Innovation
B Heroes 2021: the innovation business talent finals
B Heroes, the innovation business talent has come to an end. Our commitment to supporting new entrepreneurs.
The fourth edition of the program and the final event
The 16 finalist startups have been proclaimed and the five innovative companies that have stood out during this edition have been announced, winning a one million euro total investment by B Heroes and B Holding.
The startups that will access the investment programmes are:
- Barberino’s (Milan), a chain of Italian-style barber salons that transforms the experience into a moment of well-being to be enjoyed;
- Gioielleria Italiana (Savona), operates in the precious jewellery B2B sector and has set up an online configurator to allow jewellers to customise all the features of a line of precious jewels by choosing from over 120,000 unique items;
- Meeters (Verona), a leisure community to meet new people by organising daily group activities or trips and weekends;
- Contents.com (Milan), develops an artificial intelligence algorithm to automatically create content for any kind of business;
- Prometheus (Modena), which manufactures medical and regenerative medicine devices, in particular a technological plaster that halves the healing time of wounds.
The 16 finalist startups will also have access to Intesa Sanpaolo’s ELITE Lounge dedicated to B Heroes, which is scheduled to be launched in September.
Nativa’s special recognition for the best startup in terms of creating a positive environmental and social impact was awarded to Biova (Turin), which brews beer from unsold bread.
The importance of mentorship for startuppers
In this podcast series, Alberto Mattiello, technology and business innovation expert, takes us on a journey to discover some of the startups that took part in the B Heroes acceleration programme.
Each episode provides interesting insights into the stories and lessons learned during this experience. Let us listen to the story straight from its protagonists: startuppers and mentors.
Images of the 2021 Final
Intesa Sanpaolo for innovation in SMEs
Intesa Sanpaolo – together with Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, centre of excellence with a mission to analyse new business models to encourage the competitiveness of the Group and its customers - once again confirms its attention and strategy in support of new Italian business initiatives.
The entrepreneurs’ initiative will play a big part in the recovery of our economy and we, as ideal partners to guide startups and SMEs along the way, will continue to support their projects with investments, new credit and also with non-financial advisory tools.
The collaboration with B Heroes for the fourth consecutive year is a testament to the Group’s commitment to launching innovation processes and telling the success stories behind the projects with the most value and potential.
We cover 26% of the innovative startup market and, also in line with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, we will devote even more efforts to support new entrepreneurship. In a period like the one we are experiencing, we are proud to be able to offer our collaboration to a few selected new businesses and to include them, together with our partner Elite - Borsa Italiana Group, in the second Lounge dedicated to B Heroes startups with the aim of guiding them through training courses, size expansion, generational change and opening up to the capital market.
Anna Roscio, Executive Director Enterprises Sales & Marketing Department at Intesa Sanpaolo
Supporting startups in relaunching their businesses in new markets also contributes towards implementing one of the pillars of "Motore Italia", the programme launched by Intesa Sanpaolo that makes 50 billion euro of new credit available to businesses for liquidity and investments in the sustainable and digital transition.
An acceleration process guided by leading companies
The selection of the companies participating in the fourth edition was a journey from north to south in the world of innovative Italian entrepreneurship. From augmented reality in medicine to the transformation of food waste; from the use of artificial intelligence to drones for heavy vehicles. After the selection phase carried out with the collaboration of the knowledge partner McKinsey & Company, the selected startups undertake the acceleration process with partners that are leading companies in their respective sectors: Amazon Web Services, Cariplo Factory + Tech Italy Advocates, Doorway, Energy in Organization, Google, Gruppo Galgano, Gummy Industries, Invitalia, Nativa, Pirola Pennuto Zei & Associati and Scuola Holden.
This journey will be narrated in a docufilm scheduled to be broadcast in September on SKY and NOW.
Last updated 27 March 2022
