Date
July 23, 2021
Place
Milan
The Commission on Impact Innovation 2021 - The Winners
The Commission on Impact Innovation met on July 22, 2021 to decide the winning startup proposal for the sector.
The commission chose among nine finalists pre-selected by UniCredit Start Lab team. The Commission was composed of senior executives from leading Italian companies such as:
- Roberta Marracino, Head of Group ESG Strategy and Impact Banking, UniCredit
- Marco Nannini, CEO, Impact Hub Milano
- Chiara Pennasi, General Manager, Fondazione Triulza | MIND
- Enea Roveda, CEO, Lifegate
- Giovanni Sandri, Country Head, BlackRock Italy
- Eugenio Sapora, Country Manager Italia , Too Good To Go
The winning startup of the first prize for the Impact Innovation sector is Unobravo - based in Naples - which has developed an online platform allowing users to virtually connect with selected professionals in psychology and psychotherapy. It was created in order to offer psychological support at any time and anywhere in the world, at affordable prices and finding the most suitable psychologist. The service, offered in Italian, targets Italians in every part of the world, with particular attention to Italian expatriates (more than 6 million) who have difficulty in finding Italian speaking psychologists.
The winning startup will receive a 10.000 € grant.
The Commission awarded the second prize and a special mention to Mixcycling - from Vicenza. The start-up researches and develops innovative materials by exploiting the properties of vegetable fibres derived from production waste, preferably local, which are merged with polymers from renewable organic resources, recycled or virgin, through a patented process. The aim is to reduce the polymeric component and offer a sustainable and concrete alternative.
The third prize went to Fortunale - from Bari - which produces sweaters of 100% pure natural wool, obtained by cruelty-free farm, dyed with natural pigments. Sweaters are made in Italy by specialized laboratories and can be recycled up to 80% of their fibers. The packaging is plastic free. For every sweater, Fortunale plants one tree in a land confiscated to mafia organization, whose identification number is embroidered on the garment making it unique.
Finally, a special mention went to IntendiMe - based in Cagliari. It is an under-subscription service that allows you to detect sounds and vibrations in real-time and receive the notification directly on your wrist via KitMe, a system consisting of sensors and a dedicated smartwatch. IntendiMe allows deaf people and people with hearing loss to feel more independent, free and safe, whether at home, in the office or on vacation.
To read more about all nine of the 2021 UniCredit Start Lab finalists in the Impact Innovation category, please click here.
