A major player in promoting Italy’s start-up ecosystem and connecting it with the region’s entrepreneurs and investors, the Italian pavilion organized by Italian Trade Agency (ITA), in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy to the United Arab Emirates, returned this year to GITEX with 20 creative startups featuring innovations in Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Contactless Technology and customized solutions for Hospitality, Healthcare and Agriculture sectors.
The Italian pavilion at GITEX Future Stars was officially opened by Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the United Arab Emirates; Giuseppe Finocchiaro, Consul General of Italy in Dubai; and, Amedeo Scarpa, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE and Director of ITA Dubai Office for the UAE.
The rich programme of events and pitch presentations, organized by ITA in the Italian pavilion, started with the “Italian Startup Competition”, a live pitch session where the Italian startups competed amongst each other, presenting their projects in front of select local investors and, judged by a highly qualified jury chaired by Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE; and composed of Roberto Croci, Managing Director Microsoft for Startups; Fatma Elsafty, Blockchain Manager, Du; Jorge Sebastiao, CEO Global Blockchain Organization; and, several others. Sanycar, an Italian company specialized in disinfection systems, won the competition.
Three Italian startups – Dilun, Kemanji and Tolemaica – are in the semifinals of the Supernova Challenge by Gitex Future Stars. The winners will be announced on the last day of GITEX Future Stars.
Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the United Arab Emirates, says: “GITEX 2020 this year takes place amidst a challenging time for the global economy as it strives to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected many sectors. Participating in GITEX Future Stars shows the strength and commitment of Italy’s start-up sector to move forward, it is a testimony to our ability to innovate and it is also an occasion to strengthen our economic relations with the region in high-tech sectors. This complements our initiatives like InnovItalyUAE to explore opportunities for cooperation in innovation between Italy and the UAE in key sectors like cybersecurity, smart cities and life science.”
Visitors to the Italian pavilion can experience innovative technologies such as wearables for contact-tracing and social-distancing, blockchain solutions in the agricultural, food and textile sectors, Big Data solutions that understand human language and transforms it in data requests, applications for healthcare sector and advancements in Augmented Reality, and more.
According to Amedeo Scarpa, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE and Director of ITA Dubai Office for the UAE: “Technology companies are today an important part of every country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. In Italy, the number of innovative start-ups reached 11,500 as of July 2020. It is no longer uncommon to hear of technology start-ups achieving unicorn status and, breaking barriers and transforming the way we live and do business, through their groundbreaking solutions. Despite the difficult situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Italian pavilion doubled in terms of numbers of participants, showing that Italy is ready to do business again. The 20 companies participating in our pavilion showcase a wide spectrum of technologies ranging from ICT to Healthcare, Smart City and Agritech and, they are here to explore partnerships and share knowledge with their peers and to explore greater opportunities for growth. The Italian Trade Agency plays a vital role in establishing and expanding the footprint of Italian firms; and GITEX Future Stars is a platform for tech start-ups from Italy to explore more opportunities in the region’s thriving technology sector. Follow us on social media every day: @ITADubai”
The Italian pavilion is in Sheikh Rashid Hall, stand SR-04, Dubai World Trade Centre from December 6-9, 2020.