Intesa Sanpaolo leads Silicon Valley mission for Italian aerospace SMEs
7 September 2026
Intesa Sanpaolo is strengthening its commitment to the international growth of Italian businesses through a dedicated US mission involving 12 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Italy’s aerospace supply chain, selected in collaboration with INNOVIT, the Italian Innovation and Culture Hub in San Francisco.
Taking place in Silicon Valley, the initiative provides participating companies with opportunities for training, networking and business development, helping them engage with international investors, industry leaders and potential strategic partners.
The mission also marks the launch of Connecting Markets, a new digital platform developed by Intesa Sanpaolo to help SMEs identify business opportunities and commercial partners across more than 170 countries worldwide.
“We have always been the bank of reference for SMEs, and this is also true for the aerospace supply chain, which has grown out of our regions and industrial districts to pursue ambitious goals, including in the United States and Silicon Valley, a cradle of innovation and a source of many opportunities, as we have demonstrated through our work over the years.
Our role is to identify new opportunities with these companies to help them grow internationally and to develop new tools to support them in their industrial projects, partnerships with new investors and achievements that are cultural as well as economic”
Stefano Barrese, Head of Intesa Sanpaolo's Banca dei Territori Division
The initiative is part of Intesa Sanpaolo’s broader strategy to support the international competitiveness of Italy’s productive system and provide SMEs with the tools needed to compete globally.
Since 2020, the Bank has provided more than €141 billion in financing to Italian SMEs, including €12 billion dedicated to internationalization and exports, and €14 billion for extraordinary finance transactions such as acquisitions, mergers and equity investments.
“We are also working to launch a series of partnerships with other leading banking institutions across different geographies. India and Brazil, in particular, can represent significant growth opportunities for Italian small and medium-sized enterprises. These agreements are aimed at strengthening customer loyalty by providing our clients with an additional channel on the banking side”
Stefano Barrese, Head of Intesa Sanpaolo's Banca dei Territori Division
Connecting Markets: a new platform for international business matching
During the mission, Intesa Sanpaolo unveiled Connecting Markets, a new AI-powered platform designed to support Italian SMEs in identifying new trade routes and business partners worldwide.
The platform gives Intesa Sanpaolo clients access to information on more than 560 million companies, operating across over 2,000 industry sectors in more than 170 countries.
Through Connecting Markets, companies can:
- identify international industrial and commercial partners
- find potential suppliers and supply chain operators
- explore acquisition and collaboration opportunities
- diversify export destinations and growth markets.
The platform combines global business intelligence with Intesa Sanpaolo’s specialist advisory services and international network.
The aerospace SMEs participating in the Silicon Valley mission
The participating companies come from some of Italy’s leading industrial regions and operate across the Space Economy, Aerospace, Security and Robotics sectors:
- ALI (Naples)
- APR (Turin)
- Bercella (Parma)
- Bisiach & Carrù (Turin)
- Bright Solutions (Pavia)
- Cospal Composites (Bergamo)
- Curti (Ravenna)
- Dino Paoli (Reggio Emilia)
- Leas (Padua)
- Netgroup (Naples)
- Novation Tech (Treviso)
- SAB Aerospace (Benevento)
During the mission, the companies are taking part in meetings with key players in the US space industry, technology-focused workshops, sessions with the Silicon Valley innovation ecosystem, and direct discussions with investors and potential industrial partners.
Intesa Sanpaolo’s Commitment to the Aerospace Sector
Aerospace is one of the highest-growth sectors of the European economy and a strategic industry for Italy’s industrial system.
To date, Intesa Sanpaolo has supported more than 500 Italian aerospace SMEs through financing exceeding €1 billion and was the first European commercial bank to join the ESA Investor Network.
In July 2026, the Bank also signed an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Space Agency (ESA), which will make available up to €300 million in new financing for SME investments through dedicated European resources and guarantee instruments.
Silicon Valley missions in partnership with INNOVIT
This mission is the third initiative organized by Intesa Sanpaolo in Silicon Valley as part of its collaboration with INNOVIT, the Italian Innovation and Culture Hub in San Francisco.
An institutional initiative promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, through the Italian Trade Agency (ITA/ICE), INNOVIT has helped create a network of international relationships connecting Italian companies with strategic US organizations, innovation ecosystems and business partners.
Related items:
Last updated 7 September 2026 at 10:35:42
