Catania has always been a city with a strong entrepreneurial vocation, and this year too there was no shortage of innovative ideas presented at the Start Cup Catania 2022 business plan competition. The competition, now in its ninth edition, is organized by the Third Mission Area of the University of Catania and sees the participation of partners including O.D.C.E.C., Coach & Play, Vertis SDR and sponsors such as Free Mind Foundry, Platinum Sponsor, Ance Catania and FederManager, Gold Sponsor, and Crédit Agricole, Silver Sponsor.
The competition, which has reached the crucial moment of the final, saw the participation of six Startups appropriately selected by a Scientific Technical Committee and evaluated for their innovative potential, the sustainability of the initiative, and compliance with the tender.
In addition to the cash prizes, the six competing Startups competed for the opportunity to continue the competitive path up to the regional final, and an incubation period at Futurea, the Startup incubator, operating within the Free Mind Foundry Campus, specialized in the growth and business acceleration of startups and innovative companies. The victory is sanctioned by the evaluation of the business plans by the scientific technical committee in charge, in which the CEO of Free Mind Foundry Simone Massaro took part.
The startups selected for the competition
"This year, slightly different ideas compared to the previous edition. Food and sustainability are themes of great fascination for young people, and as always, projects concerning Hi-tech and information technology" declared Rosario Faraci, Full Professor of Economics and Business Management at the University of Catania and Director of the Technical Committee. “What particularly struck the Scientific Technical Committee is the great determination of these proponents, who have clear ideas about what they want to do despite the obstacles”. Obstacles that can also be overcome thanks to the services made available by sponsors and partners
During the awards ceremony, the Magnificent Rector of the University of Catania Dr. Francesco Priolo also spoke and encouraged participation in the business competition, stating "You learn from victories, but equally from defeats."
The six Startups that took part in the final, which took place at the Palazzo dell'Etna on October 21st, are: Ustep, Shine-Library, POMERA, Alpha Food, Fooduro and Arianna Helthcare.
Sei Startup per sei necessità moderne
Ustep: is an innovative Startup that aims to connect users, associations and companies with the territory, through eco-friendly choices. In fact, users will be able to obtain rewards thanks to the number of daily steps. The prizes can be collected from partner companies that can benefit from the platform to improve their notoriety within the territory.
Shine Library: a website that provides high-quality audio tracks for multimedia projects such as videos, films, video games, television programs, theater shows, etc... The Startup brings together composers, designers and sound technicians to create projects intended for users of the platform.
POM ERA: Startup that creates a fabric obtained from the undercoat of dogs. The strength behind this process lies in the use of an element that is very present in nature and which can be reused in an innovative and sustainable way. The result of the so-called 'chiengora' is a highly valuable fabric very similar to cashmere.
Alpha Food: elabora e produce potenti alimenti a base vegetale, tra cui proteine vegane in polvere ricavate dalla farina di grillo, collageni da bere con acido ialuronico, collagene marino e barrette proteiche vegane. Alphafood utilizza materie prime provenienti da fonti attente e sostenibili e ingredienti vegetali combinati simbioticamente e accuratamente bilanciati tra loro.
Fooduro: a startup specialized in the production of eco-sustainable containers for delivery. The objective is to supply these products to restaurants and bars that have the possibility of aligning themselves with a greener management of their business.
Arianna Helthcare: focuses on improving the daily lives of breast cancer patients. Review Focus article.
Alla scoperta dei primi tre classificati
In conclusion, the technical committee of the business plan competition issued its verdict electing Alpha Food as the winner, followed by Fooduro in second place and Pom Era in third. The first-placed Startup won the opinions of the jury thanks to a highly innovative project which involves the setting up of a cricket farm intended for the production of flour and other derived products such as soil improvers and cosmetics. “Our solution to the problem of the protein gap is represented by the production of insect flour, specifically Acheta Domesticus, and its derivative products, capable of fully addressing the concept of circular economy”, declared Marcello Reale, who, together with Luigi Parisi, Ennio Cuteri and Paolo Mantione, collected the competition prize. “We would like to thank the Start Cup Catania team because it allowed the Alpha Food team to take important steps such as the creation of the necessary documentation in order to pursue our objective”.
With the victory of the competition, Alpha Food was awarded the Start Cup Catania boat, the trophy created through 3D printing by engineers Gianluca Cicala and Claudio Tosto, and the prize of 5,000 euros offered by Free Mind Foundry. The group of young entrepreneurs will also have free access to the Free Mind Foundry campus, within which they will benefit from a period of business incubation and acceleration thanks to the collaboration with Futurea.
The innovative startups "Fooduro" and "PomEra", second and third place respectively, stood out for the creation of innovative projects that will contribute to the development of the circular economy in the fields of food delivery and clothing. Both startups received a cash contribution of 2,500 euros and 1,500 euros respectively, offered by the other sponsors of the Federmanager Sicilia Orientale initiative, Ance Catania and Credit Agricole Italia.
The next steps of the competition
After the provincial business plan competition, the three aforementioned teams will have to challenge the winning Startups of the Messina and Palermo competitions on October 26th during the regional final. Subsequently, the six best entrepreneurial projects in the region will be able to access the National Innovation Award, scheduled for 1 and 2 December, and challenge the best innovative companies in the Italian territory. The path of the most innovative startups in the area, however, does not stop at the borders of the peninsula. The winning Startups of the national competition, in fact, will be invited to participate in the European challenge organized by EUNICE, thanks to which these companies can broaden their notoriety within the continent and benefit from the contributions made available to the winners by international bodies and organisations.