Over the three-year period, total investments of €1.9 million are planned, including €900,000 from Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT and €1 million from Zest.

“TechTO Industry Accelerator”, the programme promoted by Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT – the impact-oriented entity of Fondazione CRT – and developed in partnership with Zest, Italy’s leading startup accelerator and early-stage venture capital investor, is launching in Turin with the aim of accelerating high-potential startups and fostering industrial innovation across the region.

The programme is part of a broader three-year development plan and is designed to connect technology startups with the concrete needs of businesses, facilitating the testing of innovative solutions through Proofs of Concept (PoCs) and industrial collaborations.

TechTO will focus on several key sectors driving industrial development, including:

• Transportation, Smart Logistics & Supply Chain: technological solutions aimed at optimising logistics and production flows, improving traceability and enabling integrated management of transport and distribution systems.
• Smart Infrastructure and Intelligent Systems: digital technologies, IoT and machine learning solutions for monitoring, securing and managing critical infrastructure, including applications for industrial and urban automation and predictive maintenance.
• Operational Sustainability: innovations designed to reduce energy consumption, emissions and waste in business processes, with particular attention to ESG goals and the transition towards circular and efficient production models.

The programme is structured around two complementary phases to support startup growth. In the first phase, up to ten startups will be selected for the pre-acceleration programme and will each receive a €35,000 scouting ticket from Zest to support their early development and entry into a structured growth path.

In the second phase, up to six startups involved in pilot projects with companies in Piedmont through the PoC Factory will be eligible for an investment of at least €50,000 each from Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT, accelerating the validation of their solutions and their integration into industrial environments.

Over the three-year period, total investments in startups will amount to at least €1.9 million, including €900,000 from Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT and €1 million from Zest. The most promising startups may also receive follow-on investments from the venture capital fund for which Zest acts as investment advisor.

Through TechTO Industry Accelerator, Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT and Zest aim to strengthen the role of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley within the Italian startup ecosystem and to create a replicable model of industrial innovation capable of attracting talent, generating investments and supporting the technological and environmental transition of the region.

TechTO Industry Accelerator will be based at OGR Torino, acting as ecosystem partner. As one of Europe’s leading innovation hubs promoted by Fondazione CRT, OGR Torino will also serve as a platform connecting startups, companies, investors and institutions.

“With TechTO Industry Accelerator, Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT is reaffirming its commitment to innovation as a driver of development for Turin, Piedmont and the Aosta Valley,” said Cristina Di Bari, Chair of Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT. “We believe in initiatives that bring together businesses, skills and capital, creating the conditions for ideas and technologies to become real growth opportunities for the productive system. This initiative fully reflects our approach: activating development processes, supporting them with vision and methodology, and generating measurable and lasting impact. Demonstrating the strategic importance of the initiative, Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT will make available €900,000 over three years, contributing directly to the development of high-potential startups and the growth of the regional innovation ecosystem.”

“With the launch of TechTO Industry Accelerator, together with Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT and ecosystem partner OGR Torino, we aim to further strengthen the region’s role as one of Italy’s most dynamic hubs for industrial innovation,” said Marco Gay, Executive Chairman of Zest. “The programme has a clear objective: connecting startups with established companies and fostering experimentation, collaboration and applied technology transfer. Zest brings its experience in designing and managing acceleration programmes, a strong track record and access to high-quality deal flow, together with proven capabilities in activating and managing Proofs of Concept between startups and companies. We want to remain focused on the future while building on the strong foundations of the present, enhancing the talent and expertise that have always characterised this territory.”