INTESA SANPAOLO: MISSION IN SILICON VALLEY WITH 12 ITALIAN ENTREPRENEURIAL EXCELLENCIES

EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMME DESTINED TO BOOST “MADE IN ITALY” THANKS TO THE COLLABORATION WITH INNOVIT

• One-of-a-kind mission for Italian companies, aiming to develop opportunities for training, opening to capital and meeting potential investors
• In San Francisco, 12 SMEs chosen as part of “Imprese Vincenti”, the Banca dei Territori Division programme that has accelerated the growth path of more than 650 companies since 2019
• Since 2020, the Group has provided €11 billion to Italian SMEs for export and globalisation

San Francisco (USA), 4 September 2025 - Intesa Sanpaolo accompanies and interprets the new growth strategies of SMEs in this phase of global transformation. An exclusive mission to the United States for Italian companies takes place in San Francisco, where the Banca dei Territori Division headed by Stefano Barrese, in collaboration with Institutional Relations, the international network and the Group’s IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division, promotes a programme of meetings and training in Silicon Valley for 12 SME champions of “Made in Italy” and confirms itself as the bank of reference for SMEs aiming to develop industrial and strategic relations abroad and in the USA.

A path of in-depth analysis and contact with the very best productive and innovative realities of the west coast, realised in collaboration with INNOVIT (Italian Innovation and Culture Hub) in San Francisco, the technological heart of California, to present Italian productive excellence and offer a significant opportunity for growth in the USA to the selected SMEs, which with an average of 150 employees and €40 million annual turnover ideally represent the Italian productive fabric and the typical requirements of the medium-sized enterprise.

The first US mission organised by Intesa Sanpaolo for some of Italy's best medium-sized companies is a true one-of-a-kind and represents a further step in the commitment to their competitiveness carried out by the banking group led by CEO Carlo Messina. This strategic activity - which is the result of the synergy between the Group's Divisions and the network of relationships abroad that Intesa Sanpaolo has been able to build with institutions and business communities - is part of a wide-ranging and articulated plan to accompany the international growth of Italian companies, but also to open up capital to foreign investors and identify established markets. Indeed, M&As, necessary to implement company size and compete on an international scale, are also growing for SMEs, which the Bank supports through a structure created to foster synergies and dedicated to Corporate Finance, combining the Bank's in-depth knowledge of the entrepreneurial fabric of Banca dei Territori with the qualified expertise on complex transactions offered by the IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division.
Intesa Sanpaolo has been offering this support for some time now, also thanks to partners such as INNOVIT - an institutional initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the ITA (in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Washington and the Italian Consulate General in San Francisco), which from October 2022 is managed by the Giacomo Brodolini Foundation and Entopan Innovation (the Harmonic Innovation Group's incubator and accelerator) - whose aim is to stimulate entrepreneurial ideas by catalysing innovative cross-border projects and acting as an accelerator of their international development thanks to a stable presence in Silicon Valley and the USA.

The Mission in the USA
Aton (Treviso), Galdi (Treviso), I.co.p (Udine), Las Mobili (Teramo), Mac&Nil (Bari), Malvestio (Padua), Manta Group (Foggia), Martinorossi (Cremona), Move (Lucca), Podium Engineering (Aosta), Rain (Milan), Santini (Bergamo): these are the 12 companies identified together with INNOVIT from over 650 that participated in the five editions of Imprese Vincenti, the Intesa Sanpaolo programme that gives voice to the best Italian SMEs operating in strategic sectors for the country's economy.

Included in the Imprese Vincenti Community - a structured network of national champions of “Made in Italy" participating in a unique path in the banking scene thanks to the partnerships activated by Intesa Sanpaolo - are companies that have distinguished themselves for the innovative potential of their projects and their adherence to the specific investment objectives of the Silicon Valley system. During the mission, they participated in training sessions with local universities, mentoring activities, and networking with large, cutting-edge US companies. Particularly close attention was paid to innovation in production processes,globalisation and the consequent opening to the US market, and the added value that the link between Italian and US SMEs can generate in terms of business. From the privileged observatory of Silicon Valley, world-class experts devoted ample space to the topic of AI, analysing from a prospective perspective a phenomenon that is already revolutionising several production sectors.
The mission, led by the head of Intesa Sanpaolo's Banca dei Territori Division Stefano Barrese - accompanied by Anna Roscio, executive director of Sales & Marketing Imprese Intesa Sanpaolo, and Nicola Baiocchi di Silvestri, head of USA & Americas Intesa Sanpaolo, assisted locally by the Consul General of Italy in San Francisco Massimo Carnelos - is being carried out with the support of the Italian Innovation Centre, directed by Alberto Acito and established at INNOVIT. ITA (Italian Trade Agency) and IIC (Italian Cultural Institute San Francisco) are also essential components of INNOVIT.

