In less than 10 days, Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol, will host the inaugural Italian edition of Slush'D, a highly anticipated event that promises to transform the landscape of innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. Slush'D, which will take place on 3 September, received the patronage of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and is organised by Christian Frigo, a unibz Alumnus (Faculty of Economics). It is a decentralized version of the globally renowned Slush conference and, set to take place at NOI Techpark and Fiera Bolzano, it will help establish the city as a new focal point for startups, investors, and industry leaders.

Slush'D is known for fostering dynamic ecosystems by connecting startups with investors, mentors, and corporate leaders. The Bolzano edition is expected to attract around 600 attendees. It features an impressive lineup of over 55 speakers, including prominent figures such as Frédéric du Bois-Reymond, partner at Early Bird, Laurens Groenendijk, co-founder of Just Eat, Paolo Privitera, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at Events.com, Raffaele Terrone, founder of Scalapay, and Andrea D’Amico, CEO of WeRoad. In addition, 55 start-ups will be showcasing their innovations in the Expo area, while investors managing over €2.6 billion in assets will be on the lookout for the next big idea.

Dedicated Side Event: Loacker Business Challenge and iNest Ecosystem Meetup

As part of the Slush'D experience, unibz, in collaboration with the student association JEAA, Loacker, and the iNEST ecosystem, is organizing a side event on 2 September (to the Programme). This event includes the Loacker Business Challenge and an iNest ecosystem networking session, offering participants the chance to dive deeper into the world of startups and innovation.

unibz Side Event on 2 September, 2024

The side event will kick off with the Loacker Business Challenge from 13:00 to 17:00, where students will compete in a series of entrepreneurial challenges. This will be followed by the Main Session from 17:15 to 18:30, featuring speeches by key figures from unibz and the broader innovation community. Topics will range from the outlooks for the Mountecos Competence Center to pre-acceleration activities at unibz, with insights from experts such as Fabrizio Mazzetto, Claudio Bagnoli, and Francesco Ravazzolo. The day will conclude with the final session of the Loacker Business Challenge, where awards will be presented to the top-performing students.

For more info on the Side Event, you can contact Daniele Cortolezzis of unibz. 

Arturo Zilli