LIFTT, the Italian venture capital firm focused on deep-tech investments, and Techstars Transformative World Torino, the accelerator managed by US-based Techstars, the world's leading pre-seed accelerator, have signed a strategic partnership agreement to strengthen the Turin innovation ecosystem at OGR Torino and co-invest in deep-tech startups. The partnership with Techstars is part of the internationalisation path of LIFTT, the second largest venture capital firm in Southern Europe in terms of number of investments.
The agreement provides for the development of operational synergies through a scouting and screening committee of high-potential companies, programmes of mentoring and development for startups, following them from the transformation of the idea into a business to financing. The agreement between LIFTT and Techstars Torino reflects the spirit of collaboration that characterises the OGR, Turin's main innovation hub and one of the largest in Italy, and generates a further opportunity for the growth of new deep-tech entrepreneurship. In April 2024, LIFTT and Techstars will jointly promote a networking event to foster dialogue between start-ups, mentors and investors.
Giovanni Tesoriere, CEO di LIFTT, said: "The alliance with a leading global accelerator reinforces the positioning we are pursuing: to be an operator with a strong national base and an international operational horizon. The development of this partnership in the setting of the OGR Turin confirms the importance of this hub for new entrepreneurship in Turin and the country".
Martin Olczyk, Managing Director of Techstars Transformative World Torino, said: "The LIFTT team has played a crucial mentoring role for our start-ups in recent years. We are excited to develop our collaboration with a venture capital firm that has built a very high reputation. This agreement will enrich our business with significant expertise in frontier technologies and enable us to support the growth of our portfolio companies. It will also create a unique offering for local and international startups".
(Source: LIFTT press release)
