At the end of a long journey, which began with the roadshow and selections in 2019, ACBC, which produces modular footwear with interchangeable soles and uppers, has won the largest investments in the 2020 edition of B Heroes and is therefore the best startup of the year. The program, a docu-series on the world of startups in Italy, produced in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo, aired on Sky and NOW TV from 25 May and the final on 10 June (all episodes will always be available also on demand).
ACBC took the top spot on the podium during the B Heroes final, which took place in the iconic Borsa Italiana headquarters, Palazzo Mezzanotte.
"Being able to bring the best Italian startups to the stock market - said Fabio Cannavale, creator of B Heroes, about the final - in an edition marked by the coronavirus emergency is a source of enormous satisfaction for the whole team, the partners and for me. personally. The ecosystem of innovative startups sends a strong signal to the country and we hope it will serve to give the shock that is absolutely needed - concluded Cannavale - recalling that the selections for the new edition of B Heroes are immediately open: the startups that who want to apply for the acceleration and mentorship path, they can fill in the form that can be found on the website www.bheroes.it under "apply".
During the final, the four most important investments were assigned: after ACBC, RiceHouse (biocomposite production for construction deriving from rice waste), Wid Academy (online academy to learn how to use social media from important Italian influencers) and Brain Control (artificial intelligence applied to man-machine interaction with a device for patients with severe disabilities). The reference companies of this edition are A2A for the Green-Tech category; San Raffaele Hospital for the Med-Tech area, Telepass for Mobility and Zanichelli for the Education area.
The startups were judged by the selectors Fabio Cannavale, entrepreneur, promoter of B Heroes and founder of dozens of companies, Lisa di Sevo, SheTech president and partner and investor manager of PranaVentures, and Laurent Foata, head of the venture capital fund Adrian Growth.
In addition, the award awaits by Massimiliano Montefusco General Manager of RDS 100% Grandi Successi, radio partner of the event, was awarded to Boolean Careers, an entrepreneurial idea that transforms IT enthusiasts into professional web developers with an online bootcamp.
All 16 startups of this edition of B Heroes will enter a distant part of ELITE, the private market of integrated services, part of the London Stock Exchange Group. Through the ELITE Intesa Sanpaolo Lounge, in fact, it will be available to a multi-stakeholder network and will be at the center of global finance for their further strategic growth with the possibility of raising capital.
The evening of the final in an iconic place like the Milan Stock Exchange was also attended by Stefano Molino, Accelerator Fund Manager of CDP Venture Capital SGR - Fondo Nazionale Innovazione. The co-investment agreement signed with B Heroes is particularly significant for the ecosystem of Italian startups.
The total investment in the selected start-ups amounts to one million euros.
B Heroes is made in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo. Radio Partner of the event is RDS 100% Grandi Successi. B Heroes is produced, as in previous editions, by YAM112003.
Borsa Italiana, partner of the initiative, has made its iconic headquarters in Palazzo Mezzanotte available for the final. Borsa Italiana is in fact always very close to Italian companies with an important focus on the world of start-ups and scale ups.
They are partners, mentors and acceleration services for startups: AWS Activate, Back to work, BonelliErede, Cariplo Factory, CiaoTech (Gruppo PNO), Dentsu, Energy in Organization, Galgano & Associati, Google, Gummy Industries, McKinsey & Company, Nativa , Pirola, TMF Group and Tree.
Knowledge partner of the project is McKinsey & Company.
Nativa this year has made available to a startup a path to improve its positive impact: Rice House.
The project was carried out in collaboration with Brand Solutions, an internal division of Sky Media.
C Heroes launched by B Heroes in March to support concrete projects to tackle the health emergency - to Mario Ubiali for the creation of Thimus, a project on the role that "Nature" will play in helping humans overcome the impact of the pandemic.