Its name is Inflant (INFLammasome Acting Novel Therapeutics) and it creates innovative drugs active on the NLRP3 inflammasome, an intracellular multi-protein complex that acts as a ‘sensor’ of the innate immune system and plays the role of "main promoter" of the inflammatory response. This is the cutting-edge Life Sciences project, supported by the 2I3T incubator, that won the contest Start Cup Piemonte Valle d'Aosta 2024.
Now in its 20th edition, financed by Regione Pemonte with resources from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) , the Business Plan competition is organised as part of the PNI - Italian National Innovation Award and promoted by the business incubators I3P and 2i3T to spread the culture of innovation at local level, promote the economic development of the Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta regions and support the birth of innovative and knowledge-intensive start-ups in the sectors of Life Sciences, ICT, Cleantech & Energy, Industrial, Tourism and Cultural and Creative Industries.
The winners were chosen from around 190 business ideas, of which 43% were ICT-related, i.e. innovative products and/or services in the field of information technology and new media, such as e-commerce, social media, mobile, gaming, etc. Industrial (16%) and Cleantech & Energy (17%) are also popular. On the other hand, 11% belong to the Tourism and Cultural and Creative Industries sector and 13% to Life Sciences.
The winners of the 2024 competition
Thanks to the endowment made available by the sponsors and supporters and the ESF+ resources, this year's total prize money amounted to more than €75,000, in cash and services. The winners were announced and awarded during the event hosted on October 30th at the Energy Center of Politecnico di Torino, in Turin.
The start-up Inflant, which belongs to the Life Sciences category and is supported by the 2i3T incubator, won the first prize, worth €7,500. This project represents a breakthrough for clinical practice, the pharmaceutical industry and academia. The aim of the team is to create innovative drugs active on the NLRP3 inflammasome, an intracellular multi-protein complex that acts as a ‘sensor’ of the innate immune system and plays the role of the main promoter of the inflammatory response.
In second place, for a €5,000 prize, is another start-up from the Life Sciences sector: Colemus, which, supported by the 2I3T incubator, develops a genetic system to be able to expand a huge number of stem cells at a very low cost, by eliminating very expensive growth factors from the growth medium, and subsequently differentiate them into muscle cells in just seven days homogenously, in order to be able to produce meat.
Closing the podium and winning the third prize of €2,500 is the project MediaMiner, supported by the I3P incubator, in the ICT field. MediaMiner provides its customers with the necessary tools to protect their data and prevent cyber attacks, guaranteeing comprehensive and proactive security. Through constant monitoring of the web, including social media, forums, dark web and other online information sources, the technology, together with Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, is able to detect potential threats before they can cause significant damage.
In fourth place, three ex aequo winners with Industrial projects:
- Deplotic (supported by I3P) develops IDRA, a deployable and retractable robotic manipulator for space applications that, when installed on satellites, enables self-maintenance operations, extending their operational life and improving their economic and environmental sustainability;
- Point Zero (I3P) develops ZEDS, a technology that aims to eliminate secondary particulate emissions from braking systems, with a combination of an electric motor and the innovative magnetorheological brake, for safe, efficient and pollution-free mobility;
- Therness (I3P) implements an automatic non-destructive monitoring system of the welding process.
The first six projects will be awarded a prize of €1,000 each for entry into the 22nd edition of the Itaian National Innovation Award (PNI) 2024, the ‘cup of champions’ for the winning business projects of the regional Start Cups. The event will be held in Rome on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th December 2024, organised by the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’ in collaboration with the universities and research organisations of the Start Cup Lazio network, as part of the Lazio Ecosystem of Innovation, Rome Technopole, funded by PNRR.
The special awards
Several special prizes, promoted by the sponsors and partners of the contest, were also awarded to the best competing teams.
The Fondazione CRC Prize of €10,000, dedicated to the best entrepreneurial project setting up business in the Province of Cuneo and made available by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo, was awarded to Droply, a start-up supported by the I3P incubator. The project proposes innovative precision farming solutions based on the use of drones, developing a targeted spraying system (patent pending) that allows the precise application of plant protection products, reducing product and water consumption.
The Valle d'Aosta Prize of €7,500, intended for the best entrepreneurial project to be set up in the Pépinière d'Entreprises of Aosta or Pont-Saint-Martin, made available by the Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta, went to E.GE Energia, which undertook an ambitious project to develop innovative wind generators.
The Sustainability in Aerospace Award, worth €7,500 and offered by the Piedmont Aerospace Cluster for the best business project addressing the topic of sustainability in aeronautics or space, was won by Deplotic (I3P) and its project IDRA.
Fondazione Laura & Franco Beltramo ETS awarded the Social Innovation Prizes worth a total of €15,000, divided into the Gold Prize of €10,000 awarded to Dewy (2I3T), which is working on finding a solution to climate change using a hydrogel that can help drought-prone vine plants at a sustainable price, and the Silver Prize of €5,000, which went to PinkRoad (I3P), for the development of an app where women meet and tackle the problem of safety on the streets together.
The City of the Future and Sustainability Award worth €7,500, offered by LINKS Foundation, was given to the project Penso.Green, supported by 2I3T, for its contribution to sustainability through the development of innovative Zero Liquid Discharge systems aimed at revolutionising wastewater treatment in SMEs, minimising environmental impact and improving process efficiency, making the transition to a circular water economy sustainable.
