Techstars Demo Day 2025 at OGR: Turin reaffirms its role as a global tech innovation hub

Twelve cutting-edge startups took the stage to pitch their ventures to investors, executives, and partners, marking the conclusion of the latest Techstars acceleration program. Now in its sixth edition, the program – supported by Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, and Fondazione CRT – has generated over $130 million in follow-on investment for participating startups, created more than 600 new jobs, facilitated over 80 Proof of Concept agreements with Italian companies, and achieved three successful exits. It's a growth engine not only for emerging startups but also for the local ecosystem, fostering high-value skills, quality employment, and new synergies between business, research, and public institutions.

Held yesterday at OGR Torino, the Demo Day for the sixth edition of the Techstars Transformative World Torino accelerator brought together 12 startups selected from hundreds of applicants spanning the globe. The event marked the culmination of an intensive three-month journey of mentorship, business model validation, and hands-on support in developing their entrepreneurial visions.

During the Demo Day, startups presented their achievements and showcased their technologies and business prospects to an audience of investors, partners, corporates, institutions, media, and other ecosystem players. Their innovations span AI, Deep Tech, the Future of Work, robotics, and breakthroughs in health, creativity, and environmental sustainability – aligned with the program’s investment thesis, which focuses on ESG, Net-Zero, and Circular Economy principles.

Launched in 2020 and headquartered at OGR Tech – OGR’s innovation hub – the program initially centered on Smart Mobility (2020–2021) and Cities of the Future (2022–2023). Today, under the banner “Transformative World,” the accelerator has broadened its scope to focus on frontier technologies offering real solutions to major economic, environmental, and social transitions.

This initiative forms part of a long-term strategy to strengthen Turin’s innovation ecosystem – a strategy that gained further momentum in late 2023 with a new memorandum of understanding between the program’s core partners. The goal: to attract talent, encourage the establishment of new enterprises, foster public-private partnerships, and cement Turin’s place among Europe’s most vibrant and attractive innovation hubs. A commitment that recently earned the city the title of “European Capital of Innovation 2024/2025”, awarded by the European Commission in recognition of its pioneering approach to experimentation and transformation.

The numbers speak for themselves: over the course of six editions, 69 startups from three continents have been accelerated, raising more than $130 million in post-program funding, creating over 600 new jobs, signing more than 80 Proof of Concept agreements with Italian companies, and achieving three successful exits. These results have been made possible also thanks to the involvement of over 500 mentors. In addition, four international startups have chosen Turin as the location for a new office, strengthening their presence in Italy.

To date, the Techstars program has served as a tangible growth platform for emerging startups and the local ecosystem alike, driving the development of new skills, qualified employment, and meaningful connections between the worlds of business, research, and public institutions.

Class of 2025 Startups
AlterEcho (Copenhagen, Denmark) – Remote robotics powering the laboratory of the future.
Arbor Insight (Bolzano, Italy) – Digital innovation for the agriculture of tomorrow.
Axem (Budapest, Hungary) – A coding assistant for regulated industries.
BettaKnit (Prato, Italy) – DIY knitting kits for makers of all generations.
frnt (London, UK) – AI optimizing retail store operations.
Granter.ai (Lisbon, Portugal) – An AI agent unlocking funding opportunities.
Lemons in the room (Florence, Italy) – Immersive therapy experiences with a human touch.
Litlyx (Rome, Italy) – An open-source platform for website analysis.
MateriaIntel (Rome, Italy) – AI for real-time management of environmental taxes.
Recrewty (Podgorica, Montenegro) – Personalized psychometric tests to hire top talent.
spacebrains (Bratislava, Slovakia) – A talent-matching platform for STEM professionals.
Vocations (Novara, Italy) – Instant access to new job openings for recruiting firms.