From 2009 to 2010: looking back and forward

It's been a memorable year, here, at the Mind the Bridge Foundation.
For an organization that is in 3rd year of activity, the developments we had in a year like 2009 really matter.

Here are just some of the highlights:

Jan - a new Board of Directors starts
Feb - we launch the MTB Gym, Eris4 and Gli Affidabili join it
Mar - we host the 2008 finalists
Apr - roadshow and Gran Finale event at the Plug&Play
May - we are recognized as a California public charity corporation
Jun - we launch the 2009/10 business plan competition
Jul - we introduce our Italy based team
Sep - the Acceleratore of Politecnico di Milano becomes an affiliate of the MTB Gym (3 startup/year in Silicon Valley)
- We host our first intern in Silicon Valley
Oct - Telecom Italia Working Capital becomes an affiliate of the MTB Gym: a MTB-WC prize is instituted for one startup
- We host the first Presentation Skill training session in Milan
Nov - MTB Venture Camp event hosted in collaboration with Il Corriere della Sera. The event gets sold out in 2 weeks: 475 participants and over 7000 viewers of the live streaming
Dec - We become the main recipient of a major grant from Fondazione Cariplo


Looking back, we ought to feel really proud of what we have accomplished.
4000 of people became part of our network, 500 in Facebook, 300 in LinkedIn, our You Tube channel has been one of the most viewed among the non-profit sector worldwide. It's all a testament that what we are trying to achieve is really relevant.

However, we still feel we are at the very beginning of our adventure.
We want to help forge a global vision of entrepreneurship among Italians, we want to create a positive attitude among Italian innovators, we want to make an impact to the bottom line of our country.

2010 is shaping up as another formidable step along those lines.
We have plenty of new activities already in the pipeline.

I've set 2 main objectives for ourselves in 2010:
1) To become the primary, capillary collector of new business ideas in Italy
2) to establish the MTB Gym as the #1 startup school for Italian startups in Silicon Valley

That is, we will be focusing on strengthening the 2 extremes of the value chain we are in.

You'll hear more in the next few days.

However, if there's something we must be very proud of is the spirit of the community we are building.
The positiveness that we are sharing is evident.
In particular the abnegation, camaraderie, professional respect and friendship among our team is what really makes this whole adventure so special to me.

Thank you guys, you rock!

Happy 201o.

Two MTB Alumni pitch at CrESIT-Assobiotec Workshop 2009

With the support of MTB, an Elevator Pitch session has been introduced at CrESIT-Assobiotec Workshop 2009. The CrESIT-Assobiotec Workshop 2009 , that will be held on Nov 23 in Varese, is an international Conference on Life Science Industry, focused on business models and managerial issues.
This year we invited to pitch Echolight and Nano4Bio. Echolight is one of the 14 Venture Camp 2009 semi-finalists, while Nano4Bio is one of our first Alumni. Hope they will benefit from the chance of presenting their business model in front of investors specialized in life science and managers and CEOS from biotech and pharma industry. Click here for the full agenda.


The CrESIT-ASSOBIOTEC annual Workshop is the most important event of the year for the Italian Biotech Industry and attract hundreds of academic researchers, senior executives and practitioners in Biotech, Pharma, and Private Equity Industries from all around the world. This year will join the panel – among the others - Gary Pisano from Harvard University, Lisa Conte, CEO of Silicon Valley based Napo Pharma, Marina Del Bue, GM of Molmed. Together with them we will discuss how a life science company can design its own business model and global value architecture and raise funding.
The CrESIT-Assobiotec Workshop is jointly organized by CrESIT and CIBIE (the Centre for International Business and the International Economy of University of Pavia) in partnership with the Italian Biotech Business Association (ASSOBIOTEC) and Blossom&Company, advisory and consulting firm focused on biotech. The event is sponsored by Pricewaterhouse Cooper.
This is a free event, but pre-registration is required. For info www.cresit.it

Reserve your seat for Venture Camp, Milano nov. 6th - 7th

November 6th - 7th are Venture Camp days.
In the beautiful premises of our host and partner Corriere della Sera, we will listen to an amazing line of speakers, and will be able to hear from the 14 semi-finalists of the competition their elevator pitches to the members of the international venture capital community who will attend.

We have limited capacity, so, reservations are mandatory.
Please do reserve your seat in advance here, and...


...don't forget the Gala Reception on Friday night!
This is your opportunity to get to know all the speakers, investors and to get the best out of your networking skills... while becoming a donor of the Mind the Bridge foundation.
The best part?
We have rented the entire Pinacoteca Brera for this special occasion.
We'll have a truly memorable, intimate guided tour of one of the best museums in the world...while networking!
A pretty good deal.

Save the Date: Venture Camp @ Corriere

We do what we do because we genuinely believe that our activity can have a relevant social and economic impact in Italy.

To spread the word and the insights of our outstanding network, we have always been striving to find the right media partner.

Today we are happy to announce that our media partner is il Corriere della sera.
Il Corriere will be hosting the Venture Camp event in November, where, among an amazing line up of speakers (stay tuned for more), you'll be able to witness the pitches from the semi-finalist startups. What a great opportunity to showcase your great project to such a large audience!

As last year, the whole event will be webcasted live.