In 2015 the Emilia-Romagna Region opened an Innovation Hub in Silicon Valley managed by ART-ER Attractiveness Research Territory, the regional Consortium Company born with the purpose of fostering the region’s sustainable growth by developing innovation and knowledge, attractiveness and internationalisation of the local system. The initial aim of the Hub was to support startups and innovative companies to approach the Silicon Valley ecosystem and internationalization towards the North American market.
In addition to the one-to-one activities addressed to individual companies, several programs have been developed: the Mindset Program for startups, to fully understand the Silicon Valley’s business mindset, the International Accelerator Program, a three-month full-immersion program in California, the Business Match, dedicated to consolidated innovative businesses interested in coming in contact with Corporate Investors and potential partners or buyers in Silicon Valley.
This experience expanded and strengthened support in Silicon Valley through innovation programs targeted to all ecosystem players, such as the Incubator Program dedicated to the managers of regional incubators and accelerators to learn the best practices for supporting startup growth, and the Corporate Immersion Program focusing on Open Innovation processes dedicated to Emilia-Romagna large-sized companies.
As at today, over a hundred players from Emilia-Romagna innovation ecosystem have joined development and internationalization programs in the Bay Area since 2015.
Through the presence of ART-ER in Silicon Valley and its programs, the Emilia-Romagna Region has promoted and facilitated the opening of the local production system towards one of the world’s most innovative ecosystems, promoting policies to attract investments and supporting the development of the dual model used by the majority of Italian entrepreneurs in the United States and Bay Area.
Based on this model, the company keeps know-how, research and development, and manufacturing in Italy, while basing sales, marketing and fundraising divisions in the United States, which means constructing a true bridge between two innovative ecosystems.
Furthermore, since 2018 Emilia-Romagna Region, through ART-ER has expanded its activity to the whole of North America, while keeping and strengthening its hub in Silicon Valley, with the aim of developing contacts in ecosystems with sector-specific specializations, such as Detroit for automotive and mechanics, Boston for biotech or Montreal for Artificial intelligence.
Since 2021 a strategic collaboration has been active with Lombardstreet Ventures, a business presence for a number of years in the United States, to strengthen ART-ER’s hub in Silicon Valley and to enable the growth of development opportunities for our regional ecosystem in all of North America.