Date
July 16, 2025
Impact Innovation Commission 2025
The Impact Innovation Commission, the last of five commissions for the 12th edition of UniCredit Start Lab, met on July 16, 2025.
These are the names of the Board Experts who met with the finalist startups:
- Lara Botta, Vice President, Botta EcoPackaging
- Massimo Dell'Acqua, Managing Director, Legami
- Enrico Loccioni, President, Loccioni Group
- Marco Piccolo, CEO, Reynaldi
- Francesca Sesia, Country COO in Southern Europe, BlackRock
After evaluating and voting on the projects, the commission announced the final ranking, which includes:
First place awarded to OPEN STAGE, a reality that has developed a technological platform designed to innovate urban entertainment in Smart Cities. Through the use of a dedicated application, citizen-artists can book an Open Stage totem and access a wide range of audio equipment for free, including mixers, audio speakers, power outlets and IoT sensors. This allows events to be organised in public and private spaces, expanding the opportunities for the local community to express their talent and actively participate in the cultural life of the city.
In second place was CULTIPHARM which deals with the production and customization of botanicals and active ingredients grown through vertical farming. Thanks to a careful study and control of cultivation protocols, Cultipharm is capable of obtaining "Superactives": high-quality botanicals, rich in active ingredients, free of heavy metals and nickel, adaptable to specific therapeutic areas and to the needs of customers in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors. The active ingredients contained in their botanicals are titrated and standardizable, which allows the raw material to be used in finished products, without the need for extraction, allowing you to exploit all the benefits of the entire phytocomplex.
Third place awarded to GRAPHICORE: focused on the management and decommissioning of graphite-moderated nuclear reactors. The company has developed an innovative and patented system for the extraction and handling of irradiated graphite in old-technology and fourth-generation nuclear reactors. Their main technology is a vacuum gripping system that allows for heavier lifting than traditional systems, ensuring greater safety in nuclear decommissioning and reducing costs and time.
The Commission also awarded a special mention to WORLD4ALL, which developed an innovative system based on AI and machine learning to map and certify the accessibility of public and private spaces, making it easier for people with disabilities or reduced mobility to find and access services and facilities suited to their needs. They also offer consultancy to facilities wishing to improve their accessibility, including training to raise awareness among organizations about inclusion and space adaptation.
These are the other five finalist startups that will join the UniCredit Start Lab business platform (in alphabetical order):
ARCHIMEDE has created a solution that simplifies the development of IoT solutions, composed of a proprietary hardware device, integrable with different modules or sensors, and a platform to create decentralized, sustainable and connected open-source applications. Thanks to the ability to connect to multiple satellite constellations, the solution guarantees reliable connectivity, easy integration and cost reduction, making it accessible even in off-grid contexts.
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BUILTDIFFERENT has developed an all-in-one fitness app dedicated to the digital wellness sector. Thanks to the use of proprietary AI algorithms and the support of qualified professionals, it is able to create personalized training and nutritional advice plans, creating tailor-made programs based on the individual needs of users, at very low costs. The platform offers a chat service to interact directly with coaches and nutritionists, obtaining answers to questions, advice and additional support.
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RECO2 is a startup aimed at the construction sector that produces sustainable building materials using industrial waste according to the principles of the circular economy. Using a patented production process, RECO2 recovers and transforms different types of waste materials (such as glass, ceramic waste, metallurgical waste, and mining by-products) into a range of construction products. Their first product is Vytreum, available as outdoor paving (interlocking and perforated slabs).
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SQUP is an innovative Italian SME founded in Rome in 2020 with the ambition to revolutionise packaged ice cream by combining taste, well-being and sustainability. The brand has launched the first ice cream in Europe that is plant-based, with no added sugar, low in calories, gluten- and lactose-free, and rich in fibre. Following the values of taste, well-being and happiness, the company wants to have a positive impact on people's lives, imagining a future where pleasure, well-being and sustainability coexist in an ice cream that is accessible to all.
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WAYLA was created to respond to the shortcomings of urban transport in the main Italian cities, introducing the van-pooling model. Its service allows passengers to share journeys, reducing the number of vehicles in circulation during the evening and night hours and improving urban mobility. It is a flexible service integrated with other transport options, allowing citizens to move efficiently according to their needs since the vehicles do not follow fixed lines or pre-established timetables, but adapt dynamically to user requests.