At a time when Europe risks falling behind in the global tech race, Bologna hosted over 300 selected decision-makers from three continents to return to the forefront. The innovation recipe: back disruptive ideas, recognise talent, and celebrate success to shape the next global champions.
The third edition of The Bologna Gathering (TBG) closed with a remarkable achievement: on Thursday 18 September alone, more than 1,000 one-to-one meetings were held between scale-up founders, investors, and senior corporate executives — all in less than eight hours at the newly opened campus of Bologna Business School. A clear demonstration of an ecosystem determined to turn connections into investments, and investments into Europe’s next champions.
This achievement comprised part of the two-day event — Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 September — during which Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna region welcomed 300 selected decision-makers: founders of scale-ups and “unicorns” from over ten technology sectors, senior executives from leading Italian and international corporates, and venture capital and private equity investors from Europe, the Americas, and Asia — with over €39bn in assets under management (AUM).
From the stage, speakers outlined clear priorities for Europe’s technological future. Among the most significant contributions, Alec Ross (technology policy expert, entrepreneur, and distinguished professor) stressed the urgency of valuing talent through competitive salaries and stronger equity incentive schemes such as ESOPs. Luca De Angelis (CEO, Tech Europe Foundation) highlighted the need to back truly disruptive ideas, even if they require patient capital. Massimiliano Pellegrini (CEO, Namirial) emphasised that constant adaptation to market changes is essential for steady growth. Alessandro Scortecci (Chief Investment Officer, CDP Venture Capital) underlined the importance of giving broad visibility to the economic and technological successes of Italian ventures, showing that tangible innovation is possible, and that channelling European capital into venture capital is a strategic and forward-looking choice.
One of the most significant announcements came from IT4LIA AI Factory, an internationally recognised project promoting the adoption of artificial intelligence in Italy and Europe. During the event, IT4LIA unveiled an investment plan of more than €400m over three years that will deploy a supercomputer in Bologna dedicated to artificial intelligence — providing free access to GPUs and expert support, including for start-ups and early-stage AI projects.
The choice of iconic venues — from the Salaborsa Library on 17 September to the Bologna Business School and finally Palazzo De Rossi for the gala dinner on 18 September — highlighted the region’s ambition to establish itself as an international hub of innovation.
The Bologna Gathering, powered by CTE COBO, was founded by ART-ER, the Regional Agency for Innovation, the Metropolitan City and Municipality of Bologna, and the Emilia-Romagna Region. Key partners of the 2025 edition are the Houses of Emerging Technologies funded by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), the BI-REX Competence Centre, and IT4LIA AI Factory.
The event stands as a leading example of public–private collaboration: produced by Cubbit and the association StartYouUp, with FNDX as premium sponsor, in close partnership with BBS - Bologna Business School and G-Factor (Fondazione Golinelli), and with the support of Intesa Sanpaolo, Almacube, MUG Magazzini Generativi, Gianni & Origoni, and Gellify.
“These two days of work and meetings with top-tier investors confirm that our region is increasingly recognised as an attractive ecosystem and one of Europe’s foremost hubs of innovation. The more than 1,000 meetings testify the maturity of this ecosystem and its ability to connect the best talents, the most disruptive ideas, and international capital. As the Emilia-Romagna Region, we are proud to have contributed to creating a platform that transforms connections into concrete growth opportunities, placing our region at the heart of the strategy to relaunch and affirm technological sovereignty in Europe and Italy," - said Vincenzo Colla, Vice President of the Emilia-Romagna Region.
“The Bologna Gathering has showcased the extraordinary innovative potential of Bologna and the wider territory: our ecosystem is dynamic, vibrant, and attractive both nationally and internationally. It is a driving force for innovation with unique qualities, fuelled by talents and centres of excellence that embody our vision of growth as sustainable and inclusive. The number of meetings and the calibre of participants confirm the concrete nature of these opportunities. Since the very first edition, we have contributed to building this project, and we are now even more convinced that the synergic commitment with the Region and the virtuous collaboration with private partners is the right strategy — with the city as its engine,” added Rosa Grimaldi, Delegate for economic promotion and attractiveness of the Municipality and Metropolitan City of Bologna.
“In less than two days, The Bologna Gathering showed that the Emilia-Romagna region and Bologna host a highly dynamic ecosystem ready to drive European innovation and attract new talent and capital, - commented Stefano Onofri and Alessandro Cillario, co-founders of Cubbit, the Bologna-based scale-up partnering on the event. “Over 1,000 meetings in eight hours are more than just a number: they will soon translate into partnerships, deals, and investments. As Mario Draghi reminded us, ‘Do something!’ That is what we did by bringing 300 leaders to Bologna from Europe, the Americas, and Asia — founders, investors, and corporates who are together writing the next chapter of European innovation. Europe cannot afford to lose the tech race: this edition showed that Italy can and must be at the forefront of Europe’s tech transformation.”
