Open Innovation Network: the ecosystem that unites startups, industry and research
The Open Innovation Network as a growth lever for Italy
Italy’s startup ecosystem is gaining momentum.In the first half of 2025, investm...
Bolzano Slush’d is a non‑profit event that brings together up to 1,000 startups, investors and leaders, with the goal of fostering entrepreneurship and innovation across local, national and DACH ecosystems. The Fiera Messe Bolzano venue and the line “The future starts above” capture the spirit of the initiative, which in 2025 shines a light on Energy, FoodTech, Digital and DeepTech. For more information, visit the official website: Bolzano Slush’d.
Taking part in Slush Bolzano means engaging with a community of innovators: founders, investors, research centres and industrial partners. For a company like e‑Novia, a venture studio focused on Physical AI, it is a valuable opportunity for dialogue. The quality of the exchange allowed us to discuss concrete challenges and explore possible shared trajectories with other participants, particularly in applications where artificial intelligence meets the physical world.
The prevailing sense is of an ecosystem growing with pragmatism: teams attentive to rapid validation of use cases, investors focused on quality time, and corporates interested in collaboration models that deliver measurable value. Within this context, DeepTech and Digital themes connected naturally with Physical AI—from computer vision on production lines to piloting solutions on existing assets.
The value of a day like this lies in the continuity it enables. Some of the conversations started in Bolzano will continue over the coming weeks to assess if—and how—they may evolve into pilot projects. Not numbers to showcase, but clear working hypotheses to be tested with method and attention to outcomes.
We return with a sharper map of topics and interlocutors to deepen. The direction is toward shared paths that bring together technical capabilities, an entrepreneurial mindset and real industrial contexts. This is the trajectory we pursue as a venture studio: turning quality encounters into sustainable opportunities.
If you are building within the scope of Physical AI—or wish to explore how a project can progress from validation to market—we are available to continue the conversation in a concrete and focused way. Learn more about how our Venture Studio turns innovation into startups and projects: Physical AI Venture Studio.
