On Friday, February 17 2023, the international conference was held at Palazzo Camerata in Ancona “Silver Economy meets Innovation”
Solutions to live better and longer
Italy is running to become a major testing laboratory for innovation solutions aimed to the aging population: in our country the percentage of over-65s will exceed 30% in 2047 (in 2018 this estimate reached 22.8%), and the dependency ratio has already reached 3 active people for every elderly person in 2022: the highest in Europe.
The progressive population aging and the increase in active life expectancy are just two aspects of a demographic transformation that simultaneously poses challenges to our society and opens up great opportunities that are still little considered. Innovation plays a decisive role in providing answers to both and it’s the lever for developing new products, services and business models that are sustainable and capable of responding to the specific needs of this increasingly relevant and growing segment of the population both in our country and globally.
To deal with the topic in its various components, consistent with its commitment to spreading the culture of the Silver Economy and building the innovation ecosystem in this area, AC75SA organized the international conference called “Silver Economy Meets Innovation – Solutions to live better and longer” in Ancona.
The conference aimed to serve as a discussion table between Italian and international personalities and organizations actively engaged on the different fronts affected by the demographic transition. An opportunity for dialogue between economists, institutions, research centers and startups on the scope of the challenges posed by the demographic transition and the role of innovation in providing answers and generating new opportunities to live better and longer.
As part of the conference, the paper “Next Age: startups and innovation in the Silver Economy” was presented, which collects success stories and innovation trends told by the program partners: Intesa Sanpaolo (main partner), IRCCS INRCA (Istituto di Riposo e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) , UK-NICA (UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing), UNIVPM (Università Politecnica delle Marche) and AC75 SA.
As part of the National Accelerator Network sponsored by CDP Venture Capital, Next Age is the first acceleration program in Europe investing in Silver Economy startups.
The three-year program involves the selection of up to 10 seed and pre-seed startups each year, whom have access to a structured four-month pathway during which -before, during and after- they receive investments, scientific validation, mentorship of excellence, direct access to research centers and companies, and a strong and articulate international network.
In addition to an initial investment of €120,000 for each of the selected startups, program assets include capital for two subsequent follow-on post-acceleration rounds to a total up to €1.8 million and €4.25 million for startups with the highest growth potential.
The conference featured testimony from startup MindAhead, which raised a €500,000 round in which RoX Health, the corporate venture capital backed by pharmaceutical company Roche, participated.
AC75SA’s mission is to develop a hub of innovation in the Silver Economy through the active involvement in the Marche region of startups, corporate companies, research centers, and national and international investors: at the conference was announced the start of support for Next Age by two important institutional actors such as Regione Mache and the Municipality of Ancona, the entry of the Università Politecnica delle Marche into AC75SA’s capital thanks to the intervention of Fondazione Cariverona, and the start of the ecosystem partnership with the Silver Economy Network: the association of companies in the sector promoted by Assolombarda.
Event schedule
Part 1 – Conference
- Welcome and opening remarks – Mario Pesaresi – President of AC75 SA:Why innovation matters in the Silver Economy, the first batch experience and the Next Age Report
- TBC Orazio Schillaci – Health Minister – Institutional greetings
- Guido Giordano – Partner CDP Venture Capital: The National Accelerator Network and the impact on the Italian ecosystem
- Nick Carroll -Technical Assistance Advisor International Monetary Fund – FAD’s Expenditure Policy Division, Washington : Innovation and the fiscal challenges of an aging population
- Mario Baldassarri – Presidente ISTAO: Demographics, health care and public budget constraints: only solution service reorganization and innovation
- Collaboration between first Next Age batch startups and a corporate: The MindAhead partnership with RoX Health (La Roche Ltd)
Part 2 – Round Table
- Nicola Palmarini – Director – UK NICA: Opportunities for innovation and co-design/validation for the elderly
- Lorena Rossi – U.O. Assistance models and new technologies – CRESI – IRCCS INRCA: Social- Economic impacts of aging
- Luigi Ruggerone – Senior Director – Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center: Health care as the main theme of the Silver Economy: the innovation trend
- Gian Marco Revel – Univpm: Results of the European project E-Vita
Mario Salerno – Partnership and Ecosystem Advisor – AC75 Startup Accelerator: The Next Age experience And some successful international experiences Moderator: Andrea Biondi – Il Sole 24 Ore
