Italian Trade Agency and gener8tor to host Cohort of Italian startups in collaboration with the Global Startup Program

HOUSTON, Texas – The Italian Trade Agency (ITA), the Italian governmental agency responsible for promoting Italian business development abroad and strengthening trade, is proud to announce that Houston has been chosen for the second year in a row as one of the residencies for the Italian Global Startup Program (GSUP), third edition.

ITA will partner with gener8tor, a Wisconsin-based venture firm and startup accelerator, for a two-month accelerator program that will further develop five innovative startup companies for growth in the U.S. market. The GSUP participating entrepreneurs were selected based on their development of innovative products or services with potential for growth abroad.

“Each year the Global Startup Program brings more than 100 selected Italian startups to face challenges and opportunities all over the world,” said Fabrizio Giustarini, Italian Trade Commissioner in Houston. “We believe that Texas, and specifically Houston, is currently in a unique position to support young businesses, and we look forward to catalyzing the city’s interest in order to mutually build a new generation of international entrepreneurs.”

The Italian Global Startup Program was initiated by the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2019 to train and promote Italian startups abroad. The program, a pillar point of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ wide strategy to boost Italian economic growth well after the soon-approaching quarter-century mark, consists of an integrated accelerator course in both Italy and the U.S. This year, the GSUP touts 5 million euros of investments for over 150 Italian startups spread across 10 nations around the globe. 

The accelerator program will begin virtually in Italy with specialized classroom training for participating companies to further develop skills to sustain fast and lasting growth in international markets. The entrepreneurs will arrive in Houston on October 8 for a 60-day training program. gener8tor will provide individual mentorship and coaching for the selected entrepreneurs, helping them to discover the potential for their startups in the U.S. market, develop a strategy, and connect with potential customers, mentors, investors, and partners. 

The Italian Cohort arriving in Houston next week, includes five Italian companies - AIKO SPACE, MANTA AIRCRAFT, CYNOMYS, PICK ROLL, SMACE  -  that have already been involved in a digital pre-program for two weeks joining the world-renowned gener8tor, further developing their innovative technology startup companies poised towards growth in the U.S. market. They have been selected based on their development of innovative products or services with potential for growth abroad, specifically in the areas of aerospace, sports tech, energy and agtech.

“The selected startups represent cutting-edge technologies across many sectors and the intersectionality of the program allows us to connect European and American innovation in new and exciting ways,” said Sarah Aubrey, senior managing director at gener8tor. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with the ITA to welcome these five talented and passionate founders to the United States and support them on their entrepreneurial journeys.” 

gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, founders, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities and nonprofits to operate programs in more than 41 communities across 22 states and two countries. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021 and 2022. Launching in 2012, gener8tor conducts 104 annual accelerator programs and has accelerated over 1,000 startups that have collectively raised upwards of $1.3B in capital and created more than 9,274 jobs with 34 of these companies reaching an exit or acquisition - making gener8tor one of the largest accelerators in the world. 

gener8tor will host a “Meet the Cohort/Kickoff” event to introduce the public to the entrepreneurs engaged in the program. The event will be Oct. 14, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. CT at Amegy on Main, 1801 Main St, Houston, TX 77002. There will be brief welcoming remarks from the local Italian institutions and presentations by each of the startups followed by a networking reception. 

For more information about the Italian Global Startup Program or the Italian startups, please visit https://itahouston.com/gsup22/.

Media Contact: Giulia Salmaso | houston@ice.it