Inspiring Event in Liguria: A Milestone for UnicornQuest

This autumn, the UnicornQuest consortium partners and local stakeholders gathered for a motivational two-day event in Genoa to immerse themselves in the vibrant Ligurian ecosystem and discover innovative startups.

Held on October 10–11, the fourth interregional learning event of the Interreg Europe UnicornQuest project was hosted by Regione Liguria.

The event opened with an insightful presentation of the Liguria Region's Smart Specialisation Strategy, delivered by regional experts. Participants were then introduced to one another during a partner and stakeholder session, followed by engaging startup pitches from companies such as Buddyfit, Hiro Robotics, Netalia, and Hodlie, highlighting groundbreaking ideas and cutting-edge technologies.

The second day shifted to a workshop-style format, applying the Harvard CASE method to analyze ways to capitalize on successful company examples for shaping regional policy instruments. Discussions centered on ecosystem development, startup support, and studying unicorn companies.

The day was further enriched by site visits to key institutions like the University of Genoa, the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, and IIT labs, where participants explored technology transfer processes and spin-off success stories.

This inspiring event strengthened collaboration among partners and generated fresh ideas for enhancing regional ecosystems and fostering startup growth. It marked another important step in the UnicornQuest project’s mission to drive innovation and economic development across Europe.

For more details and photos, please refer to the Event Dossier.