patented the first ‘zero-contamination’ tube nail polish.
The Italian Master Startup Award
Organised by the Italian association PNICube - the largest and most capillary national network of local universities, academic incubators, regional Start Cups and business plan competitions - in collaboration with I3P, the Innovative Companies Incubator of Politecnico di Torino, the 18th IMSA Award will take place on September 25, 2024 in Turin, in the Agora Hall of the I3P headquarters, located in the Campus of Politecnico di Torino, as part of the ‘Side Events’ of Italian Tech Week.
Co-financed by Regione Piemonte (the Piedmont Region) with the resources of the European Social Fund Plus, IMSA 2024 is sponsored by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS) and the Italian Embassy to the Holy See; it can also count on prestigious collaborations with Invitalia, Osif (Women's Enterprise Scientific Observatory, Tor Vergata University of Rome), EIT Digital, Business France - Public Agency for the Internationalisation of the French Economy, GammaDonna. The initiative thus offers an opportunity for the development of start-ups from research, as well as a highly visible opportunity to enter the radars of large companies and investors.
The prize money of €10,000, co-financed by PNICube and I3P, will be awarded to the start-up with the best performances. Among this year's novelties:
- Invitalia Special Prize in Services for the best female start-up, in collaboration with Osif;
- EIT Digital Special Prize for the best start-up in the ICT category;
- free support from Business France to IMSA finalist start-ups wishing to set up in France.
The 11 finalist companies
Alba-Robot (coming from the regional competition Start Cup Piemonte Valle d'Aosta, competing in the Industrial category) is an indoor micro-mobility and pedestrian space platform that transforms the transport of people using fleets of autonomous vehicles. Through its fleet management platform, it provides autonomous/assisted mobility services inside facilities such as airports, hospitals and museums, or in pedestrian areas, to restore autonomy and independence to people, in line with the UN SDG goal ‘Reducing inequalities’. Born in 2019, it was elected the ‘I3P Start-up of the Year’ in 2023, and now has 5 registered patents, 3 of which are international.
ALTO Robotics (from the Genoa Incubator - Filse; Industrial category) develops adaptable intelligent agents, particularly in the field of mobile and collaborative robotics. Its NODE interface is able to leverage robotics and data analysis to address process imperfections, handling non-standard situations and deviations effectively, and allows operators to be adopted without training, quickly creating customised maps, destinations and processes. Its robots can free humans from low-value-added tasks such as material distribution, line procurement, inventory management, quality assurance and continuous improvement initiatives.
Bluebiloba (originated as a University of Florence spin-off; Cleantech & Energy category) offers technological services for the enhancement and sustainable management of forests, rural areas and tree heritage, with a strong approach in the ITC sector and a significant focus on the forestry world. The company, established in 2018, provides precision silviculture, urban and environmental green monitoring, project and tender management, environmental planning and research and development, with the aim of promoting environmental protection, improved human well-being, climate change mitigation and sustainable development.
DGTwin (from CNR Naples; ICT category) provides advanced digital services and solutions, based on ‘digital twin’ technology, for improved performance and greater sustainability of energy and mobility systems. Through the dialogue of engineering systems with their virtual counterparts, the spin-off of the National Research Council aims to promote sustainable mobility and stimulate a more conscious use of renewable resources, ensuring optimal energy management and greater sustainability of products and processes in the fields of electric propulsion and stationary generation, in line with the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.
E-Lectra (from Start Cup Lazio; Industrial category) develops advanced technological solutions in the fields of transport electrification, industrial and energy storage systems. A spin-off in 2019 from the University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale, the young company specialises in the development of innovative solutions for static electrical energy converters, Battery Management Systems (BMS) for lithium-ion storage systems and, in general, electrical and electronic systems and devices for automotive and industrial applications.
Helios Domotics - LIT (from Start Cup Lazio provenance; Cleantech & Energy category) is a female-led startup that has developed an advanced solution for monitoring domestic, commercial and industrial energy consumption, with the aim of reducing waste and CO2 emissions. All through a single state-of-the-art device. LIT also allows companies to automatically generate reports with high granularity on electricity usage for inclusion in the CSRD-compliant sustainability report.
Hemera (from the Universities of Verona and Milan; Life Sciences / MedTech category) has developed REMaST®, a cell therapy that is a candidate to be the first in the world able to effectively regenerate neural tissue for the treatment of spinal cord injuries. Founded in 2021 as a spin-off from the University of Verona and the University of Milan, the biotech company specialises in regenerative medicine for neurological diseases. Hemera's therapy uses a particular type of autologous immunity cells, which are trained in vitro to best express their reparative abilities even in a hostile environment such as the spinal cord, with possible extensions to other neuro-degenerative conditions.
Heremos (from Start Cup Lazio; Life Sciences / MedTech category) develops innovative wearable technologies for remote patient monitoring. Created in 2021, it specialises in the collection and processing of RAW physiological data. Vital parameters, clinical indicators and biomarkers can be extracted from the analysis of raw data acquired through the proprietary wearable technology. The developed solution aims to support pharmaceutical companies and healthcare facilities in providing the best therapy to patients, contributing to the advancement of personalised medicine.
K3RX (from CNR Faenza; Industrial category) produces high-performance components using an innovative class of patented materials for applications in aerospace, defence, transport and energy. The aim of the CNR spin-off is to equip space aircraft, planes and trains with this new generation of lightweight materials - ceramic matrix composites reinforced with ultra-high temperature carbon fibre (UHTCMC) - that are among the most durable and resistant in the world to temperature (over 2000 C°), mechanical stress and wear.
LEB WORLD (from Start Cup Puglia; Industrial category) has introduced to the market LACTUBE™, the first nail polish tube with zero contamination, convenient and fast, with a replaceable applicator after use. The possibility of replacing the bristles guarantees protection and hygiene, while the special tube conformation makes it ergonomic and comfortable, improving UX, making it the ‘simplest’ professional nail care system for the B2B and B2C markets ever created. To date 12 Patents including one Pending in EU, USA, Canada and China.
Young Platform (from Start Cup Piemonte Valle d'Aosta; ICT category) is an innovative company in the financial sector offering a wide range of services in the cryptocurrency market. With the mission of supporting users through an interactive educational path, it strives to make the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies accessible to everyone, while promoting security and transparency in trading. Established in 2018, Young Platform also operates a state-of-the-art exchange that allows users to buy, sell and trade various cryptocurrencies in a secure and intuitive way.
