When we talk about Deep Tech startups, we are referring to companies developing advanced technologies in AI, robotics, biotechnology, data analytics, renewable energy and much more. These companies actually represent the frontier of research and technological development and can infuse a country's economy with momentum. In Italy, there is a worrying delay in the sector. "This delay can be attributed to various factors, including a relatively young startup ecosystem, the scarcity of large venture capital funds, but also a lack of courage and culture on the part of investors", explains Mauro Manfredi, Co-Founder and CEO of Awentia, an Italian Deep Tech startup that transforms images into structured data of great value for agriculture and industry in general.

"Investing in Deep Tech startups in Italy is not only a matter of economic development, but also a strategic imperative to ensure the country's competitiveness in the global race for innovation," explains Federico Frontali, Founder & CTO of Awentia. Yet, companies of this type often struggle to make themselves known and be immediately attractive.

Unlike traditional start-ups, which often focus on tried-and-tested business models or incremental improvements, Deep Tech startups are often pioneers in new fields of science and technology. This entails longer development cycles, higher investments in research and development and a high difficulty in attracting capitals due to the high risk and technological complexity. Yet, it is precisely such companies that offer major multipliers to investors and epoch-making changes to the economy.

Mauro Manfredi, Co-Founder and CEO di Awentia, with Federico Frontali, Founder and CTO

"With Awentia, we know very well how complex it is to do Deep Tech in Italy. It is not even easy to tell and explain what we do because we operate in a transversal sector - the collection and organisation of structured data - which covers infinite areas of application. Despite this, the company is growing, we are meeting interested investors, and the market is also showing us that we are on the right track'", Manfredi continues.

A recent agreement with Argentinean companies Ava Fruit, Doña Paula and Bodega A16 has allowed the Imola-based startup to bring Awentia Agritech technology to Latin America to innovate a traditionally 'analogue' sector such as agriculture. "Through AI and special hardware devices, developed in-house by Awentia and installable on agricultural vehicles normally used in the fields, we are able to monitor the rows of a vineyard, keeping an eye on the health of the plants and detecting in advance problems or diseases", Frontali explains.

Thanks to the great versatility of this technology, Awentia Agritech has also been adopted in Italy by Terremerse, a major agricultural cooperative with over 5,600 members, to monitor kiwi, apple and tomato plants. "We have confidence in this collaboration," said Gianfranco Pradolesi, Terremerse Research and Development Manager, "We believe that technology is now an indispensable element to be competitive and optimise our production."

Awentia also developed a collaboration with University of Turin, aimed at empowering students in the implementation of agritech solutions on real-world contexts. The technology developed by Awentia is suited for applications in the most diverse sectors: in a production line, to detect damaged products or monitor the use of raw materials, in the oil industry, in Health and Telemedicine, Inventory Management and so on. In practice, in any field - the company explains - where reducing waste, improving efficiency and increasing productivity is essential.