L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY I t all started in Le Marche region, but the echo produced by The Hive program can now be heard also in California. T h e H i v e I n c u b a t o r a n d Accelerator was born in Ancona in 2014 with the support of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, focusing on the territory of Le Marche Region. The organization has put togeth- er two visionary entrepreneurs, Giorgio Guidi and Sir Russell Luxford, who share a strong belief in innovation as well as the idea of using their knowl- edge to promote Italian compa- nies' success. Given the current Italian sce- nario, it is not by accident that such experiment started in Le Marche: the region has today the second highest rate of new star- tups created in Italy. The result is quite outstanding if we con- sider that running a business in Ancona is different than doing so in Milan, Rome, or Bologna, w h o s e l o c a l e c o n o m i e s a r e much stronger. Nevertheless, it proves how innovation can be developed anywhere when it fol- lows the right motivations and deploys the use of the best tools. Back in February, a group composed of more than forty startups from Le Marche visited the San Francisco Bay Area. Led by Frans Hysa, a recent Ph.D. graduate in Management b e t w e e n t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Maryland and the Polytechnic University of Marche, the group was welcomed by local entre- p r e n e u r s , i n v e s t o r s , a n d t h e whole Italian community. Due to his focus on open innovation strategies, Frans talked to us about the project and explained w h y I t a l i a n s k e e p c h o o s i n g Silicon Valley to kick off their startups' journey. What brought you to the Silicon Valley? I ' m t h e C h i e f I n n o v a t i o n Officer at The Hive, that is now developing the IDEA project ( I n n o v a t i o n a s a D r i v e r f o r e x p o r t s t o A m e r i c a f o r t h e Marche Region economic sys- tem) that supports international- ization of Italian startups. For o u r f i r s t w e e k , w e p i c k e d Silicon Valley, involving more than forty startups and four busi- ness incubators. W h a t ' s t h e g o a l o f t h i s experiment? Although we are supported by the regional government, our main goal is to create new dri- vers, through innovation, and increase exports to America for the whole economic system of the Region. We are fifty people, mainly founders and incubators' team members. Startups repre- sent a variety of sectors and industries. Can you name the startups that you think better repre- sented Italian excellence? Armotia is an active startup that designs, manufactures, and s e l l s e l e c t r i c m o t o r c y c l e s , branded as Armotia. This is one of the few startups in the world to make electric off-road motor- cycles and it's today the only one to include the two-wheel drive. Their motorcycles, pre- sented at EICMA 2015, want to involve the biker in a 360° expe- rience, from a completely new driving experience to the cus- tomization of its components, without considering the social s i d e o f t h e r i d e . A l s o , Synbiofood was born from the idea of actively contributing to individuals' health. Their goal is to give a strong support to food c u l t u r e o f m i l l i o n s p e o p l e , through an ongoing research for a better life quality. These two companies represent the core of The Hive's efforts, thanks to their business focus on food and manufacturing. Why these young entrepre- neurs want to check the Bay SERENA PERFETTO The Silicon Valley Approach: a Mindset that Keeps Inspiring Italian Startups Area? All the founders are between 20 and 45; they joined the pro- gram to visit the Bay Area for different reasons: they needed training, including some inspira- tional and networking events with other peers; they also want- ed to meet VCs, to attend confer- ences at universities, and get introduced to American-based startups. What does inspire them? O u r f o u n d e r s a r e m a i n l y inspired by the tech-community, that is somehow unique in the Bay Area. They are aware that they have many opportunities to meet the smartest people in the industry, develop new ideas, cre- ate business relationships, and eventually get funded. What does mostly impress them? They are impressed by the s p e e d o f d o i n g b u s i n e s s . Everything runs quite fast. They realized that you can achieve here in one week what you can achieve in not less than a month in Italy. I won't complain about the Italian system, however it is obvious that here local and cen- tral government really help US- b a s e d e n t e r p r i s e s d u r i n g t h e development of their businesses. And this is what makes a differ- ence, when comparing the two systems. Can you explain how the s t a r t u p s c e n a r i o l o o k s l i k e nowadays? The Italian government has embarked on a process to create new regulations that support startups and innovative small and medium enterprises. Starting in 2002, new laws have been created for the startup ecosys- t e m . T h e n e w r e g u l a t i o n s include not only the definition of requirements in order to be con- sidered as innovative business, but also an easier access to capi- t a l s f o r s t a r t u p s , w h i c h a l s o means government's support as guarantee, work for equity regu- lation, exclusion from bankrupt- cy for startups. These new laws and more others define a grow- ing tech community that include startups, accelerators, funds, events, startup programs, and so on. What's coming next? W e h a v e j u s t s t a r t e d t h i s long-term program. As I said earlier, this business trip is just the beginning of our internation- alization activities. The Hive will support Italian startups as much as possible, in order for them to get a deeper understand- ing of the international markets. We have created some business relations and agreements. I can't h e l p b u t s u g g e s t a l l I t a l i a n founders to follow our activities because we have big plans for this upcoming year. Frank Hysa, The Hive CIO, is a recent Ph.D. graduate in Management between the University of Maryland and the Polytechnic University of Marche Italian Community Services provid Bay Area Italian-American seniors and famili with trusted rourc to help them live healthy, independent and productive liv. We are commied to honoring and prerving the Italian language and culture, with an emphasis on the strength and suort that com om family, community, education and goodwill. Casa Coloniale John F. Fugazi 678 Green Street San Francisco, CA 94133 415 •362 •6423 www.italiancs.com . . • Translation for seniors /new immigrants • Community service coordination • Information and referrals

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