A "natural" interior light wins Trentino Startup Valley. The startcup finals are underway

The startup AlGify was awarded the title of most promising startup in the fourth edition of Trentino Startup Valley, a support program for new innovative business ideas organized by Trentino Sviluppo and the HIT Foundation - Trentino Innovation Hub. AlGify, together with B2labtech and MISS which ranked second and third respectively, got the opportunity to compete for the National Innovation Award.

During the final event, the 13 high-tech entrepreneurial ideas that took part in the last edition of the path connected to the National Innovation Award challenged each other in front of an audience of over one hundred entrepreneurs, researchers and investors. From today, a new phase of the program called "Validation" begins for them, which will last for eight months. The objective will be to test their products or services on the market, and will conclude with the awarding of the best proposals, who will receive a cash prize for a total of 130,000 euros.

The innovative technologies

AlGify proposes an innovative technology based on alginate hydrogel, a highly sustainable and available natural material. These hydrogels are useful for cell growth in three-dimensional cultures, and have customizable chemical and mechanical characteristics. The project was born from the ideas of Annalisa Tirella and Eugenia Spessot, researchers at the BIOtech Research Center of the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Trento, with the close collaboration of Giulia Fredi and Davide Perin, researchers of the same department.

In second place was classified B2 Labtech, which, through the remote aggregation of data acquired in real time, is able to recreate the natural lighting of daylight in indoor environments, reducing the light stress caused by the difference in color between artificial and solar lighting.

In third place went MISS (Multi Integrated Ski System) with its revolutionary system that transforms the practice of ski mountaineering, eliminating the use of climbing skins and developing an integrated ski. The top three finishers will have the opportunity to compete for the National Innovation Award, which will be held at the end of 2023.

Sustainability and man at the centre

What unites the new innovative business projects was the centrality of the human element and a particular attention to the themes of the environment and nature. The participants were applauded by the Provincial Councilor for Economic Development, Research and Employment, Achille Spinelli, who recalled in his greeting: «The Province of Trento has been investing in startups for years now.

Since 2019, this path has received new life thanks to the birth of the Trentino Startup Valley program which has seen a succession of 179 participants, while over 500 highly specialized people have found work in an innovative startup in Trentino. The invitation is to keep an eye on the various announcements and use the opportunities offered by our business and research system, for example those linked to the use of laboratories and training courses».

Ecommerce

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by Archangel Rociola

May 20, 2023

What are startups: stories of innovation in universities

Start Cups are competitions between startups organized by Italian universities and university incubators, usually promoted by the regions, which encourage the creation of new high-potential companies, born, hosted or linked by collaboration relationships with universities and their incubators.

The aim is to spread the culture of innovation within the university context, encouraging and supporting the birth and development of new businesses, to promote the economic development of the territory.

To participate in the Start Cup are early stage startups born within universities or their incubators, which are focused on one of these areas: innovative products and/or services to improve people's health (life science); innovative products and/or services in the field of information technologies and new media: e-commerce, social media, mobile, gaming (Ict);

innovations in the field of energy and environmental sustainability (Cleantech & Energy); innovative products and/or services for industrial productions.

What you win

The innovative companies that win each startcup compete every year for the National Innovation Award. PNICube is the Italian body that brings together universities, academic incubators and regional Start Cups. Its foundation dates back to 2004, with the aim of promoting entrepreneurship deriving from scientific research, favoring the creation and development of companies with a high level of knowledge and social impact.

Currently, PNICube has 53 members including universities, academic incubators and other organizations that promote innovation and entrepreneurship. These members are distributed in 17 Italian regions and are involved in 16 regional Start Cups, Business Plan competitions at the local level. This path promotes innovative entrepreneurship at a national level, involving researchers and university students. During its 20 years of activity, the PNICube network has selected and supported the market entry of 964 innovative startups, with an average of 50 per year.

Success cases

Among the participants and the winners of the past editions there are also several success stories. Lanieri, e-commerce of "made to measure" men's clothing, had won the 2016 Piedmont StartCup Award and then grew and was acquired a few years ago by the Reda wool mill.

Many years ago also Electro Power Systems, a company operating in the sector of hydrogen fuel cell systems for energy backup applications born within I3P, the incubator of innovative startups of the Polytechnic of Turin, had visnto PNICube. This happened before it was acquired by the French multi-utility Engie, which in turn sold it to Tcc a couple of years ago.