MIA – MISS IN ACTION IS BORN: THE FIRST ACCELERATION PROGRAM IN ITALY FOR FEMALE-LED INNOVATIVE STARTUPS AND SMES
The accelerator, which will support the digital talent of women and contribute to the growth of female-led teams within the Italian innovation ecosystem, has as its promoters: Digital Magics, BNP Paribas International Financial Services, BNP Paribas Cardif, Findomestic, Arval Italy and BNL Group BNP Paribas under the patronage of the Municipality of Milan
Projects must be sent by 13th January 2019 to www.missinaction.it
The jury – made up of top female managers, entrepreneurs, business angels, representatives of institutions – will choose the 4 most innovative companies, who will be the central figures of 3 months of training and product and service development, 2 months of work for the creation of a prototype and a final event with investors
Milan, 22 November 2018 – MIA – Miss In Action is born: the first acceleration program dedicated to Italian innovative startups and SMEs, which were founded by women entrepreneurs. The initiative was presented today in Milan in the splendid setting of Torre Diamante – BNP Paribas headquarters in Italy –  by: Isabella Fumagalli, CEO of BNP Paribas Cardif and Coordinator of BNP Paribas IFS for Italy; Layla Pavone, Chief Innovation Marketing and Communication Officer at Digital Magics; Andrea Munari, CEO of BNL and Head of BNP Paribas for Italy and Marco Gay, CEO of Digital Magics.
Digital Magics, the most important incubator of “Made in Italy” digital startups active throughout Italy, BNP Paribas International Financial Services, BNP Paribas Cardif, Findomestic, Arval Italy and BNL Group BNP Paribas are the creators of the MIA – Miss In Action programme, which aims to accelerate and support the digital talent of women and to help female teams grow within the Italian innovation ecosystem.
Of all the projects submitted by 13th January 2019 to www.missinaction.it, the 4 best female-led innovative startups and SMEs will be selected, which will have access to the acceleration program at the Digital Magics offices in Milan.
The jury of MIA – Miss In Action, who will choose the winning business ideas and support the female startuppers throughout the process to encourage their growth, is made up of the management of Digital Magics, of the BNP Paribas Group Companies and of 7 female top managers, businesswomen, business angels, institutional representatives: Anna Amati, META Group Vice President and IAG member; Paola Bonomo, Business Angel; Frieda Brioschi, entrepreneur and Professor IED; Roberta Cocco, Assessor for Digital Transformation and Civic Services, Municipality of Milan; Alessandra Gritti, Chief Executive Officer Tamburi Investment Partners; Sandra Mori, President of Valore D and Data Privacy Officer Coca-Cola Europe and Fausta Pavesio, Business Angel and Smartup Capital Investor Board Member.
The accelerator has three phases: dedicated training and development of products and services, improving the models, lasting 3 months; the second of MVP (Minimum Viable Product), which will involve innovative startups and SMEs in the creation of a working prototype for launch on the market over two months. and the Investor Day, the final event with investors to present the results achieved after the acceleration of MIA – Miss In Action.
WOMEN AND INNOVATION
At the end of the third quarter of 2018 in Italy, innovative startups with a majority of women – in which the shareholdings and administrative offices are mostly held by women – number 1,313 (13.6% of the total, over 9,600). However, there are 4,154 innovative startups (43.1% of the total) in which at least one woman is present in the company structure. With regard to innovative SMEs, there are 73 out of 899 with a female presence, 8.1% of the total. (Source: InfoCamere – startup.registroimprese.it).
In terms of loans and investors, the female component also still faces a gender gap worldwide: according to Pitchbook, in 2017 only slightly more than 2% (1.9 billion Dollars) of all venture capital financing in the US was picked up by female startuppers, compared to 79% of capital for all-male teams. Only 8% of members of investment funds are women. In 2017, in Italy, 1 private investment in 5 was completed by a woman and 20% of Italian business angels were female (Source: Survey IBAN 2017).
“The female accelerator ‘MIA’ was created about a year ago from an idea which I proposed during a networking moment in an important national event with several top managers and entrepreneurs including Isabella Fumagalli, who welcomed it with enthusiasm. As a woman and as a professional, I really believe in this project which we have been working on for months and which I have been very keen on” said Layla Pavone, Chief Innovation Marketing and Communication Officer of Digital Magics.
Isabella Fumagalli, among the promoters of the MIA project and an example of a top female manager BNP Paribas in Italy: “By carrying out this project for first, we aim to give a strong message to the market, to consumers and to all women – said the CEO of BNP Paribas Cardif and Coordinator of BNP Paribas IFS for Italy – MIA is a very effective tool to support new professional skills by promoting women’s entrepreneurship, in support of the country’s competitiveness. We also hope that it will feed the ambitions of young women and encourage them to believe in themselves, by developing skills and abilities which will be central to the futureâ€.
“In the BNP Paribas Group, we are convinced that a company is only healthy and cohesive when it is inclusive; when it allows all its members to express their values and achieve their goals. Therefore, we are particularly proud to be partners of MIA and to be able to contribute to the dissemination of a female entrepreneurial culture. At BNP Paribas, we focus on talent as a growth factor for people and a development and competitiveness factor for the company. Our HR policies provide initiatives for excellent professional development that are fully inclusive. Women occupy a fundamental place in this strategy due to their ability to bring added value to the work place, for example in relationships with people, and for their natural tendency to be innovative and creative” says Andrea Munari, CEO of BNL and Head of BNP Paribas for Italy.
