CDP Venture Capital: Nasce Faros, l’acceleratore per startup operative nella Blue Economy

The accelerator will select the best startups in the field of logistics and port automation, the sustainable use of marine resources and coastal tourism

From today until 15 February 2022 you can apply at farosaccelerator.com for your startup to take part in the first acceleration cycle which will begin in March 2022

Rome, 10 December 2021 - CDP Venture Capital Sgr announces the creation of Faros, the Accelerator for startups operating in the Blue Economy, part of the CDP National Accelerators Network, the network of physical accelerators across Italy which are located in the most innovative industrial districts for supporting the growth of startups specialized in areas with high market potential.

Faros is part of an initiative of CDP Venture Capital Sgr formed through its Accelerators Fund, organized together with a|cube, an accelerator and incubator focused on businesses with a high social and environmental impact, and with the involvement of the international accelerator PortXL, a world leader in the acceleration of startups in the port and maritime sectors.

The programme benefits from the valuable support of the Port Network Authority of the Ionian Sea - Port of Taranto, as an institutional and territorial partner oriented towards the global promotion of the Ionian port, as well as to the relaunch of Taranto’s industrial-logistic and tourism system, and of the Municipality of Taranto as an institutional partner.

JV Tempa Rossa*, BCC San Marzano and Marraffa are also involved as corporate partners of the Eni programme, through the Joule Business School, which was created with the aim of supporting sustainable innovative entrepreneurship. Other partners in the Taranto port and logistic ecosystem, at a national and international level, are in the process of joining.

With an initial endowment of approximately 3 million euros allocated by CDP Venture Capital's Accelerator Fund for investments in acceleration and for subsequent follow-ons after acceleration, in addition to 1 million euros from corporate and institutional partners, the Faros accelerator aims to boost the growth of startups developing innovative products or solutions in the fields of logistics and port automation, the sustainable use of marine resources and coastal tourism, which are areas with great development potential.

About 8 startups in the seed and pre-seed phase will be selected each year for three years, and will have access to structured support from the accelerator's partners, who will guide them towards the validation of their business model. The best teams will also have access to further investments that have already been allocated by the promoters of the initiative.

"Maritime transport is one of the main facilitators of the global economy, and Italian port areas, which have driven the development of our country for centuries, will remain a strategic asset in the near future, even though they will face major changes in technologies and production models", comments Francesca Bria, President of CDP Venture Capital Sgr. "For this reason, we believe it is essential to open an acceleration path dedicated to startups and young innovative companies operating in the Blue Economy, so that they can develop new paradigms of sustainable resource management and new solutions in a sector that is so strongly integrated into the ecosystem".

The call for the selection of the first startups is open from today until 15 February 2022 at the farosaccelerator.com website.

The selected startups will participate in an acceleration and mentoring programme lasting approximately 4 months, during which they will have access to open innovation activities, the development of a pilot project with some of the corporate partners involved and a pre-seed investment of up to € 65,000.

The startups will also be supported with cross-sectoral activities such as networking with national and international stakeholders and access to dedicated Blue Economy events. At the end of the programme, the most promising startups will have the opportunity to secure further investments from the accelerator and/or directly from CDP Venture Capital SGR.

* Tempa Rossa JV is present in Basilicata in the area of the Gorgoglione concession, where the Tempa Rossa field was identified in 1989, with TotalEnergies EP Italia S.p.A. as a 50% operator, Shell Italia at 25% and Mitsui E&P Italia B S.r.l. at 25%.

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CDP Venture Capital SGR

CDP Venture Capital is an asset management company (70% CDP Equity and 30% Invitalia) with over €1 billion of resources under management. It aims to make venture capital a cornerstone of the country's economic development and innovation infrastructure, creating the conditions for the all-round and sustainable growth of the Venture Capital ecosystem. It works with a series of funds that aim to support startups at all stages of their life, making both direct and indirect investments.

Contact

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