Charles Versaggi, new director of Startup School

Our Startup School has quickly become a key activity for the MTB Foundation.

Since June 2011, we run 4 intakes, graduating 30 entrepreneurs (or wanna-be entrepreneur, prior to the school).

On Monday this week, the new cycle of our startup school, 2o12 edition, just kicked off.

The school is poised to become a major effort for our foundation: we plan to more than double the total number of graduates and total sessions, establishing an important imprint in Silicon Valley.

I'm really happy to announce that our Charles Versaggi will be running such an effort.

We are truly excited that a seasoned professional of the experience, commitment and sense of humor (we need a lot of that!!) like Charles accepted our offer to lead such a development.
In the past Charles directed several Bootcamps for MTB, so we know he'll do a terrific job stepping up in this new endeavor.

For our Foundation, the Startup School really represents a key opportunity of funding and support for all other programs we run.

Go Charles, can't wait to see the future developments ahead of us!

And the Winner 2012 is... Timbuktu!

The Latins (and Italians...) called it "par condicio". After 2 years at Stanford, the show-case of the Mind the Bridge startup finalists for 2012 moved to UC Berkeley, kindly hosted by the European Business Association of Haas Business School.
Different side of the bay, same full house, same temperature (after 4 years, the summer-like conditions for our IID are almost guaranteed).
160 people attended to see what this new wave of Italian innovation has to offer.

They were not disappointed.
After an engaging keynote by Peter Arvai, the founder of the super cool Prezi (he's also a super cool dude), the 11 finalists of the MTB and Intesa Sanpaolo initiatives took the stage.

By design, we want to present a diverse showcase of different technologies, ranging from new media to enterprise software to green tech and bio-med.

Among a wide group of investors, this year's Investor Committee was composed of:

• Fabrizio Capobianco (coordinator) - founder Funambol
• Ronald Weissman - Band of Angels
• Pietro Lomazzi - Noventi VC
• Ettore Leale - Xplorer Capital
• Adam Smith - AOL Ventures
• Peter Arvai - founder Prezi

Their role, as usual, was to grill the startups on the critical business aspects after the 5-min presentations (alas, no-one in Prezi yet!).

And to pick the most promising ones.

Solid presentations across the board.

Here's what they finally came up with:

Results:

1) Timbuktu Labs:

An award-winning Ipad magazine for kids and parents. Engaging the content (they partner with the relevant Reggio Children center), engaging the 2 female c0-founders (creative, energetic and competent)

2) Kitotech:

a revolutionary bandaid proprietary technology, integrating chitin nanofiber. Enhanced healing and minimize scarring (I need it now!) Kick-ass team (HQ in Seattle).

3) BrainControl:

A mind blowing technology (seriously!) to provide simple commands with your thought (a helmet reads your EEG signals). Serious kick-ass stuff.

In gaming or military could be a killing.

Pasquale (CEO), instead, has decided to use it to provide some comfort to folks with multiple sclerosis, ALS, etc. Why? Because that's what drives him!

Chappeau (he didn't get the first place because "marketing matters a lot", investors said...)

To all our startups: a pretty darn good job.

Now it's time to go out and prosper!

Italian Innovation Week in Silicon Valley

Introducing startups from Italy to the sophisticated audience of Silicon Valley has historically been challenging.

Let's face it.

Italian technology? Too exotic, too naive, too remote.

Besides some sporadic fortunate landings, the "road to Silicon Valley" has been a remote possibility for Italian startups.

So, what the heck is going on now?

Just this week a plethora of events is promoting the booming of the Italian startup ecosystem:

- The Italian startup renaissance, a VC prospective: Andrea Baldini (Early Bird VC)

- Welcome party + MTB GYM Open House

- The Connected Vehicle and the Internet of Thing (SVIEC event)

- The Italian Innovation Day (Berkeley, 2/23)

So many events, that we moved from our first timid attempt last year of a day dedicated to Italian innovation, to a resounding Italian Innovation Week in Silicon Valley!

Why?

The bubbling up of Italian innovation that is manifesting itself in the last couple of years is now also spilling over outside its national boundaries.

Mind the Bridge has been beating on the startup-made-in-Italy drum for quite sometime.

But we're not alone now.

Qualified parters such as Intesa Sanpaolo, (Fernando Napolitano's) Italian Business & Investment Initiative, BAIA, Top-IX just to mention a few.

We are all pushing in the same direction.

What does it take now to become the next Israel or India for Silicon Valley?

2 words: quality and quantity. We need both.

We need to maintain high standards of startups representing us and constant volumes.

It's clear we've graduated to the major league.

Our track record so far: from ~ 20 companies in the last 2 years more than half have experienced a mind blowing acceleration:

we had

- 2 exits, 1 winner of Le Web, 1 winner of SeedCamp, 1 winner of Microsoft Bizspark, 6 raised (further) VC money

A success rate that is hard to match even by the best in class.

Now we need to harness the potential and start bringing home some big-shot successes.

Italy is ripe. We are too.

Getting ready for the Italian Innovation Day (2/23)

We're getting excited about the upcoming Italian Innovation Day, which will be held on Thursday, February 23, at UC Berkeley, starting at 4:30pm.

