Terra Next: the second acceleration program on the bioeconomy concluded with the Demo Day
In the Auditorium of the San Giovanni a Teduccio campus in Naples, at 7 the selected startups presented themselves to investors and companies
Great participation on October 10th, live and streaming, for the Demo Day of Terra Next, the acceleration program for startups and innovative SMEs operating in the bioeconomy sector. This year the Terra Next Demo Day took place in connection with the BIAT - Innovation and High Technology Exchange, scheduled in Naples, from 11 to 13 October, precisely where the Terra Next acceleration process takes place. BIAT is an initiative of ICE - Agency for the promotion abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies, in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center. Two days of meetings between partners, foreign investors and innovative projects presented by Italian companies in which Terra Next startups will also take part.
Back to the Demo Day, the champion innovative companies have completed a long journey before reaching this goal: they have passed an initial selection phase by the Terra Next evaluation commission (made up of promoters, advisory boards and corporate partners involved), have benefited of a total initial investment of over 750 thousand euros and took part in a 3-month course based in Naples, at the San Giovanni a Teduccio Campus of the Federico II University, during which they had the opportunity to grow through mentorship , training, networking and frontal in-depth moments dedicated to the consolidation of the value proposition and the business model, the technical validation and prototyping of solutions, go-to-market support and fundraising. The best teams will also have access to further follow-on investment, for a total of 1 million euros, already allocated by the promoters.
The 7 startups protagonists of the Terra Next DemoDay, Circular Fiber, Coffeefrom, FlavoLife, Isuschem, Kinsect, Lebiu and Real Bowl, have created eco-sustainable solutions to use waste from the food industries and beyond (coffee, artichoke, waste oil and cork), but also solutions that allow people to age better, or again, they have produced a line of fresh dog food.
A day of networking, meetings with partners and startup pitches
The morning of the Demo Day, full of events, saw alternating greetings and institutional interventions such as those from Guido Giordano, Partner - Fondo Acceleratori at CDP Venture Capital SGR - Fondo Nazionale Innovazione, Giuseppe Nargi, Regional Director of Campania, Calabria and Sicily of Intesa Sanpaolo and Andrea Beretta, Head of Startup&/Investment by Cariplo Factory and the pitches of the startups, which were able to show investors and the public the maturation and progress that occurred during the acceleration months.
The second part of the day engaged the startups in networking meetings with companies and potential investors.
Terra Next is a CDP Venture Capital initiative and sees the participation of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center as co-creator and promoter and the support of Cariplo Factory, which operationally manages the program. The accelerator also involves institutional and scientific partners, such as the Federico II University of Naples, the Fondazione con il Sud, the Campania Digital Innovation Hub, the Italian Cluster of Circular Bioeconomy SPRING, the deep tech innovation center Materias, the S.R.M. study center - Studies and Research for the South. Terra Next also involves the corporate partners Pastificio Garofalo (core partner), Getra Group, Nestlé Group and Novamont, who provide their contribution in terms of know-how, assets and networks for the development of the startups. Finally, Aristea, Nolanplastica, Selepack and Tecno are members of Terra Next. Precisely thanks to the collaboration of these partners, the selected startups will be able to create synergies with industrial entities in the bioeconomy sector, already an excellence of Made in Italy.
Support for innovation ecosystems and supply chains of the future
Intesa Sanpaolo, through the activities of the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, continues its commitment to creating value in the area and growing business and
“The role of our bank is also to stimulate the growth of entrepreneurial realities, in addition to financial support for families and businesses in the area which remains our main mission – underlined Giuseppe Nargi, Regional Director of Campania, Calabria and Sicily of Intesa Sanpaolo – Our Group has always focused on innovation as a strategic lever for the development of the southern economy and is once again committed to supporting investments in cutting-edge projects in the South". “Bioeconomy, regenerative agriculture and innovation are among the pillars of the new economy of the South and the Terra Next project was born right in Naples, a program - concluded Nargi - which is part of the numerous activities that we carry out in Southern Italy with institutions, incubators and businesses that have the aim of creating added value for the entire territory on which they work'".
