![\"Innovit](\"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/innovit-and-culture-hub.png\")
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Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n INNOVIT<\/strong> \u2013 Italian Innovation & Culture Hub<\/em> \u2013 is a project promoted by the Directorate General for Growth and Export Promotion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, implemented with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and managed by a private professional operator selected through a public tender procedure, in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Washington and the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco. Active since the end of 2021, it operates with the support of the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco, which respectively maintain a desk and their premises within the same facilities.<\/p>\n INNOVIT is a hub that supports Italian startups and innovative SMEs by accompanying them into one of the world\u2019s leading tech hubs, where some of the most significant technological transformations are taking place. It is run as a public-private partnership, combining the institutional standing of MAECI with the expertise of the private operator selected through the tender procedure.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The CALL4INNOVIT programmes<\/strong><\/p>\n The Hub supports the internationalisation and growth of Italian companies through events, initiatives and, above all, through the CALL4INNOVIT acceleration and soft-landing programmes. Every year, dozens of startups and innovative SMEs take part in CALL4INNOVIT. Each programme focuses on a specific sector, in order to provide participating companies with a tailored experience supported by expert mentors and speakers \u2014 more than 800 in total \u2014 also involved through the network of contacts of the Consulate General in San Francisco. Each year, the sectors covered by the calls are selected on the basis of their strategic importance for the country. These include, for example, biotechnology, life sciences, robotics, cybersecurity, green energy and space.<\/p>\n Each call includes an initial online preparatory phase, followed by a period of meetings, lectures and visits in San Francisco. The programme culminates in a demo day, during which participating companies present their products to an audience drawn from the technology, venture capital and university sectors. Once back in Italy, entrepreneurs take part in a final online follow-up phase aimed at consolidating the relationships established and the activities carried out in California.<\/p>\n Through CALL4INNOVIT, Italian companies are able to explore the Silicon Valley ecosystem with a significant reduction in individual costs, improve their products and build a wide network of high-level contacts. In its first three years of activity, INNOVIT accelerated almost 400 startups and SMEs, selected from more than 1,000 applicants, and brought around 680 entrepreneurs to San Francisco. Satisfaction among INNOVIT alumni is high, with the programmes receiving an average rating of 4.8 out of 5. Sixty-seven of the companies that took part in INNOVIT have raised funding amounting to EUR 101 million; others have opened an operational office in the United States while retaining their main headquarters in Italy, signed contracts with US clients, or joined further acceleration programmes overseas, including highly competitive programmes such as those run by Techstars New York, which has an admission rate of between 1 and 2 per cent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n INNOVIT and the Country System<\/strong><\/p>\n The operator managing INNOVIT also provides market-based services to major companies and institutions interested in open innovation<\/em> and in engaging with the West Coast<\/em> and the US market. These services have already been used by important actors, including Regions and major Italian groups operating in banking, energy and other sectors.<\/p>\n The success of the INNOVIT programme is the result of a collective effort involving MAECI, other Ministries, consulates, the Italian Trade Agency and several public bodies representing the Country System. Each year, these stakeholders define the guidelines for the following twelve months through Steering Committee<\/em> meetings. The role of the Italian diaspora in the Bay Area<\/em> is also essential. Italians and people of Italian descent contribute to INNOVIT\u2019s activities as mentors, while a high-level Advisory Board<\/em> \u2014 composed of executives from major US companies, investors and university professors \u2014 provides the Ministry with ongoing guidance on the strategic direction of the Hub.<\/p>\n Further information on INNOVIT\u2019s programmes, the deadlines for the various calls and the participation requirements is available at innovitsf.com<\/a> and call4innovitsf.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n