The Global Start Up Program by ICE concludes in Milan
The 2024 winner has been announced: it is Relicta, a startup that was already featured in the 2022 edition of Terra Next
On December 17th, at the Milan Stock Exchange and as part of the SIOS Winter 2024 event, the closing event of the 5th edition of the Global Startup Program (GSUP) by ICE Agency took place, coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, along with Intesa Sanpaolo and other players in the Italian innovation sector, is a partner of the initiative. The Global Startup Program is an integrated international development program lasting about one month, organized by ICE and reserved for 70 innovative Italian startups with potential for growth abroad. It involves the collaboration of six accelerator partners for each of the six international destinations.
The 2024 edition of the Global Startup Program saw over 120 startups apply. Innovation Center nominated and facilitated the participation of 7 startups from its network, three of which belong to its portfolio (Pinpoint, Cylock, and Rhytema). The top 60 startups were selected to participate in four-week acceleration paths in six strategic cities: Berlin, London, Paris, Los Angeles, New York, and Singapore. The 12 best startups – two from each of the six locations that hosted the program – had the opportunity to present their projects at SIOS in a dedicated session before an international jury and audience.
At the end of the day, the Global Startup Program 2024 Special Award was presented: the winner is Relicta, a Sardinian-based startup that has developed a sustainable, water-soluble plastic material made from fish processing waste. This innovation provides the market with an eco-friendly alternative to reduce environmental pollution, especially ocean pollution. Relicta is a startup known to Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center because it participated in the first edition of Terra Next, the bioeconomy accelerator based in Naples.
The startup won participation in the ICE collective at Viva Technology 2025 in Paris, as well as a €2,000 voucher offered by WeRoad, valid for experiences around the world.
With the Global Startup Program, ICE Agency continues to support Italian startups, confirming its strategic role in innovation by offering a growth path in synergy with the best international accelerators. Over 250 innovative young businesses have participated in five editions of the program.
