Innovation and sustainability: seven startups honored on Capitol Hill

The ceremony to announce the winners of “7 Ideas to Change Italy,” an initiative in its first edition promoted by L’Espresso, with the support of Q8 Italia as main partner, was held in Rome, in the Sala della Protomoteca of the Campidoglio. The aim of the event is to highlight the best Italian projects dedicated to sustainability.

Fourteen start-ups competed, selected from about three hundred applications from all over Italy: at the end of the competition the projects of AquaLink, BioPhi, Dafne, Dataclean, Pink Road, Pit’sa and Talea were awarded. The awards ceremony, hosted by L’Espresso editor Emilio Carelli, was attended by Minister of Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin and Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri.

The winning startups will receive a media package worth a total of 280 thousand euros (40 thousand euros each), to be invested in marketing and communication strategies. Making up the jury were Fortunato Costantino (Director of human resources, legal and corporate affairs at Q8 Italy and adjunct professor at the European School of Economics of General Theory of Corporate ESG Sustainability and Social Innovation), Paul Kyprianou (head of external relations at Grimaldi Group), Gaia Dal Pozzo (Investment Director for LMDV Capital), Enzo Raho (QHSE & Sustainability Director at Renco) and Alessio Boceda (co-founder of Startup Geeks).

The winners will be awarded a prize of €280,000 (€40,000 each).

A significant passage of the event also featured Giorgio Chiellini, Director of Football Strategy at Juventus and co-founder of Akka Italy, who sent a video message to the startup finalists emphasizing how talent, in order to generate real impact, must turn into discipline, study and responsibility.

“This first edition of “7 Ideas to Change Italy” has confirmed once again how much creativity there is in Italy when it comes to sustainability – explained Emilio Carelli -. L’Espresso wanted to devise this initiative precisely to enhance projects capable of generating a positive impact on the environment and society. Applications for the 2026 edition will open in January, an opportunity to continue to bring out new ideas in favor of a more sustainable future”.

“The common thread of the startups is environmental and technological – added Minister Pichetto Fratin. “The environmental objective must permeate our actions, because it means being more modern, reaching decarbonization goals. But decarbonization goals, for a country like Italy, are also opportunities. We are important in the world, being the fourth largest exporting country, having one third of our gross domestic product, therefore of our Italian wealth, tied to exports. Because we make the best products, not because we make the products that cost the least. And that, automatically, is the’innovation, the technology, the genius of this country”.

Satisfied with the initiative also Mayor Gualtieri: “Initiatives like these go to start the field of ideas. I am convinced that in this country, in this city, there is so much energy to think about the future. I hope that our national economy can also learn to cultivate and support more global ideas. I know that this project has received more than 300 proposals, I again thank L’Espresso and everyone who has supported this initiative”.