Intesa Sanpaolo supports the dialogue on innovation
between Italy and Germany

• The Bank is a key player in supporting the circular economy

• Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center brings two start-ups focused on mobility to the German-Italian Innovation Conference

Berlin, 20/21 November 2018 - For the second year running, Intesa Sanpaolo is supporting the German-Italian Innovation Conference which is being held today and tomorrow in Berlin.

Made possible by the collaboration between the Italian Embassy, ICE (the Italian government agency which promotes trade and the international expansion of Italian companies) and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Germany, the initiative aims to encourage investment and collaboration between the two countries, particularly in the field of innovation.

After having dedicated the last edition to Industry 4.0, this year the German-Italian Innovation Conference focuses on the digitization of the public sector, comparing the Three-Year Plan for Information Technology for the Italian Public Administration and Germany's Digital Strategy 2025, two different programs which share many common elements from which valuable collaborations between Rome and Berlin can be drawn.

"With over 90,000 employees in 4,400 branches in Italy serving about 12 million customers, Intesa Sanpaolo has the potential and wishes to become a leading player in supporting the digitization of the country, encouraging the acceleration of the transformation of the production system towards Industry 4.0, and the support of the industrial ecosystem in its transition towards the circular economy" - declared Filippo Vecchio, Head of Identity, Communication and Innovation Culture of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center during the panel discussion 'The digital transformation of Europe and the challenge of fostering innovative ecosystems: policy and business perspectives', held today at the Italian Embassy.

"Intesa Sanpaolo is the only bank in Italy and one of the three in Europe to have a specific unit, which has now become an independent company, that is dedicated exclusively to innovation. Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center's mission is to explore the business models of the future, to identify and support high potential start-ups, and to promote the most innovative companies so that they can drive the country's development. Therefore, we have a wealth of experience and a widespread presence throughout Italy that we can, and want to make available not only to the corporate world but also to the Public Administration by bringing together the various players in the innovation ecosystem", explained Vecchio.

At the Berlin Conference, more than 60 speakers and 300 participant companies will have the opportunity to discuss possible partnerships aimed at fostering innovation in four key areas of Public Administration: Smart Digital Content, Healthcare, Education and Smart Mobility.

For the occasion, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center introduced two Italian start-ups which, through their projects, intend to revolutionise mobility in large cities: Blubrake - finalist of the BHeroes acceleration programme, promoted by lm Foundation in collaboration with the Bank - and CargUp.

• Blubrake. Urban mobility is striving to become progressively lighter and more electric, and e-bikes will play a vital role in the transport revolution that has already begun to change our cities. The e-bike market is growing by 10% a year globally, but the number of accidents involving e-bikers is also increasing, especially during braking. Blubrake has developed an anti-lock and anti-tip device for electric bicycles, using miniaturized mechatronic technology derived from Formula 1.

• CargUp. Thanks to CargUp, shippers can submit transport requests and receive quotes from couriers in just a few clicks via the online platform, thus saving time and money. With a single click, companies can assign shipments to their drivers or start a competitive bidding process between them or other reputable carriers selected by CargUp. Couriers receive all transport orders or compatible requests directly on their smartphones. In just a few minutes, CargUp can fulfil the transport supply and demand by providing a paperless process and eliminating the need to make phone calls.

 

Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center
 
Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center is the company of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group dedicated to the world of innovation. The company invests in applied research projects and high potential start-ups, to encourage the Group's and its customers' competitiveness, and also boost the development of the circular economy in Italy.
With offices in the Turin skyscraper designed by Renzo Piano, and a national and international network of hubs and laboratories, the Innovation Center is a driver enabling relationships with other stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem – such as companies, start-ups, incubators, research centres and universities – and is also a promoter of new forms of entrepreneurship to access venture capital.
Three main activities are the focus of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center’s work: the circular economy, Sviluppo Startup (Startup Development) and Neva Finventures.
 
The circular economy. Intesa Sanpaolo is one of the most sustainable banks in the world, featuring in all the leading sustainability indices. Within the Innovation Center, this background and the strong drive towards innovation form the basis of a commitment to the circular economy, a new model aimed at decoupling economic development from the exploitation of finite natural resources, as well as redesigning the industrial system.
Since 2015, Intesa Sanpaolo has been the financial services global partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a world-leading organisation in accelerating the transition to the circular economy, and in 2018 it worked alongside Fondazione Cariplo in creating the first Italian circular economy laboratory in Milan dedicated to encouraging open innovation projects for businesses and start-ups.
Intesa Sanpaolo wishes to encourage the transition of businesses and consumers to the new circular model, concentrating on a widespread presence in Italy and a systemic impact. With this in mind, in the 2018-2021 Business Plan Intesa Sanpaolo set up a 5-billion-euro ceiling to support companies that adopt the circular economy in innovative ways, granting the best credit access terms.
 
Sviluppo Startup. A comprehensive programme of financial products and services to assist Italian start-ups, that aims to support their growth and the development of relationships with potential investors and industrial partners.
The programme consists of Startup Initiatives, opportunities to meet and shares ideas with international big players in new technologies, investors and business partners, that are organised by Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center in Italy and abroad. In ten years, 117 Startup Initiatives have been held in Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the United States, Israel, Hong Kong and Dubai, allowing 870 start-ups to meet with around 10,700 investors, businesses and operators in the field of innovation, and raising funds of more than 142 million euro. Thanks to the cooperation with the hub branches of Intesa Sanpaolo in London, New York, Hong Kong and Dubai, the Innovation Center aims to accompany many more innovative Italian businesses across the world, so that they can grow and give new impetus to Italy's economic development.

Neva Finventures. The corporate venture capital vehicle of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, focused on investments in start-ups in open banking and the circular economy, with the goal of investing in high potential companies to support the development of the Group and the growth of the circular economy in Italy.
Among the top global investments are: the entry into R3, the largest global consortium of financial institutions that collaborates in testing the use of blockchain solutions; the entry into the German corporate venture fund Rocket Internet Capital Partners; and the entry into iwoca, a UK-based fintech company specialising in loans to SMEs with turnovers of up to 5 million euro. In addition to these, other major transactions will take place, to be announced over the next few weeks.

INTESA SANPAOLO
Media Relations
Corporate & Investment Banking and International Media
T: +39 02 879 67504
stampa@intesasanpaolo.com