Innova-FI Fifth Exchange of Experience
Between 13th and 15th January, we attended the Innova-FI fifth Exchange of Experience of Financial Instruments for Innovation project in Undine, Italy. The event was an interesting mix of presentations and workshops on the topic of Financing Opportunities for Competitive Business Growth.
The first day at Udine Casa della Contadinanza, kicked off with a detailed introduction from the Managing Director of Friuli Innovazione and the Councillor for Industry and Tourism of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region about the features, good practices and trends in the public and private financial scenario, as well as some of the regions challenges that include a low adoption of private-public partnership.
That very morning, we started looking in detail the different financial instruments used in the region, having as a speaker a representative of FRIE Management Committee Chair, who talked about subsidized loans. A session that was followed by experts from Comfidimprese FVG, FVG Region Special Section Central Guarantee Fund and MCC and addressed the topic of Guarantee instruments.
In the evening, a business angel from Italian Angels for Growth presented the Innovative FI in the private market; highlighting that the improvement of the annual dealflow funnel in Italy as in the rest of Europe, necessarily requires not just of funding, but rather the development of a complete and sustainable startup ecosystem.
The first day ended with a session on the regional players in the equity market from spokespersons of Friulia and Finest, and a forum on the overall national landscape with representatives of CDP and Invitalia.
On the second day, we visited the Science and Technology Park ¨Luigi Danieli¨; where the Exchange of Experience started with the Councillor for Finances of FVG region speaking about the goals and priorities of the next ROP, followed by the director of the business credit service who explained the Innovative FI in the public market and the new guarantee Fund for investment in Venture Capital.
After a quick coffee, we worked on a business case about a high-tech engineering firm from FVG region with the CFO of ICOP Group and later, had the Director of Economics and Statistic Department of the University of Udine give us an academic overview on how Innovation is reflected in Finance in the modern world.
We finished the day and Innova-FI´s Fifth Exchange of Experiences with a guided visit to Friuli Innovazione´s business incubator and the Additive FVG Square laboratory, ending with a workshop on Innovation in Financial Instruments.
Check out the video of the fifth Exchange of Experience with Innova-FI!