35 Italian companies engaged in innovations in sectors such as fashion industry, Internet of Things technologies, biotechnology, renewable energy, clean technologies, FoodTech, robotics and IT participated in the sixth international conference Startup Village 2018, which was held from May 31 to June 1 on the territory of «Skolkovo».

In two days of work, the largest startup conference in Russia and the CIS countries hosted about 15,000 participants from more than 80 countries, about a thousand investors and more than two and a half thousand companies.

Italy, which participated in the event for the first time this year, was represented by the largest pavilion located in the center of the innovation town.

The Italian exposition attracted a lot of attention from the conference visitors, as well as investors and journalists. The president of the Skolkovo Foundation, among others, came to get acquainted with the innovative solutions of the companies that came to Moscow. Viktor Veksenbelrg and former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who recently became co-chairman of the foundation. A tour of the pavilion was conducted by the guests of honor Pier Paolo Celeste, Director of the Agency ICHE - Embassy of Italy, Department for the Development of Trade Exchange.

The conference included a thematic panel "Open Innovation in Italy: Reality and Prospects", which was attended by President of the Association of Business Incubators of Italian Universities PNI Cube Giovanni Perrone (Giovanni Perrone), President of the Association Start Up Italia Marco Bicocchi Pichi (Marco Bicocchi PichiFabio Tentori, Coordinator of the Enel Innovation Centers, Giulia Piermattei and Mattia Corbetta from the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, Head of the TIM WCAP Network and Partnership Development Department.

Speaking with a welcoming speech, the Ambassador of the Italian Republic to Russia Pasquale Terraciano noted that the Italian economy is moving from the "Made in Italy" model to "Made with Italy", which consists both in joint production and in the transfer to Russian companies of various know-how developed by Italian companies.

According to Terraciano, the Italian Embassy and the ICHE Agency support the potential that exists in the relations between Russia and Italy in the field of innovation and technology. As an example, he cited the Italian energy company Enel, which has already opened its innovation hab in Skolkovo. 

"Startups need to develop and for this we need investments and financing," he stressed.

In turn, the director of the ICHE Agency in Moscow Pier Paolo Celeste noted that Italy provides all possible support to innovative companies and was one of the first countries to develop legislation on innovation, which involves a certification system for startups, accelerators and incubators for new technology companies.

That is why, according to him, the ICHE Agency has launched numerous programs aimed at supporting technological cooperation and developing contacts between Italian startups and foreign innovative companies.

Among the participants of the Italian pavilion representing the fashion industry, one can single out the company DIS, which offers an unprecedented innovative service for creating custom-made shoes in accordance with any wishes of the client. Each pair of shoes, designed with the help of a special 3D designer, is handmade by the best Italian craftsmen. Each client can create his own design for his pair of shoes by making a choice of 50 million combinations. After that, the shoes will be made in Italy within 10 days.

"We have also developed a 3D designer for retail stores, which is equipped with a foot scanner and an NFC transmitter. Thus, buyers can find a suitable shoe model, create their own unique design using a touch-screen device and receive an individual order in 10 days, while the store no longer needs to keep many pairs of shoes in stock," said the company's representative, designer Andrea Carpinetti.

Another interesting participant of the startup conference is the company Lischi 2000, which creates works of art and jewelry from recycled materials. "Our company was founded in 2013, but I have been creating unique jewelry that is created with care for the environment for more than ten years. We work with materials such as plastics, paper and industrial waste, which are interspersed with precious metals and shiny stones. Our clients are people who understand the importance of environmental protection. All our jewelry is unique and created in single copies", - said the founder and inspirer of Lischi 2000 Linda Skipani.

Photo: ICHE Agency