Jacobacci & Partners awarded the Jacobacci Gold and Silver Prizes, worth a total of €7,000 in consultancy services, to SupAir (€5,000), supported by the I3P incubator, and Steroidomus Medtech (€2,000), supported by 2I3T, for their projects on advanced air mobility and medical diagnostics respectively.
The UniCredit Start Lab Prize, which offers a mentorship session to assess a project's suitability to enter the Start Lab programme, was awarded to the Start Cup winner, Inflant (2I3T).
Finally, the three 5G&EmergingTech Prizes within the City of Turin - CTE Next project, for the best entrepreneurial projects related to social transformation, were awarded to:
- Evvu (I3P), which through its service allows drivers to check the compatibility between their driving needs and the characteristics of an electric vehicle;
- SmarTi, whose app interacts with IoT devices on vehicles and at bus stops by identifying the route, period and cost of the ride taken by the user;
- FideLIS (I3P), whose humanoid robot capable of interpreting Italian sign language (LIS).
The special mentions
During the final event of the competition, five special mentions were also awarded.
The Female Entrepreneurship - Invitalia Mention was awarded to Inflant (2i3T), for developing an entrepreneurial project with a female-dominated team, exceeding 50%. This mention recognises the excellence of female entrepreneurs and their growing role in innovation.
The award for the Social Innovation Mention, designed for projects proposing innovative solutions in line with the provisions of Italian Legislative Decree 155/2006 on social enterprise, went to PinkRoad (I3P).
The Open Innovation / Industrial Spin-off Mention was awarded to Auranicum (I3P), for proposing a CSMO (Contractual Sales and Marketing Organisation) for exclusive products in the management of (chronic) wounds, supporting complete well-being through the provision of specialised services (therapy, monitoring, after-care and prevention) to healthcare professionals.
Repubblica's Climate Change Green&Blue Mention, dedicated to projects that stand out for their positive impact on climate change and the adoption of innovative technologies and solutions for the protection and enhancement of natural resources, was awarded to Point Zero (I3P), which develops ZEDS, a technology that aims to eliminate secondary particulate emissions from braking systems, with a combination of an electric motor and the innovative magnetorheological brake, for safe, efficient and pollution-free mobility.
Finally, the Sustainable Technologies Mention, offered by Jacobacci & Partners, went to ElectriFly (I3P), for revolutionising marine propulsion with efficient and reliable electric systems: a particularly original and significant project in the field of sustainable technologies, opening up new perspectives for efficiency and reduced environmental impact.
Generating innovation
"We are proud to celebrate the 20th edition of Start Cup, an event that grows and evolves from year to year, contributing to the development of our region's entrepreneurial ecosystem," commented the Start Cup Piemonte Valle d'Aosta organising committee, made up of representatives of the two Piedmontese incubators I3P and 2i3T. "The variety and high level of the projects presented demonstrate not only the interest in rapidly evolving sectors such as ICT and Cleantech, but also the ability of our universities and incubators to generate significant innovations in complex fields such as Life Sciences and Industrial. This year, with INFLANT's win, we celebrate the potential of new technologies in therapeutics, a field that not only addresses global health challenges, but also highlights the importance of research-business collaboration for future prosperity."
Elena Chiorino, Vice-President of the Piedmont Region with responsibility for Employment, Training, Education and Merit, and Universities, said: "The Piedmont Region strongly believes in the valorisation of innovative ideas and the creation of opportunities for young talents, fundamental elements for a dynamic and competitive economy: this is testified by the 5 million euros allocated for 2023/2024, which have enabled 6 of the 10 start-ups that took part in the competition to be supported. The Start Cup Piemonte Valle d'Aosta - financed entirely by the Region - represents a unique opportunity to cultivate ingenuity and promote technological progress. This year's award-winning projects confirm how investment in knowledge and collaboration between institutions, universities and entrepreneurs is the development engine we want for our region, with tangible benefits for both the region and the international research scene. Convincingly supporting innovative start-ups means giving concrete answers to stop the brain drain."
Andrea Tronzano, Piedmont Region's Councillor for Development of Productive Activities, Internationalisation and Investment Attraction, added: "Start Cup means creating, getting involved, promoting an idea and assessing its economic sustainability and realisation. Start Cup means believing in one's own potential and putting it to work for the benefit of the community. Start Cup means enterprise. Twenty editions of Start Cup give the idea of a painstaking attention to an evolving world, to a system that seeks and creates new markets and new proposals. The interaction with incubators and the academic world reinforces a unique potential that we must look at carefully because this is where our future is at stake."
Luigi Bertschy, Vice-President of the Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta with responsibility for Economic Development, Training and Labour, Transport and Sustainable Mobility, emphasised: "The Start Cup award ceremony is a fundamental moment to valorise the commitment of start-ups and to underline the importance of innovation for the economic development of territories. As a region, we are committed to building an ecosystem that is favourable to the birth and growth of new businesses, and this award is one of the actions that we continue to support to confirm this commitment. The synergy with the Piedmont Region on this award confirms our Region's interest and willingness to continue and expand collaborations in order to combine our efforts to support our neighbouring production fabrics, particularly on the issues of research and innovation in the industrial sector."
Candido Pirri, Vice-Chancellor for Model Development and Research Infrastructures, Politecnico di Torino, added: "Innovation and Technology Transfer are priority missions of Politecnico di Torino. Over the years, the University has invested resources in the training of new generations of young entrepreneurs and in their support, including through support for Incubators, the funding of Proof of Concept and access to the University's Research Infrastructures. Events for contextualising and comparing proposals for new business ideas are an essential element in animating the area from the point of view of the creation of new entrepreneurship."
