Italian Lifestyle Acceleration Program

The acceleration path of the 6 startups selected for the third edition of Italian Lifestyle concluded on July 11. After 3 months of intense work with mentors, coaches and program corporate, Baqta, Climate Standars, MeetAlpha, Fody, Albicchiere and Proxima Robotics presented themselves on the stage of the Fondazione CR Firenze Innovation Center Auditorium with their pitches. An exciting moment in which the innovative realities illustrated technological idea and future projects.

Great satisfaction from partners and corporate, confirming the validity of the Italian Lifestyle model, which allows a fruitful contamination between startups and companies, as evidenced by the various collaborations born from the program and continued afterwards.

The third edition of the program officially kicked off on April 11, which will see the six selected startups take part in the 12-week acceleration course in the premises of the Granaio dell'Abbondanza in Florence and culminating with the demoday on July 11.

The 2024 edition confirms the sponsoring partners of the previous ones, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, Fondazione CR Firenze, Nana Bianca, Foundation for Research and Innovation, and corporations Colorobbia, Cisco, Gucci, Ruffino, Starhotels and Sanpellegrino.

The third edition gathered 140 applications, more than half from Italy and as many as 25 percent from Tuscany, a fact that confirms the program's notoriety and attractiveness for local innovative realities.

In the previous two years, Italian Lifestyle has achieved excellent results, demonstrating how open innovation is indeed a winning model for large corporations and startups: €3.9 mln of capital raised to date, more than 100 collaborations launched, more than 100 new jobs generated by accelerated startups.

Here are in detail the startups featured in the third edition of Italian Lifestyle:

BAQTA produces fermented powders with high nutritional and nutraceutical value. Fermentation is used as a technology that can convert substrates into new products by (i) degrading anti-nutritional factors; (ii) increasing antioxidant power; (iii) improving the bioavailability of proteins, minerals, and vitamins; (iv) increasing the production of healthy molecules such as short-chain fatty acids; and (v) selecting specific microorganisms to ensure a healthy microbiota with low incidence of type two diabetes, obesity, and low cholesterol levels.

CLIMATE STANDARD is an Italian innovative startup committed to driving the transition to a zero-emissions future. The company offers an independent verification service for climate neutrality, net-zero strategy and carbon footprint certifications. Verification is based on rigorous global standards such as ISO 14064, ISO 14067 and GHG Protocol

MEETALPHA wants to simplify and enrich the way we connect brands, products and people by removing complexity, re-evaluating the human experience and personal connections, and redefining the meaning of digital tools and experiences for brands.

FODY is a Startup Benefit committed to turning fabric scraps into life-saving blankets, which it donates to shelters for abandoned animals, homeless people and refugees, converting positive impact for people and the environment into value for its partners.

ALBICCHIERE wants to help wine consumers taste in perfect condition and experience it as they would in the winery. Wine needs to be told to be discovered in its fullness, Albicchiere helps to choose the right wine at the right time and discover new products based on each user's personal tasting story

PROXIMA ROBOTICS develops software for mobile robotics in industrial applications. In particular, it offers a complete solution from autonomous navigation of a single robot to integration of multi-brand mobile robots and machinery in complex manufacturing environments.

The call4startup for the third edition of the program dedicated to the search for innovative startups and SMEs offering digital solutions in the tourism, fashion and food sectors is open until 18 February 2024 and will start in Florence on 11 April, to then end with demoday on Juny 11th.

June 22, 2023: the second edition closes amidst successful cases and new perspectives

The second edition of the program ended with the final event of the Demo Day in which partners, startups and local companies participating in the program took turns on stage to sign the conclusion of the 12 weeks of acceleration and to imagine the future of Italian Lifestyle.

A year and a half after its launch, the program has proved to be an excellent choice for attracting talent to the area and for promoting contamination between young technological realities and structured companies, with mutual benefit.

The 6 companies selected this year, Lab go, Quiroom, PopulaRise, Agrobit, HealthyFood, Cyber ​​Evolution, have shown considerable maturity thanks to the path followed and some of them have already started collaborations with partner companies

As far as results are concerned, Italian Lifestyle has so far produced 2.2 million in raised capital and activated 34 commercial relationships with companies in the Florentine area.

Among the collaborations born from the program, we point out the one between Alpitour and Blaster Foundry, startup of the last edition, which developed 3 interactive games for the tourism giant aimed at lead acquisition, the one between Starhotels and Italia Rimborso, of the last edition and Quiroom of this one. We also recall that Sanpellegrino, a company that only joined Italian Lifestyle this year, has shown itself to be very interested in continuing the dialogue with Heathyfood.

Also our Group, thanks to the intermediation of the Innovation Center, has signed a partnership with one of the Italian Lifestyle startups of the '22 edition: it is Rifò, which has launched the circular project "Re-Think Your Jeans", involving various Intesa Sanpaolo offices.

March 14th: kick off of the 2nd edition

The second edition was launched on March 14th 2023, made up of 6 startups that own enabling technologies in the fields of application of Artificial Intelligence, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Blockchain, IoT & 5G, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity and Mobile Apps. These technologies are considered transversal to technology transfer to companies belonging to the driving sectors of the economy of the metropolitan city of Florence (Food, Tourism and Fashion).

