Digital Innovation 2020: Companies and startups together towards an open company

Digital transformation is advancing at an ever-increasing pace. To survive, organizations need to be open to self-examination and to making sweeping changes, spreading a new culture of innovation throughout the company and introducing organizational models and processes that can react and adapt rapidly. The challenge cannot be met alone, companies need to open up, become permeable to external and internal stimulus, incorporating an open company model, an agile and inclusive organization, able to engage every member of the company, balancing exploration and exploitation. To enable this organizational transformation, companies must learn to look beyond their boundaries, taking inspiration from and collaborating with different external stakeholders, especially research centres and startups.
Although investments in Italian hi-tech startups are still relatively low compared to other European countries, data confirms that the Italian ecosystem is growing and acquiring more structure. During 2019, the Italian hi-tech startup ecosystem attracted some degree of institutional interest. Various initiatives have been deployed by key Italian players, firstly the government, with the creation of the Fondo Nazionale Innovazione, but Italian Corporate Venture Capital funds have also grown and developed.