Italian Trade Agency’s Global Startup Program and gener8tor Host 10 Italian Startups in New York City for Accelerator

ITA NYC Global Startup Program 2025 at Audible in New Jersey

NEW YORK CITY – The Italian Trade Agency (ITA), the Italian governmental agency responsible for promoting Italian business development abroad and strengthening trade, is proud to announce the founders selected to the Italian Trade Agency New York Global Startup Program.

ITA partnered with gener8tor, a Wisconsin-based global venture capital firm and startup accelerator, for a six-week accelerator program that is supporting ten innovative Italian startup companies to accelerate growth and expand into the U.S. market. The participating entrepreneurs were selected for their innovative products and services with strong potential for international growth.

“We are thrilled to bring the Global Startup Program back to New York City, a global capital for entrepreneurship, investment, and innovation,” said Sebastiano Peluso, Head of the Foreign Direct Investment Desk at ITA’s New York Office. “This collaboration underscores ITA’s mission to empower Italian founders to grow beyond national borders, connect with global markets, and create new opportunities for transatlantic innovation.”

The Italian Global Startup Program was launched in 2019 by the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs to train and promote Italian startups abroad. The initiative has supported more than 150 startups across 10 nations, fostering international partnerships and strengthening Italy’s presence in key technology and innovation hubs around the world.

The program began early October with two weeks of virtual programming focused on international readiness, business development, and investor relations. Founders of the 10 companies traveled to New York City to attend the in-person phase where they will engage with speakers, mentors and investors, develop their pitches in the US and network with the New York City ecosystem. They will continue the program, remaining in New York City until mid November.

“This program provides Italian founders with an invaluable opportunity to experience the energy and ambition of the New York startup ecosystem,” said Zaineb Al-Kalby, Program Manager at gener8tor. “We’re honored to collaborate with the ITA to support these ten companies as they scale globally and bring Italian innovation to the U.S. market.”

gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, founders, workers, employers, artists, and musicians across race, place, and gender. The firm partners with corporations, governments, universities, and nonprofits to operate programs in more than 41 communities across 22 states and two countries. Since launching in 2012, gener8tor has run more than 429 accelerator programs and supported more than 2,100 startups that have collectively raised over $2.9 billion in capital and created more than 14,700 jobs.

To learn more about the 10 Italian companies, see the attached cohort summary below. For more information about the Italian Global Startup Program or the participating Italian startups, please visit www.ice.it/en

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Italian Trade Agency New York Global Startup Program 2025 Cohort Summary

4Habits turns proven science into daily habits that extend healthy life through an AI-driven behavior change platform. The mobile app serves individuals, employers, and insurers who use its personalized guidance to prevent chronic and neurodegenerative diseases while strengthening resilience and overall well-being. Supported by analog tools that make habit formation tangible and sustainable, 4Habits is built as a wellness platform evolving toward Digital Therapeutics (DTx), bridging lifestyle engagement with clinically validated prevention. Recognized at the Global Welfare Summit 2024, the company is conducting its BETA with 300+ users and expanding partnerships across the U.S. and EU to scale preventive health innovation.

Website: 4Habits.health | Pasquale Fedele: p.fedele@xmetrix.it

BM Diagnostics empowers lives by making Heart Health monitoring easy with Heartbeat Test, a rapid, portable diagnostic tool using lateral flow technology to detect early cardiac markers (troponin I, CKMB, Myoglobin) from a simple finger prick. Integrated with an AI-powered app, Testwise, it enables real-time interpretation and personalized heart risk assessment. Backed by a €100K Italian grant, BM Diagnostics has launched their first R&D and manufacturing unit, and has three partnerships including one Italian pharmaceutical company and two retailers and a partnership with a research institute for the clinical trial. 

Website: BM Diagnostics | Matteo Boldreghini: matteo.boldreghini@bmdiagnostics.it

HexErgy automates and streamlines the entire lifecycle of decentralized energy models such as Community Solar, Peer 2 Peer, and Virtual Power Plants using a blockchain powered platform. By overcoming regulatory fragmentation across states and digitalizing participant acquisition, billing, and compliance, HexErgy enables developers and ESCOs to cut costs, boost ROI, and remain profitable even as federal incentives decline. Since 2023, HexErgy has raised €1.5M without external investment rounds, supported 450+ projects across Europe and Latin America, and managed over 103 MW of renewable energy, making the social impact of shared clean energy tangible and measurable for anyone.

