Over 300 selected decision-makers from start-ups, corporates, and VC funds worldwide will gather for the third edition of the event, united by a single goal: to back Italy's tech champions and shape Europe's next leaders starting with record setting deals like Namirial and Exein.On 17 and 18 September, Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna region will once again take centre stage in the European landscape of venture capital, start-ups, and emerging technologies. This marks the third edition of The Bologna Gathering (TBG), an exclusive event powered by CTE COBO and founded by ART-ER, the Metropolitan City and Municipality of Bologna, and the Emilia-Romagna Region reserved for 300 selected innovation leaders.
Venture capital and private equity investors from across the globe managing over 39bn in assets under management (AUM) are expected to attend, with a focus on investing in Italian high-tech companies, starting with those from the Emilia-Romagna region. The event further strengthens the city and region's position as a strategic hub within Europe's data valley, already supported by centres of excellence such as the DAMA Data Manufacturing Technopole in Bologna and the IT4LIA AI Factory an internationally recognised project promoting the adoption of artificial intelligence in Italy and Europe both key assets for the creation of new AI start-ups.
Attendees span investors from Europe, the Americas, and Asia; senior executives from leading Italian and international corporates; and founders of unicorns and scale-ups representing more than ten technology sectors. Notable names include White Star Capital (a global fund with offices in New York, London, Paris, Toronto, Tokyo, and Singapore), BlackRock (the world's largest private equity firm by assets under management, according to Dealroom), and Eight Roads (an international VC with more than 50 years of activity). Also attending on the European front are Balderton Capital (with portfolio entries such as Revolut and GoCardless, among Europe's leading early and growth-stage funds), and Northzone (with portfolio entries such as Spotify and Klarna).
As in past editions, the event will spotlight leading figures behind some of the most significant Italian tech transactions in recent months, including Namirial, the software company that achieved an exit in March valued at 1.1bn (enterprise value); and Exein, the cybersecurity scale-up that currently holds Italy's largest funding round of 2025, having raised 70m in July.
Alongside investors, companies and start-ups from more than ten key sectors will take part including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, fintech, and cloud. Participants include D-Orbit (a unicorn in space logistics), Satispay (fintech unicorn), and Domyn (formerly iGenius, enterprise AI). A core objective of the event is to connect these firms with leading Italian corporates, including Leonardo, TeamSystem, Fincantieri, Hera Group, Aruba, CRIF, Fastweb, Rai Way, Intesa Sanpaolo, Max Mara, WIIT, Zanichelli Editore, and Lepida.
Key partners also include the Houses of Emerging Technologies (Case delle Tecnologie Emergenti, CTE), a national network of 13 hubs funded by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (Ministero delle Imprese e del Made in Italy, MIMIT), tasked with promoting research, experimentation, and technology transfer to support next-generation digital networks.
The Bologna Gathering has been selected as the final showcase of this ministerial initiative, marking the completion of a promotional programme launched in 2023. In addition to the Innovation Hub led by the Municipality of Bologna (CTE COBO), representatives from the regional Innovation Hubs of Matera, L'Aquila, Turin, Prato, Rome, Naples, Campobasso, Taranto, Genoa, Cagliari, Bari, and Pesaro will also take part, bringing 20 of the most innovative organisations they have supported active in areas such as AI, blockchain, 5G, and immersive reality.
In previous years, the event has taken place in some of Bologna's most iconic innovation venues, including Opificio Golinelli, the DAMA Technopole, the Ducati Museum, and MAST. This year, it will open at Salaborsa on 17 September, continue on 18 September at the newly inaugurated hillside campus of Bologna Business School, and conclude with a gala dinner at Palazzo De Rossi.
The 2025 programme will feature high-profile moments, including a conversation between Alec Ross (technology policy expert, entrepreneur, and distinguished professor), Laurens Groenendijk (Founder, Just Eat and DFF), and Elena Moneta (Principal, Balderton Capital). Speakers will also include Massimiliano Pellegrini (CEO, Namirial), Alessandro Scortecci (Chief Investment Officer, CDP Venture Capital), Pierluigi Paracchi (founder of Genenta Science, listed on NASDAQ), Gianni Cuozzo (CEO, Exein), Francesco Ubertini (President, CINECA), Fabio Nalucci (Founder, FNDX and Gellify), and many others. In s Makula, co-founder of the Made IT podcast on Italian innovation, will be the stage host.
The Bologna Gathering, powered by CTE COBO, was founded by ART-ER, the Metropolitan City and Municipality of Bologna, and the Emilia-Romagna Region. Key partners of the 2025 edition are the Houses of Emerging Technologies funded by MIMIT, the BI-REX Competence Centre, and IT4LIA AI Factory.
The event stands as a leading example of public private collaboration: produced by Cubbit and the association StartYouUp, with FNDX as premium sponsor, in close partnership with BBS - Bologna Business School and G-Factor (Fondazione Golinelli), and with the support of Intesa Sanpaolo, Almacube, MUG Magazzini Generativi, Gianni & Origoni, and Gellify.
ART-ER is among the founding partners of The Bologna Gathering and played a key role in launching this important initiative, fully aligned with our institutional mi