The startups are working hard to polish their presentations and wow you with what they have to offer. Come see their new products and services, which this year cover a really wide spectrum, from areospace technology to mood-matching music and an iPad magazine.

And we are really delighted to announce that Peter Arvai, CEO and co-founder of Prezi will be the keynote speaker. Peter knows first-hand what it means to build a bridge between Europe and Silicon Valley, and how to take advantage of it to make a company succeed.

With offices in Budapest, Hungary, and San Francisco, and over $14M of capital raised since its launch in April of 2009, Prezi is one of the best known examples of transatlantic startup.

Peter will share his experience and talk about the do’s and don’t’s of starting and growing a company with offices and talent working many time zones apart.

And of course, it wouldn't be an Italian Innovation Day without some great food and wine, catered by our friends at C'Era Una Volta.

Italian Innovation Day is made possible by the work of a lot of outstanding and committed volunteers, both in Italy and in the United States. A big "thank you" goes to all of them. And another one goes to our sponsors, who are making all of this possible with their support.

Next steps:

• Sign up here: hurry up, it's almost sold out!
• Agenda
• Location and directions

We look forward to seeing you at the 2012 Italian Innovation Day!

Massimo Arrigoni joins MTB board

I'm excited to report that Massimo Arrigoni (AKA SuperMassi) has joined the MTB Board of Directors.

An entrepreneur at heart, already sitting on the board of BAIA (Business Association Italy America) and now leading the development of MailUp in the US, Massimo is an outstanding addition to the MTB team.

As his nickname suggests, Massi tends to over deliver in everything he does. One example for all: with 4 children under his belt (figuratively speaking), Massi is still the record holder among the (un)famous group of Italian fathers in the Bay Area.

See here for his full (real) bio.

With a 2012 full of exciting new developments ahead of us, I am thrilled to be able to count on the support of a professional and a friend of the caliber of Massi.

Welcome SuperMassi!

We Love OpenHouses!

2011 has definitely been a great year for networking events. With more than 10 openhouse parties, +40 startups have presented their ideas in front of more than 450 people. The perfect occasion for sharing their projects, improving their presentation skills and getting feedbacks. Andrea from Hyperfair, Francesco from Spreaker, Antonio from Beintoo, Lorenzo from Treedom and Elisabetta from Quipu have been among the first to participate, followed then by many others.

Since its start, Openhouse has been a periodic event for startups and our community.

Here a quick 2011's rewind:

Since June, our friends from Istituto de Impresa came twice to visit us during their Silicon Valley Study tour trip. The first time at the beginning of summer and then again last november during the One Market Opening Party organized with SOMAcentral. A great event where we had the pleasure to take part in a firechat with Pierluigi Zappacosta (Founder & exCEO of Logitech, today Venture Partner @ Noventi VC).

If you missed it, here below some highlights:

In July we hosted an outstanding presentation from Fadi Bishara, about "The Startup Genome Project and the Marmer Stages". A group of senior managers visiting the Silicon Valley with the American Chamber of Commerce and some folks from Google Italy also came to enjoy the party.

Below a recap of the event:

In August (after the visit from Le Iene) also RAI TV joined us to record our August Openhouse , interviewing participants and shooting some footage. During this event, we had an inspiring guest speaker: Hartmut Esslinger - Industrial Designer and Inventor and Founder of Frog Design.

We 're pretty sure that all the attendees still remember his presentation "Managing Creativity in Business - Right vs. Left Brain -The ultimate challenge of young entrepreneurs".

If you weren't amongst the lucky ones who were be there you can either have a look of this presentation or watch the following video:

Here you can also find the video that RAI has released.

Again in August, our friends from Silicon Valley Study Tour came to visit Pier 38. Students from Startup School had their great occasion to present their projects.

In September during our "changing time" we had the last, well deserved Goodbye Party in Pier 38, the historical, vibrant icon for startups. Loris Degioanni, founder of Cacetech (acquired by Riverbed) had his introduction speech and we also hosted a photography exhibition from ArtForLove.

Here's Loris' speech:

Last but not the least, in October in the occasion of our move to our new location at One market plaza, we hosted a group of Executives from the industrial associations Confindustria Venezia and Padova. Below are pics taken by our great friend and photographer Paolo Bonaccorsi from B-Crome during the event.

Finally this Friday, January 13th we are hosting our first Openhouse of 2012. A group of Italian entrepreneurs from A.SVI.COM will join us for another great networking opportunity.

We are planning many other events throughout 2012. So.. stay tuned and be ready to meet and mingle with us!

Startup School 2012, a New Adventure Awaits

After the success of the previous editions, Mind the Bridge is now receiving applications for the 2012 Startup School, which will take place in San Francisco from March 5th to March 23rd.

Having a precise business idea is not a requirement; all you need is a strong desire to create a technology startup company and a good English proficiency. The deadline is January 31, 2012.

The startup school program includes theoretic learning lessons taught by Silicon Valley personalities on the typical aspects a startup needs to take into account to scale its business.