Stefano Barrese, Head of Intesa Sanpaolo's Banca dei Territori Division, commented: "Today we confirm and strengthen our role in accompanying the Italian small and medium-sized enterprise system, translating SMEs' plans towards new development goals and international trajectories into action. Silicon Valley is a unique environment in which to develop industrial and strategic relationships in the US, thanks to the collaboration with INNOVIT and a unique ecosystem of partners. Our support is continuous; since 2020 we have provided Italian SMEs with €11 billion in globalisation and export financing, over €8 billion in structured finance, and accompanied 35 extraordinary finance transactions including M&A and IPOs”.

According to the Consul General of Italy in San Francisco, Massimo Carnelos: "Taking these winning companies to Silicon Valley offers not only an opportunity to support their global ambitions but also a chance to promote an updated image of Italy and its entrepreneurial and technological fabric. The Consulate General's support for this mission is part of the action by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - liaising closely with the ITA - within the scope of Growth and Innovation Diplomacy, to support the international growth of the most promising emerging realities of our economic landscape. The fact that Intesa Sanpaolo - Italy's leading banking group - has chosen Innovit's diplomatic and consular network and governmental hub is a tangible manifestation of the Country System”.

"INNOVIT was created with the precise aim of being the stable bridge between the Italian innovation ecosystem and that of Silicon Valley, one of the most dynamic in the world”, explains Alberto Acito, Director of INNOVIT's Innovation Centre. "The collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo, which for the first time also includes Italian SMEs, protagonists of a week-long programme of meetings and targeted visits, confirms the strategic role of our hub as a reference platform for companies that want to grow in international markets and measure themselves against global innovation, by putting into system relationships, skills and tools capable of amplifying the competitiveness of ‘Made in Italy’."

"The strategic industries that drive the world's economic growth are undergoing a profound technological change”, says Giosafat Riganò, Director of the Los Angeles ITA Office. "This transformation is very evident indeed at INNOVIT, where it is essential to provide concrete, value-generating solutions. Intesa Sanpaolo's delegation in San Francisco reflects Italy's broader vision of promoting innovation as a cornerstone of economic growth and global leadership. The 12 selected enterprises (the “Imprese Vincenti”) not only represent Italian inventiveness, but also demonstrate our country's commitment to addressing global challenges through international cooperation, driving technological advances that help achieve shared goals for sustainable and inclusive development."

 

 

Press information

Intesa Sanpaolo
Banca dei Territori Media and Local Media
Media and Associations Relations
stampa@intesasanpaolo.com

Intesa Sanpaolo, with €419 billion in loans and €1,400 billion in customer financial assets at the end of June 2025, is the largest banking group in Italy with a significant international presence. It is a European leader in wealth management, with a strong focus on digital and fintech. In the ESG area, €115 billion of Impact disbursements are planned for the community and green transition by 2025. The programme for the benefit and support of people in need is €1.5 billion (2023-2027). The Bank's museum network, the Gallerie d'Italia, is an exhibition venue for the Bank's own artistic heritage and cultural projects of recognised value.
News: group.intesasanpaolo.com/it/newsroom - X: @intesasanpaolo - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/intesa-sanpaolo

INNOVIT is the hub promoted by the Directorate General for the Country System of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in San Francisco. The implementing body of the project, through its offices in New York and Los Angeles, is the Italian Trade Agency (ITA). In addition to the Innovation Centre, INNOVIT also includes the ITA Desks and the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco. INNOVIT's goal is to create partnerships between the American and Italian economic and cultural ecosystems and to guarantee the Italian community a lasting presence in Silicon Valley also thanks to the IIC (Italian Cultural Institute San Francisco). INNOVIT is a strategic initiative of the Italian government to promote the country system's innovation in the United States. The activities of the Italian Innovation Centre were entrusted in October 2022 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the ITA to the Giacomo Brodolini Foundation, think and do tank for innovation and local development, and to Entopan Innovation, incubator and accelerator of Harmonic Innovation Group. https://innovitsf.com/