Sette Idee 2026: The Startup Championship Heats Up

The second edition of Sette Idee, L'Espresso's festival celebrating Italian innovation, concluded in Milan with significant numbers: over 22 hours of live broadcast, thousands of attendees both at the STEP FuturAbility District arena and online, 98 startups competing out of 374 applicants, more than 40 judges, and approximately 50 institutional speakers.

On September 17th and 18th, from 10 AM to 9 PM, startups presented their pitches in front of leaders from major Italian companies, interspersed with political discussions. Many prominent Italian and European political figures participated, engaging in discussions a year before the elections. Attendees included ministers Adolfo Urso, Tommaso Foti, Paolo Zangrillo, and Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati; deputy ministers Francesco Paolo Sisto and Edoardo Rixi; undersecretaries Paola Frassinetti, Isabella Rauti, Alberto Barachini, Luigi Sbarra, and Marcello Gemmato; and Vice-President of the Chamber Anna Ascani. Regional presidents Alessandra Todde, Eugenio Giani, and Roberto Occhiuto, along with Lombardy assessor Claudia Maria Terzi, represented their territories. Milan's mayor Giuseppe Sala, deputy mayor Anna Scavuzzo, and assessor Alessia Cappello were also present. From Brussels, MEPs Brando Benifei, Pasquale Tridico, and Nicola Zingaretti participated. The event also featured debates involving Nicola Fratoianni and Maurizio Lupi, speeches by Carlo Calenda, Benedetto Della Vedova, Francesco Boccia, and Stefano Candiani, and featured emerging political figures Bernard Dika, Simone Leoni, Paolo Romano, Jacopo Gasparetti, and Matteo Hallissey. Former Prime Ministers Massimo D'Alema and Matteo Renzi also attended, with Renzi closing the festival.

The 98 startups competed across 7 key areas: Education, training, and welfare; Tourism, food, and hospitality; Medicine and health; Mobility, energy, and infrastructure; Artificial intelligence, industry, and space; Finance and insurance; and Independent publishing. The journey for the 14 finalists, two from each category, continues beyond Milan. Over the next two months, these startups will receive mentorship from Startup Geeks, the growth partner for Sette Idee, guiding them toward the Rome event. The 7 winning startups will be announced at the Capitoline Hill, each receiving 40,000 euros in advertising credit to be used on L'Espresso's platforms (magazine and digital) in 2027.

As the lights dim on the Milan arena, Sette Idee passes the baton. While the finalists progress towards Rome, L'Espresso is already looking ahead to the next edition, scheduled for June 2027 in Milan, with applications opening in October. Three new categories will be added to the existing seven: Sea, ports, and blue economy; Housing, living, and regeneration; and Sport, movement, and facilities, the latter designed for the year Italy addresses the legacy of the Milan Cortina Games.

The Festival also marked the announcement of L'Espresso Academy, the group's new training initiative, launched during a talk with MEP Nicola Zingaretti. The Academy will debut in 2027, aiming to bridge the gap between academic learning (universities, journalism master's programs) and the realities of editorial work, as well as to enhance managerial skills in Italian publishing. The program will utilize role-playing through short, intensive courses (three weeks to one month) built around real-world experiences within institutional settings. This model was previously tested with European Byline, which in 2026 brought over 20 students from across Italy to the European Parliament in Brussels for press conferences and interviews with MEPs. Funding will be a blend of direct investment from the group and scholarships supported by public and private partners.

Sette Idee was supported by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), as well as the Municipalities of Milan and Rome. Minister of Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin stated, "Startups can be one of the most important drivers of Italy's energy and environmental transition." Q8 Italia was the main partner for the 2026 edition.