Don’t worry, you won’t spend all your day taking notes. Our program also includes a practical learning workshop with team work, visits to Silicon Valley high tech companies, incubators and Universities. A full immersion in the life of a startup.

To learn more about the program, take a look at the Curriculum. And if you’re curious to know what our alumni have experienced, browse through our previous editions.

HOW TO APPLY

Send an email to startupschool@mindthebridge.org with your CV and business idea (optional) attached. A good level of English proficiency is required. After completing the application, you will be invited to take an English Test which is one of our main criteria for evaluating applicants.

COST

The tuition cost is $1,800. If you are under 30, Mind the Bridge Foundation could support up to 40% of the tuition cost, based on merit. The cost is not refundable and it doesn't include transportation and accommodation.

ACCOMMODATION

Mind the Bridge offers the availability of shared corporate apartments starting at $1,800 per month per person. Living with your peers is an important component of the school.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Apply by January 31, 2012. Limited availability.

The program will be only activated with a minimum number of 12 students.

Here you can find more information about the program.

Highlights from 2011

The best of 2011

Stating that it's been a busy year is just an understatement.

We started the year incubating 12 startups, in addition to our long term guests at the gym.

The Italian Innovation day at Stanford and then in New York were stunning successes, where our startups showed to the world to be ready for the premier league.

At least, that's what the world top VCs who judged our finalists told us (and that was pre-drinks, so we can assume they really think so).

We had a busy spring in Italy, with multiple events around the country as part of our usual MTB Italy Tour. 500+ people attended those events, dozen of startups had the opportunity to present and build their muscles.

In the meantime, the activities at the Gym got more and more dense. We hosted countless open-houses and demo days, often matched with large groups visiting from Italy (plenty!).

Among the several interesting friends we hosted Le Iene, RAI TV, Helmut Esslinger (Frog Design), Pierluigi Zappacosta (Logitech), Nerio Alessandri (Technogym) and many more.

Moreover, we launched our first Startup School: with the support of Wired, we run four 3-week sessions which got fully booked with 30+ participants.

In the midst of all this activity, we also moved our HQ from Pier 38 to the One Market landmark in San Francisco.

To top all off, November was Venture Camp month, with hundreds of participants, a memorable night with Le Iene and thousands of followers (we crossed the 3000 on FB).

What a year folks! The video says it all. As Simona, who made the video on Xmas eve, while cooking, puts it: "while putting together all those memorable moments, I re-lived the emotions and the fun while working with such a unique bunch. It's heaven."

That's exactly how I feel.

Have a memorable 2012.

Personally, I can't wait.

Stereomood wins Premio RCS 2011

Stereomood is the winner of the RCS Prize for 2011 as the most innovative startup in Digital Publishing.

As the name implies, Stereomood thrives to re-organize the way we approach, listen and discover music based not on a singer or playlist (still an extension of singers) but rather on your mood.

Feeling Christmas-y these days? Here's the right music for you!

Do you want to transmit a good karma? Here's the music that will fit you like a glove!

I personally tried the "making love" list. It didn't quite got me what I was hoping for. However it did get me pretty relaxed (and with a good karma too).

How do they do that? Their juice is their proprietary algorithm for music taxonomy: stereorank (kind of resembles the famous "pagerank" algorithm, that made Google Google - good karma?) collects tags from music blogs, crowdsource and music habits of listeners.

They are breaking the usual paradigm of listening to music (I listen what I like), and rather create an interesting alternative to discover new music, not the big hits, based on the atmosphere I'm trying to generate.

Something that theme parks or shopping malls have known for quite some time.

Love or not love, I can see why they have over 1M visitors/month with an amazing 75% of returning users. It's fun!

Monetizing their traffic won't be a walk in the park, but they are not alone in that struggle (ask Pandora, LastFM, Spotify and the likes).

And that's what they'll be working on in their 3 months incubation at the MTB GYM.

We'd better start working on the "traveling to San Francisco" music tagging...

Vinswer wins Premio Marzotto - MTB

Vinswer rules.
Last night in Vicenza, the Associazione Progetto Marzotto in collaboration with MTB, proclaimed Vinswer as the winner of the Gaetano Marzotto prize (hi-tech / international).

Vinswer provides a marketplace where professionals can sell their by-the-minute service to a relevant community.

Where's the beauty of it? Publishers can embed the service for free in minutes.

Think at an Adsense where, instead of text ads, publishers can earn significant revenue from B2C transactions... and with a better rev share plan.

The market can be enormous, the size of the infinite professional services that human beings can sell online.

Could be professional services by the minute (lawyers , designers, architects) but also, more importantly, regular folks with an interest and a talent, that can earn a few bucks in their spare time. How many Americans would love to learn Italian from a mother tongue on line or would appreciate some suggestions on how to furnish their home with taste from an Italian "interior designer"? How about cooking class?

Vinswer provides a community and a tachymeter (video, mobile or whatever).

Examples? Here's an initial implementation within the Bakeca website.

Congrats to the co-founders of Vinswer.

We'll be providing 4 months of full incubation, here at the Gym.

Get your ticket ready, we can't wait to see you in the Bay area ;-)