Free Mind Foundry Platinum Sponsor of the Business Plan Competition to compete and grow with healthy competitiveness
Innovative entrepreneurship projects continue to grow in the Catania area, thanks also to the presence of the Start Cup Catania 2021 business plan competition.
The initiative, promoted by the Third Mission Area of the University of Catania, has the mission of stimulating youth entrepreneurship through a highly innovative challenge expressed through a Business Plan.
Free Mind Foundry is pleased to have participated as a Platinum Sponsor with a contribution of 5 thousand euros, a precious opportunity to come into contact with the city's emerging startups and support future entrepreneurs in the launch phase of their projects.
Catania presents itself as a particularly receptive reality to the entrepreneurial world, thanks to the presence of a significant number of successful startups, which makes the Catania area one of the territories with the highest concentration of gazelle companies. The Magnificent Rector Francesco Priolo underlined the importance and need of "(...) Starting a young business. 8.5% of graduates from the University of Catania have started a business, a higher percentage than the national average. Start Cup is the demonstration of the desire to bet by also learning from defeats."
The awards ceremony for the 2021 edition was held last Monday 25 October in the main hall of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Catania. The teams Beyond CrioPura, Blaster Foundry srl, Guardian – Secure Carry On, KYMIA, SCLN, Sottoinsù and Xycon Smart will compete.
The event was attended by Prof. Rosario Faraci, Full Professor of Economics and Business Management at the University of Catania and director of the Technical Committee that will award startups, Prof. Alessia Tricomi, Full Professor of Experimental Physics at the “Ettore Majorana” Department of Physics and Astronomy and Prof. Agatino Russo, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Catania
The competition was also supported by the Order of Chartered Accountants of Catania, partner of the initiative, and by the sponsors Farmitalia srl, Free Mind Foundry srl, Credito Valtellinese spa and SeaSoft srl.
Before proceeding with this year's award ceremony, the three winning startups of the 2020 edition received the award in person: Herman, Probiotech and Tobesia.
The seven start-ups in the final
Beyond CrioPura. It finds a perfect position as a resin for water treatment for the reduction of As(V) from groundwater, Cr(VI) from water deriving from tanning and textile companies and boron for wastewater from the microelectronic industry. Members: Roberta Puglisi, Maria Cantarella, Domenico Carbone, Sabrina Carroccio, Sandro Dattilo, Tommaso Mecca, Andrea Scamporino.
Blaster Foundry srl. It offers the creation of web games containing the advertising image of the client brand. An innovative solution to better communicate with Generation Z in a simple and effective way. Members: Francesco Fichera, Davide Falsaperna, Fabrizio Bucchieri, Angelo Messina, Andrea Cazzola.
Guardian – Secure Carry On. An app designed to respond to people's need for security, which has increased during the pandemic. It is a service that helps you feel protected and protected at every moment of the day and to experience moments of leisure without stress. Members: Antonino Leonardi, Salvatore Crocellà, Gisella Spampinato.
KYMIA. It produces sustainable and effective cosmetics derived from the Bronte pistachio husk. The innovation lies in the very strong antioxidant power of Pistactive-f, the new patented active ingredient, and in giving a new life to a waste, the husk, in its best form. Team members: Anna Cacopardo, Arianna Campione, Stefano Paganini, Simona Bonaccorsi, Matteo Vertemati, Emanuela Giuffrida.
S C L N. It will offer Eco-T-shirts in a completely online solution, reducing shipping and transport costs. The action for sustainability and corporate responsibility will be articulated with constant commitment in a general program defining the philosophy of sustainable value. Members: Simone Celano and Sergio Campisi.
Below. It will be the first online platform that will give all artists, emerging and otherwise, the opportunity to earn and increase their notoriety through their works of art through the use of an app that will make buying and selling simple and intuitive. Members: Luca Alessandro, Emma Recupero, Gaetano Puglisi, Salvatore Scilletta.
Xycon Smart. Their goal is to develop, produce and market an electronic device aimed at gradually stopping smoking. Xycon Smart's flagship product, XYCON, will be available to authorized prescription pharmacies and retailers. Members: Salvatore Scilletta, Ruben Crispino, Samuele Russo, Federico Motta, Fabio Demetrio.
Kymia and Bronte pistachio for the cosmetics sector
Kymia is the start-up that won first place thanks to the innovative idea of producing cosmetics starting from waste from pistachio cultivation. «The innovation lies in the very strong antioxidant power of Pistactive-f, the new patented active ingredient, and in giving a new life to a waste, the husk, in its best form, considering that 40% of Bronte pistachio processing is discarded», explained Anna Cacopardo on behalf of the team members “KYMIA” Arianna Campione, Stefano Paganini, Simona Bonaccorsi, Matteo Vertemati, Emanuela Giuffrida.
Also conquering the podium together with the Bronte proposal were "Sottoinsù" and "Guardian - Secure Carry On", winners of second and third place respectively. The winning teams will present their ideas at the regional final of Start Cup Sicily scheduled for Thursday 28 October in Palermo, to win the final of the National Award for Innovation, scheduled in two rounds (30 November and 3 December) at the Tor Vergata University of Rome.
Soon the three new startup winners of the competition will have free access to the Free Mind Foundry Campus where they will be able to work daily on their business plan alongside other professionals and companies such as WiSNAM, BaxEnergy, IntelliSync, Made Simple, Orange Lab, BE-ON, Open Malta, Red Raion, Stormind Games.