At OGR the new innovation ecosystem with Techstars

COMPAGNIA DI SAN PAOLO, FONDAZIONE CRT, INTESA SANPAOLO INNOVATION CENTER AND TECHSTARS PARTNER TO CREATE AN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM IN TORINO, POWERED BY OGR


A partnership to facilitate global connections and knowledge transfer for Italian and European entrepreneurs, investors, corporate innovators


“The partnership that begins today with Techstars joins those that have been signed over the last twelve months, to strengthen the vision of the new OGR Tech space as a gateway to global excellence and as an epicenter of a new international ecosystem dedicated to tech and business innovation,” declares Massimo Lapucci, Secretary General of Fondazione CRT and Managing Director of OGR. “But this is only the beginning, in September, Techstars will organize the Techstars Summit with us here in Turin - for the first time concentrated in one single city - bringing to the OGR the best of its global network of entrepreneurs, corporate partners and institutional actors. Today, a series of activities will begin for the next three-years, including an accelerator program on Smart Mobility, landing for the first time in Italy at the OGR. This European exclusive with Techstars is in partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and Compagnia di San Paolo. Our international program will generate a strong impact for the support and development of entrepreneurial talent and excellence".

Techstars, the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, and Turinese foundations Compagnia Di San Paolo and Fondazione CRT, and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, today announced our partnership to create an international hub for innovation. The partnership entails a 3-year commitment to the development of Torino as an international ecosystem for innovation and establishment as a successful innovation model throughout Italy and Europe.

Through this effort, the partners will bring a series of innovation and entrepreneurship-focused events and programming to the region during 2019, 2020 and 2021, with the goal of building new opportunities for Italian and European entrepreneurs. These initiatives will further develop and activate the Torino ecosystem, particularly through the OGR - Officine Grandi Riparazioni innovation hub, a historic building recently transformed by Fondazione CRT into a center of excellence for contemporary culture and innovation.

The partners together will bring the following activations to the Torino community:

  • Techstars Startup Week Torino powered by OGR - a four-day celebration of the region's innovation and startup ecosystem. Free, available to all interested parties, and hosted at OGR – the newly renovated hub for collaborative creativity and startups – Startup Week attendees will learn from and connect with local entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, investors, and other innovation leaders. The event is expecting over 400 local, national and international attendees and will take place June 25-28, 2019.

  • Techstars Summit 2019 - a week-long global summit bringing together founders, corporate leaders, mentors, investors, and others. A three-track event, Techstars Summit will join what previously existed as three separate events across different countries - Techstars FounderCon, Techstars Partner Summit and Techstars Ecosystem Summit - into one experience in Torino spanning the week of September 22-26. Techstars Summit will bring key stakeholders and thought leaders across the Techstars worldwide network together for one week of connections, discussions, and learnings in Torino.

  • Techstars Smart Mobility Accelerator - a new Torino-based accelerator program to be held at OGR, that will focus on smart mobility. Concentrated on smart infrastructure and smart cities, the accelerator will attract and source startups from across the globe. Recruitment will begin in July 2019 with the program set to announce its first class of startups in Q1 2020.


“Techstars profoundly believes that mentorship and entrepreneurship are key factors that power the future of any community. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for Techstars to help facilitate lasting global connections in Torino” said Jenny Lawton, Techstars Chief Operating Officer. “By partnering with Compagnia Di San Paolo, Fondazione CRT and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, we are supporting the development of the innovation ecosystem in Torino and across Italy. We’re inspired by our partners' vision, and the commitment and resources they are bringing to the table for this initiative. Our shared efforts will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the growth and development of the Torino community and their entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“We are accelerating and consolidating our support for the local and national innovation chain” emphasises Alberto Anfossi, Secretary General of Compagnia di San Paolo. “We intend to be drivers in developing high impact innovation processes, including those of a social nature. To this end we have set our whole system of competence and knowledge into motion, benefitting from our close collaboration with academies and research bodies. In this way innovation takes on a holistic aspect in which the collaboration between institutions brings about increasingly significant results. In this perspective, the Techstars brand and model makes it possible to blend the joint commitment of three great institutions in favour of a strategy that repositions our territory to one of strong innovation”.

“Innovation is a key element for supporting the country's economy”, said Maurizio Montagnese, Chairman at Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center. “Our Group has long been committed to promoting the growth of this ecosystem, which is increasingly central to the development of Italian businesses. The countries with a focus on innovation show greater GDP growth, while in Italy the annual capital requirement per startup is estimated at around one billion euro, 75% of which is not covered by specialized operators and by the financial segment. This partnership, which is the result of the careful and strategic vision typical of banking Foundations, pursues the dual objective of making the city of Turin an international innovation hub and acting as a stimulus for the new economy of the country, thereby increasing networking between universities and businesses, young people and investors”.