The article highlights Omio’s role in guiding travelers to optimal dark‑sky locations in Italy for the Perseids and to top spots in Spain for the August 2026 total solar eclipse, using its multimodal booking platform to suggest routes and transport options.
Italian software developer Bending Spoons announced a $2.25 billion acquisition of US workflow platform Airtable, marking its first deal after listing on Nasdaq and continuing its aggressive European software‑acquisition strategy.
Italian agritech startup Aflabox raised €1.35 million in a seed round led by Farming Future and supported by Eatable Adventures through the FoodSeed program. The funding will be used to finalize device certification, expand commercial operations in Kenya, Nigeria and Italy, set up a micro‑factory, and improve its AI‑driven field‑intelligence platform for rapid mycotoxin detection.
Drivalia, a Rome‑based mobility rental company, secured €48 million financing from the European Investment Bank to deploy about 2,900 electric vehicles in Italy and Finland, supporting its fleet electrification and EU climate goals.
Tolo Green, in collaboration with the Universities of Cagliari and Sassari, CRS4 and the Sardinia Aerospace District, secured an international patent for a novel bioreactor system that simulates Martian gravity and atmosphere to cultivate Spirulina, a protein‑rich microalga, for future space missions. The patent has been granted in Japan and Russia and is being evaluated for other major markets.
Znext, a venture‑builder platform backed by Italian publisher Zanichelli, is launching its first overseas market in Spain. The company has hired Marco Parente as Head of M&A to oversee the scouting, negotiation and integration of deals and to coordinate the international growth strategy. The move aims to create a stable presence in Spain’s dynamic ecosystem and to identify opportunities aligned with Znext’s focus on training, work and wellbeing technologies.
Italian cybersecurity startup Beelzebub raised €3 million in a seed round led by United Ventures, bringing its total funding to €3.3 million. The AI‑native platform protects organisations against AI‑driven attacks and will be used to expand its research team, open offices in Rome and San Francisco, and accelerate European customer acquisition.
Babylon Facilities, a spin‑off of Rome‑based Babylon Cloud, raised €12 million in a three‑tranche equity round and accompanying debt instruments to build a 3 MW+ data centre powered entirely by solar energy, aiming to generate more electricity than it consumes.
BeGreat used the Giffoni Film Festival as a stage to launch its “Growing Our Sports Talents” roadshow, gathering athletes, educators, media professionals and tech partners to discuss how an ecosystem of opportunities, mentorship and technology can nurture the next generation of sports champions in Italy.
CleanOs, Fraido and Prometheus Plasma Systems were chosen as the three finalists of the Lake Como Venture Lab, an Italian deep‑tech incubator. Each startup will receive a €150,000 grant and a year of support at the Politecnico di Milano’s Lecco campus, aiming to accelerate their mechatronics and medtech innovations.