The acceleration path lasts 12 weeks, during which startups will have the opportunity to perfect their business models and to work concretely on opportunities for synergistic development with local businesses.

Lab-go is a startup that has created an innovative technology to protect brands, offering a unique certificate of authenticity for the end customer. Lab-go uses a proprietary technology to create unique and dynamic chromatic QR codes, which certify the authenticity of the products, and a covering technology that preserves the integrity of the identification code. To obtain the certificate, a camera is sufficient to scan the unique code associated with the product. Once the authenticity has been certified, the user can access digital assets (NFT and Metaverse), exclusive contents and promotions through customizable ads managed directly by the Lab-go platform.

HealthyFood is a food-tech startup that aims to meet different dietary needs through a platform that allows people with special dietary needs to easily and quickly locate a restaurant that respects their nutritional needs. HealthyFood uses a patented technology that is able to break down a dish into ingredients and list all the allergens, nutritional values and environmental impact that restaurants need to manage menus, orders and reservations based on specific customer needs. The free MyCia app allows the user to create his own "Food Identity Card" and give him back all the restaurants that meet his requirements.

Agrobit is an innovative startup that helps optimize agricultural production by reducing the use of chemicals thanks to drones, sensors, 3D models and algorithms, in order to achieve the objectives of environmental, social and economic sustainability. The main product of Agrobit is a mobile app (iAgro): through a photographic scan of a portion of a row or a tree via smartphone or tablet, the app creates a 3D model of the plant (digital twin) and through an algorithm provides to the user information on the characteristics of the plant and its optimal doses of water and crop protection products.

PopulaRise is a startup that operates in the influencer marketing sector (but without influencers, as its payoff states). The proprietary platform of PopulaRise offers companies the possibility to create structured marketing campaigns through collaboration with vertical communities in the sectors, automating each activity through artificial intelligence. Once the campaign has been set up, the artificial intelligence selects the communities best suited to the Brand's needs and monitors the progress and results in real time, thanks to advanced targeting and geolocation systems.

Cyber Evolution is a cyber security startup that has developed and patented LECS, a Plug & Play security device capable of protecting any LAN network, Cloud infrastructure and industrial plants from the most dangerous cyber attacks and threats. LECS technology is based on three Machine Learning algorithms that perform a classification of network traffic anomalies, acting with countermeasures and targeted responses in cases of critical threats. The technology built in this way makes it possible to keep implementation, installation and maintenance costs low.

Quiroom is an online booking portal that allows hotels to be able to sell unsold hotel rooms last minute. Travelers have the option to purchase vacant rooms close to check-in (starting 72 hours before) with discounts of up to 40%. Quiroom's mission is to give people the opportunity to spend less and travel more, increasing the occupancy rate and hotel revenues, also thanks to the sale of extra services and experiences. The Quiroom app allows you to know exactly and in real time the rooms that have remained unsold and the discount applied which can increase close to check-in.

Demo Day on 28 June marked the close of the first edition of Italian Lifestyle, the accelerator which started on 15 March and which introduced 6 innovative startups to a selection of important Italian companies. The startups, operating in the food&wine, fashion and tourism sectors, were all set up and operate in Italy.

 Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, promotor of the initiative together with Fondazione CR Firenze, Nana Bianca e Fondazione per la Ricerca e l’Innovazione dell’Università di Firenze, continues its activity of ecosystem growth support by focusing on lifestyle and innovation in the Tuscan regional capital.  The recently concluded edition is the first of a three-year program. 

The aim of Italian Lifestyle, which from the outset has proved to be extremely attractive, receiving over 200 candidate applications, is that of supporting startup growth and networking among relevant companies, in particular with the 8 large companies already signed up to the program: Gucci, Pitti Immagine, Alpitour, Starhotels, Ruffino, Cisco e Colorobbia.   

Rifò presents its innovative solution to manage the phenomenon of overproduction and overconsumption in the clothing sector in a sustainable and virtuous way, through the collection of fabric waste and its transformation into new clothes. 

Blaster Foundry is a gaming agency which improves company engagement with its audience, creating experiences which involve users, bringing them closer to the brand. They work with different platforms and formats inside the various social ecosystems and develop customized gaming solutions. 

Calton offers a solution to listen to customers’ voices with a feedback collection and analysis process. The Calton CX platform (Customer Experience) and ORM (Online Reputation Management) include monitoring, generation and management of reviews, customer surveys, customized company queries, competitive benchmarks and AI (Artificial Intelligence) which allow thousands of reviews to be text-analyzed in a few seconds.

Dotzero a Florentine startup which has created a 100% recyclable trainer, using wood scraps from which bioplastics can be obtained. 

Dresso is a social network whose goal is to transform the purchasing process into a social and responsible experience, promoting interactions between people using blockchain technology. Each product available on the app has its own digital certificate of authenticity. 

Italia Rimborso operates in the field of refunds and  compensation due to airline disruptions in favor of passengers in the case of flight delays, flight cancellations, overbookings, lost, damaged or late luggage. It has permitted passengers to receive over two and a half million euros in the last two years of its operation.