Italian Trade Agency (ITA) has selected 20 innovative SMEs from Italy’s booming start-up sector to showcase their unique solutions at GITEX Future Stars 2020. As a nation with a history of innovation and creativity led by masters such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Italians have a unique sense to match innovation with solutions that make life better, and this sensibility has extended into the technology sector, making Italy a fast-growing technology hub in Europe. Participating for the third time at GITEX Future Stars, this year the Italian pavilion has almost doubled in size and the number of participants now stands at 20, compared to 10 companies that participated last year.
Technology highlights at the Italian pavilion include blockchain solutions to solve the issues of counterfeit products, use of Artificial Intelligence to complement personal services in the HORECA sector, Semantic Web and Sentiment Analysis digital solutions, platform to expedite “Digital Transformation” in healthcare applications, solutions for vertical gardens, Smart Farming solutions and contact-tracing and social-distancing systems; and more.
Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the United Arab Emirates, says: “Thanks also to a very advanced regulatory framework to promote the establishment and growth of new innovative enterprises with a high technological value, the number of Italian start-up companies has boomed over the years, with 11,500 start-ups registered in Italy as of July 2020. Despite these difficult times, we are therefore happy to bring to GITEX Future Stars, a number of Italian start-ups who are keen to present their innovative solutions to an inspiring ecosystem of companies, active investors, venture capitalists and visitors from over 60 countries.”
According to Amedeo Scarpa, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE and Director of ITA: “Italy is a country with a tradition of innovation, historically supported by industries like automotive and fashion, but we also have a fast-growing tech ecosystem. With the onset of the pandemic, the importance of technology in keeping us all safe and connected with minimal disruption to work, has become more evident than ever. Italy started pursuing a strategy of digitalization when the pandemic struck, offering several rounds of stimulus for the technology sector this year. Technology is the future and, not by chance, 18% of new Italian start-ups are founded by under 35. At the Italian pavilion in GITEX Future Stars, visitors will get a true picture of the new Italian Leonardos and their creative and innovative tech solutions.
