From 25 to 31 January, the teams selected by the SERICS – Lab2Bay programme will be in San Francisco for a week-long acceleration programme involving universities, investors and tech companies in the Bay Area, culminating in a Demo Day.
SERICS – Lab2Bay is the programme promoted by Fondazione SERICS with the aim of supporting researchers, start-ups and spin-offs within the SERICS ecosystem as they work to commercialise and internationalise research findings in the fields of cybersecurity and digital transformation. The programme was established to promote technology transfer and dialogue between research and industry at an international level.
The project is now entering its key phase. Having completed Phase 1 of technical and strategic preparation – which focused on refining their pitch, intellectual property and fundraising strategies – the 18 selected teams will take part in Phase 2: Acceleration Week in Silicon Valley.
From 25 to 31 January, the SERICS delegation will be in San Francisco, hosted by INNOVIT – Italian Innovation & Culture Hub (710 Sansome Street). The initiative is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and carried out in collaboration with Harmonic Innovation Xcelerator and the Giacomo Brodolini Foundation.
A link between research and the global market
Cybersecurity is now a key factor in competitiveness and economic growth. Lab2Bay was established to strengthen the link between the scientific excellence of Italian laboratories and the global market, providing the Governance, Software and Devices clusters in the SERICS ecosystem with practical tools to pursue international development opportunities.
The programme: a week at the heart of innovation
The programme offers a comprehensive insight into the Silicon Valley ecosystem through sector-specific sessions and high-profile meetings:
- Ecosystem and Venture Capital: The event will begin on Monday 26 January with a welcome address by Consul General Massimo Carnelos, followed by specialised sessions on US investment trends, featuring representatives from prestigious investment firms such as Blumberg Capital and Gradient Ventures.
- Academic Excellence: on 27 and 30 January the focus will be on technological transfer, with visits to UC Berkeley and Stanford University. The programme includes a panel discussion on “Research-to-Industry” and meetings with experts such as Prof. Alberto Salleo (Deputy Director of SLAC, Stanford) on AI safety and human-centred AI.
- Meet the Big Techs A high-profile industry meeting will take place at the HPE / Juniper Networks headquarters, where the delegation will meet Domenico Di Mola (GVP, HPE Networking) and senior engineering and product leaders.
- Legal & Strategy: Wednesday 28 January will be devoted to the legal aspects of science-based ventures and refining the pitch, with support from experts at Forgepoint Capital and NightDragon.
Demo Day: a showcase of Italian innovation
The highlight of the mission will be the Demo Day & Innovation Showcase on Thursday 29 January. Researchers and start-up founders will present their solutions to a select audience of investors, industry partners and the media.
The day will feature an in-depth panel discussion on the future of cybersecurity, focusing on artificial intelligence, digital identity and emerging threats, facilitated by experts from Vanta and Reken.
The mission will come to an end on Friday with an institutional networking event at the Consulate General of Italy, marking the culmination of an initiative designed to foster dialogue between the research community and the market and to strengthen the international standing of the “Italian System” in the cybersecurity sector.