PRESS RELEASE

INTESA SANPAOLO ACCOMPANIES ITALIAN BUSINESSES TO ISRAEL
IN SEARCH OF TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

• Launch of the Israel Innovation Tour - a mission for 11 ‘made in Italy’ businesses that focus on internationalisation and innovation
• Collaboration project with the Israel-Italy Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  

Tel Aviv, 7 March 2019 - An internationalisation and innovation mission for Italian businesses interested in exploring the Israeli technology market. Currently taking place in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the Israel Innovation Tour project supports business customers of the Banca dei Territori Division of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group in their quest to find and develop new innovative solutions. The project is the brainchild of the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, in collaboration with the Israel-Italy Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The aim of the initiative is to create new synergies between tech companies in Israel, through different forms of partnership, both financial and technological.

For years, Israel has been considered the most innovative country in the world. It tops the global rankings for both startups pro capita and patents developed, with investments in research and development representing 4.1% of GDP. The Country is also well known for its strong ability to attract foreign capital (around 47% against a European average of 9%): in 2018 alone, Israeli startups attracted investments worth approx. 6.1 billion dollars.

A number of events are planned for the Italian delegation of 11 businesses, which are active in several sectors, including meetings with innovative businesses interested in potential partnerships and attendance at the OurCrowd Global Investor Summit 2019 - an international event organised by the equity crowdfunding platform of the same name, which, from its launch, has collected over 900 million dollars, with 170 investments in startups and 26 exits. The summit will be attended by over 1000 international investors, 550 multinationals, representing more than 120 Countries, and 460 venture capitalists.
During the summit, to be held in the Italian Pavilion sponsored by the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, the companies will have the opportunity to pitch their business and meet potential international partners and investors.

“With a view to promoting innovation – stated Mario Costantini, General Manager of the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center - we believe it is strategic to facilitate the trade exchange network between Italian tech companies and the most developed innovating ecosystems of the world. We are confident that sharing assets and expertise will open up business and development opportunities that are able to support the Open Innovation strategies of our customers, especially in areas with such a strong tech industry like Israel. Intesa Sanpaolo customers have a privileged access to the innovating ecosystems with the support of a professional assistance on the search of innovative solutions, internationalization and investments in innovation".

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Since establishing its Innovation Center, Intesa Sanpaolo has launched a number of projects in Israel. To date, there are numerous ongoing collaborations with the main Italian institutions based in the Country, including the recent business acceleration and funding program for young Italian startups in Israel, in collaboration with the Italian Embassy. Partnerships include those with the OurCrowd platform and with the startup accelerator The Floor.

For further information
INTESA SANPAOLO
Media Relations - Corporate & Investment Banking and International Media
Tel. +390287962052
stampa@intesasanpaolo.com