“With ‘MIA’, together with our BNP Paribas Group partners, we want to concretely support the growth of the female component and leadership in the innovation ecosystem. In general, we believe that the word technology can often represent a cultural obstacle to doing business, so MIA will also work a lot on the role models and experience which Layla Pavone, together with other important top managers and entrepreneurs who have joined the program, will make available to selected startuppers” says Marco Gay, CEO of Digital Magics.
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For further information:
Digital Magics – Press Office
Giorgio Bocchieri – Mail: giorgio.bocchieri@digitalmagics.com
Tel. 02 52505202 – Mobile 334 6853078
Digital Magics, listed on AIM Italia (symbol: DM), is a business incubator which supports the startups of the Tech world with services for the enhancement and acceleration of digital business. Digital Magics, Talent Garden and Tamburi Investment Partners have created the most important national innovation hub for DIGITAL MADE IN ITALY, offering innovative startups the support to create successful projects, from concept to IPO. Digital Magics has always been a partner of excellent companies with its Open Innovation services, creating a synergistic bridge between companies and digital startups. Incubation and acceleration services by Digital Magics are active on Talent Garden coworking campuses throughout Italy. Complementary to services are investment activities, which over the years have produced a portfolio of over 70 investments in startups, scaleups and digital spinoffs with high growth rates. Accelerated companies are joined by the Digital Magics team, partners with great entrepreneurial and digital experience, and benefit both from the wide network of private and institutional investors which support them through the “club deal”, and from the many partner companies which support them at the industrial level.
BNP Paribas International Financial Services (BNP Paribas IFS) incorporates the following activities, at the service of Individual, Private, Corporate and Institutional Clients:
- Personal Finance, with Findomestic, which offers consumer finance solutions
- Insurance, with BNP Paribas Cardif, which offers savings and insurance protection solutions to individuals
- Asset Management, with BNP Paribas Asset Management and BNP Paribas Wealth Management
- Real Estate, with BNP Paribas Real Estate, European leader in commercial real estate which offers a comprehensive range of services that span the entire real estate lifecycle
One of the main international growth driver of the Group, BNP Paribas International Financial Services’ operations are major contributors to BNP Paribas’s earnings with 85,000 employees in more than 60 Countries.
BNP Paribas Cardif
World leader for creditor insurance*, BNP Paribas Cardif plays an essential role in the lives of insured customers, providing them with savings and protection solutions that let them realize their goals while protecting themselves from unforeseen events. As a committed enterprise, BNP Paribas Cardif strives to have a positive impact on society and make insurance available to the largest possible number of people. In a world shaped by the emergence of new uses and lifestyles, the company, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, has a unique business model anchored in partnerships. It co-creates solutions with almost 500 partners distributors in a variety of sectors (banks and financial institutions, automotive companies, retailers, telecommunications companies, energy companies, Independent Financial Advisors and brokers…) who then market the products to their customers. BNP Paribas Cardif is a recognized global specialist in personal insurance, serving 100 million clients in 35 countries with strong positions in three regions – Europe, Asia and Latin America. BNP Paribas Cardif also plays a major role in providing financing for the economy. With over 10,000 employees** worldwide, BNP Paribas Cardif had gross written premiums of €29.7 billion in 2017. Follow the latest news about BNP Paribas Cardif Twitter: @bnpp_cardif
Findomestic Banca operates for over two million customers offering credit, insurance and savings solutions. Present throughout Italy, Findomestic inspires its activities to the principles of social responsibility, promoting a sustainable and responsible approach to credit, to develop a long-term relationship with clients, partners and stakeholders. 100% owned by BNP Paribas Personal Finance, Findomestic is part of the BNP Paribas Group which is present in more than 70 countries, with over 189,000 employees, of which over 146,000 in Europe.
Arval Italy
Since 1995, Arval Italy is specialized in full service vehicle leasing and mobility services, and has been leader in the Country for over 20 years. The company’s total leased fleet adds up to more than 185,000 vehicles, guaranteeing mobility solutions to over 30,000 Clients in Italy. Service quality and expert advice, the foundations of Arval’s customer-centric promise, translate into tailored and innovative solutions to optimize the mobility needs of all its Clients – individuals, SMEs, professionals, large corporates, and their employees.
BNL, with over 100 years of activity, today is one of the Italy’s leading banking groups and one of the most-known brands as well. With around 1000 stores throughout the country – Branches, Private Banking Centres, Business Centres “Creo per l’Imprenditore”, Corporate Centres and Public Administration – BNL offers solutions, products and services, both traditional and more innovative, aimed to individuals, companies and institutions. Since 2006 BNL has been part of BNP Paribas, an international banking group, present in more than 70 countries with over 198,000 employees, more than 145,000 of whom placed in Europe where it has four domestic markets: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg. BNP Paribas holds a key position in two of the major business areas: Retail Banking & Services and Corporate & Institutional Banking.
