Last April, Taranto hosted the Demo Day of FAROS, the blue economy acceleration programme promoted by the National Accelerator Network of CDP Venture Capital SGR. Blue Eco Line was among the seven startups selected for the fourth edition of the programme, which concluded after four months of intensive work.
FAROS is the first accelerator in Italy focused on the sea economy, environmental sustainability and port innovation. Founded in 2021 on the initiative of CDP Venture Capital SGR in collaboration with the Ionian Sea Port System Authority, it is managed by a|cube and Wylab and operates with hubs in Taranto and La Spezia. Programme partners include Fincantieri, Eni through Joule, RINA, SNAM, Crédit Agricole Italia and Duferco.
The Demo Day took place at the Ionian Department of the University of Bari Aldo Moro, before an audience of investors, corporates, industrial partners and institutions. Blue Eco Line presented its technologies for monitoring and the automated collection of plastic waste in rivers, illustrating the state of development of River Eye and River Cleaner and the prospects for application in the port and coastal ecosystem.
The programme was a concrete opportunity to engage with complementary players: the other startups in the cohort work in fields ranging from ocean monitoring to building energy management, from thermal batteries to drone charging stations, through to IoT solutions for infrastructure and biological air treatment. The variety of profiles fostered a technical and strategic exchange that helped better define Blue Eco Line's position within a wider ecosystem.
Across its four editions, FAROS has analysed more than 3,150 startups, selected 731 applications from 38 countries and accelerated 32 companies, with 5 million euros of direct investment and more than 39 million raised in total by the portfolio.
For Blue Eco Line, the conclusion of FAROS marks the start of an operational phase in which the relationships built, the skills acquired and the exchanges during the programme translate into concrete projects. The work on the rivers continues.