Italgas in Silicon Valley: meeting at INNOVIT with Energy Start-ups

San Francisco (USA), September 22, 2023 – As part of the internationalization program promoted by the Italian Innovation Center at INNOVIT, Italgas has officially launched its space in San Francisco and met with a curated selection of startups dedicated to energy and sustainability.

The presentation of the proposals developed by these start-ups took place during an event on the theme "Energy transition - Inventing our decarbonized future". The aim of the event was to promote interaction between start-ups and established industrial companies and to highlight the commitment and efforts of all stakeholders in the challenge of decarbonization and the pursuit of energy transition.

Introduced by the Italian Consul General in San Francisco, Sergio Strozzi, and moderated by Alberto Acito, Director of the Innovation Center, the event was attended by Italgas CEO, Paolo Gallo. He emphasized the importance of collaboration between Italgas and the technological ecosystem of Silicon Valley, as well as the opportunity for young companies in the acceleration program promoted by INNOVIT to interact with one of the leading international energy companies.

Italgas is no stranger to engaging in the world of innovation, and its various global initiatives ("call for startup") have allowed the identification of very effective applications, not only within its industrial processes, but also throughout the entire industry. Italgas has provided many of them with the necessary support to maximize the impact of innovations, patent ideas and apply them in other industrial sectors.

"Our efforts," stated Paolo Gallo, CEO of Italgas, "have always been directed towards continuous scouting, both in Italy and abroad, for innovative solutions that can improve the performance of our company and, in perspective, the entire gas distribution sector and, consequently, the whole Country. We have decided to go even further by establishing a stable presence at INNOVIT, our technological outpost. We believe in the open innovation approach, which allows companies to grow faster and enhance their competitiveness".

"Innovation and new technologies are essential for the development of sustainable, safe and accessible energy infrastructures" said Alberto Acito, Director of the Innovation Center. "The opening of Italgas' Silicon Valley technological outpost at INNOVIT is an important signal for Italian startups in the field of clean technologies. Silicon Valley continues to be the engine of innovation, and I hope that other companies will follow Italgas' example, both to enter the U.S. market and to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and improve their competitiveness in international markets".

INNOVIT is 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. It is managed with the support of ICE - the Agency for the Promotion of Italian Enterprises Abroad - and the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco. Its mission is to stimulate innovative entrepreneurial ideas, catalyze cross-border innovative projects, and accelerate their international development, enabling Italian entities to establish a stable presence in Silicon Valley and across the United States. It is a strategic initiative of the Italian government to promote innovation within the national system in the United States.

Since October 2022, the management of the Italian Innovation Center at INNOVIT has been entrusted to the Giacomo Brodolini Foundation, a think-and-do tank for innovation and local development, and Entopan Innovation, an incubator and accelerator within the Harmonic Innovation Group.