Second day of the BioInItaly Investment Forum - South Edition. Six circular bioeconomy projects, three of which from Puglia, presented to an audience of investors

Lecce, 12 April 2022 - Products for the nutraceutical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food and phytosanitary industries obtained from the reuse of olive oil wastewater; sustainable fashion garments; innovative processes for the production of bioplastic from residual biomass; mushrooms used to produce high-performance materials; acoustic panels generated by waste biomaterials and agricultural and industrial by-products; solutions capable of transforming a marginal plot of land in arid and hot regions into a source of biomass.

These are the 6 circular economy projects presented today during the final day of the "BioInItaly Investment Forum - South Edition", the first Apulian edition of the reference event for innovation in the field of biotechnology and circular bioeconomy, organized by Federchimica Assobiotec, National Cluster of the Circular Bioeconomy SPRING and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, in collaboration with Puglia Region, Puglia Sviluppo and with the support of ITA, Invest in Italy, LGCA, and Bioeconomy Ventures.

The projects belong to six innovative Italian companies, three of which are from Puglia: Bioenutra from Ginosa, (Taranto); Fortunale from Cassano delle Murge (Bari); Hackustica from San Vito dei Normanni (Brindisi); Galatea Biotech from Milan; Mogu from Varese and Wakonda from Rome.

The six SMEs and startups presented their concrete solutions for sustainable development and growth in the Country in front of a panel of investors and finance experts, during the Arena Investment Meeting, the highlight of the second day of the Forum.

"Thanks to this event that we strongly wanted to bring to Puglia and Southern Italy - commented the councilor for economic development of Puglia Region Alessandro Delli Noci -, these innovative startups and SMEs met potential investors who believe in circular bioeconomy projects for a sustainable development of Italy. Having favored this meeting was an important step to combine economy and ecology.

In its fourteen national editions, the event allowed to raise over 70 million euros in favor of innovative biotechnological companies and business projects. We hope that investors will grant equal confidence to the startups and innovative SMEs who presented their projects today".

Theresa Mulloy of Puglia Sviluppo, Vivek Dogra of European Circular Bioeconomy Fund, Bill Barber of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center participated in this second and final day.

The six innovative SMEs and Startups and their projects

Bioenutra (Ginosa, Taranto), innovative company operating in the cosmetics sector, has developed a circular economy project with the aim of reusing 100% of olive oil wastewater. Together with compost and pure water, the process extracts natural active ingredients, a blend of polyphenols. The proprietary and patented process uses only mechanical and physical technologies, without the use of chemical processes and solvents. The products obtained are used in the nutraceutical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food and phytosanitary industries.

Fortunale (Cassano delle Murge, Bari), engaged in sustainable textiles and fashion, produces a natural knit made from 100% pure organic wool and colored through an innovative dyeing process that uses over 200 natural ingredients. It uses sustainable packaging, organic cotton labels and makes garments that are up to 80% recyclable.

Galatea Biotech (Milan), operating in the bioplastics sector, develops technologies and bioprocesses for the production of basic, special and consumer chemicals through bioconversion or fermentation, as well as for the production and marketing of these products and their derivatives. The startup holds the patent relating to an innovative bioprocess for the production of polylactic acid (PLA) and aims at supporting the transition from linear economy to circular economy for the sustainable production of chemical products.

Hackustica (San Vito dei Normanni, Brindisi), a startup dealing with innovative materials, produces sound-absorbing panels with waste materials and agricultural and industrial by-products; the solution acoustically corrects spaces for public entertainment, teaching and work. Through recycling and intelligent design, it gives new life to straw, wood, wool and textile waste to create products that transform the habitats in which we live, work and move into real soundscapes.

Mogu (Varese), startup operating in the new materials and design sector, embracing the principles of circular economy, developed a technology based on fungal microorganisms, using their mycelium as a key agent to bind and transform different types of residual substrates into fully functional and high-value materials and products.

Wakonda (Rome), committed to sustainable agriculture, is an innovative startup that offers a patented solution to transform a marginal plot of land in arid and hot regions into a biomass source with a productivity 4 times higher than that of maize (one of the most productive crops) per hectare of land and with 10-20 times less water intake.

BioInItaly Investment Forum is an event that allows innovative biotechnology companies and business projects, looking for new funds, to meet investors from all over the world. Born in 2008 by the will of Assobiotec, BioInItaly Investment Forum, since 2010, has been supported by the Intesa Sanpaolo Start-up Initiative and, since 2015, has been preceded by a national roadshow aimed at collecting and selecting the most interesting projects. The 2022 edition is organized by Assobiotec, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and SPRING Cluster. The South Edition was organised in collaboration with Puglia Region, Puglia Sviluppo and the support of ITA, Invest in Italy, LGCA, and Bioeconomy Ventures.