Website: HexErgy | Nicolas Marrugo: nicolas.marrugo@hexergy.it

Kaigos builds AI-powered robotic welders that automate welding in small and mid-sized factories, replacing hard-to-find skilled labor with easy-to-deploy robotic systems. Customers simply demonstrate the weld once, no programming required, and the robot learns and executes the task autonomously. In three years Kaigos has sold five welding units and deployed multiple robotics plants operating 24/7, all while bootstrapping Kaigos to over $400K, and building a qualified pipeline worth $1M.

Website: Kaigos | Marco Zorzi: marco.zorzi@kaigos.io

Keplera develops AI-powered solutions that make legal work faster, smarter, and more accessible. Its flagship platform, LexHero, leverages advanced artificial intelligence to automate the entire lifecycle of legal documents — from intelligent drafting and collaborative review to digital negotiation and secure signing. By digitizing and connecting every phase of the workflow, LexHero helps law firms, corporate legal departments, and businesses enhance efficiency, accuracy, and compliance while reducing operational costs and human error. Keplera has gained 700 active paying clients, 1500+ users, and actualized €300K ARR.

Website: Keplera | Marco Barone: m.barone@keplera.it

Meddle enables companies to seamlessly collect, connect, transform, enrich, visualize, analyze and orchestrate IoT and IT data flows across fragmented systems through an intuitive and scalable automation engine. Meddle is the first iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) built to bring no-code automation to IoT and connected devices - starting with industry, and now scaling across sectors. Meddle journey started in the industrial manufacturing space, with an early traction of 5 paying customers and 15 POCs in progress with top-tier industrial players such as Scuderia Ferrari HP, Sanofi, IMA, Comer Industries, SCM, and Poggipolini.

Website: Meddle | Lorenzo Baldassarri: lorenzo.baldassarri@meddleconnect.com

Mountain Maps generates tailor-made original itineraries in the mountains with verified and up-to-date information. The AI-native outdoor mobile app allows users to navigate the mountains throughout the seasons and includes key mountain metrics. Users can prompt a question with their hiking needs and preferences such as: route difficulty, type, duration, "panoramic" nature, stroller needs, etc. Mountain Maps reached 90,000 MAU and in the first season with premium features that had more than 1,800 paying users actualizing to $50K ARR within the first six months.

Website: Mountain Maps | Denny Calovi: denny@mountainmaps.it

Penguin Engineering Srl develops smart performance modules that enhance vehicle power and reduce fuel consumption through plug-and-play devices fully controlled via mobile app. Penguin’s technology connects directly to the engine sensors, optimizing response and efficiency, while the company is launching a new cruise control system in time for Christmas 2025 and is developing an adaptive version that automatically adjusts a car’s top speed based on local limits using GPS and phone camera data. Penguin currently serves 2,000+ customers across 3 countries, maintains a 98% satisfaction rate, and is preparing its entry into the U.S. market with a projected €500K ARR for 2025.

Website: Penguin Engineering Srl | Salvatore Frassanito: sal.frassanito@gmail.com

Ruralis supports property owners with vacation rentals, helping them optimize revenue while cutting the daily workload. Property owners use Ruralis to connect their listings to over 100 travel agencies (ex: AirbnB, Expedia) through an intelligent platform that automates pricing, payments, taxes, communication, and even provides insurance. In 2024, Ruralis generated €952K in tourist bookings, reaching $2.8M in 2025, and continues tripling growth year over year. The company holds a 4.8/5 Trustpilot rating from 82+ reviews, manages 420 properties in Italy and 5 in Florida, has attracted 180 retail investors, and raised €1.3M in private capital along with €2.8M in non-dilutive grants.

Website: Ruralis.com | Nicolas Verderosa: linkedin.com/in/nicolas-verderosa-289aab80/

SPS Fulfillment helps online brands manage procurement, import, warehousing, and fulfillment from one place. SPS Fulfillment offers an all-in-one logistics platform that replaces the chaos of emails, spreadsheets, and outdated logistics partners with one connected system offering brands full visibility, lower costs, and faster deliveries. SPS Fulfillment started from a basement in Italy and has since generated $480K in revenue, fulfilled 20K+ packages, and supported 150 clients, becoming a trusted operations partner for scaling online businesses.

Website: SPS Fulfillment | Thomas Garufi: thomas.garufi@spsfulfillment.com