Super Sapiens Europe selects eight startups and opens investment assessment

Eight startups move on to the investment assessment phase of Super Sapiens Europe 2026, the programme promoted by Scientifica together with IREFI (Institut pour les Relations Économiques France-Italie, Istituto per le Relazioni Economiche Francia-Italia). The selection, announced on 21 October, concerns deep tech companies, meaning businesses developing technologies based on advanced scientific and engineering research. The result does not amount to the automatic award of funding: for the selected companies, a process of technical, financial and corporate due diligence now opens, which may lead to direct investment by Scientifica. It is the step that separates recognition of a technology’s potential from the decision to back its development financially.

The shortlist includes Theia Sense, which works on sensors for monitoring space structures and infrastructure, and Mira, which combines microbiology, bioinformatics and artificial intelligence to interpret data on microbial communities. Sieve works on industrial wastewater filtration, while Caboto develops autonomous robotics to inspect infrastructure and complex environments. G-Plus Technology focuses on heat recovery and steam compression to make industrial processes more efficient; Hiro Robotics automates the dismantling and recovery of materials from WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment). Completing the group are Voltaage, with tools for planning charging infrastructure and fleet electrification, and BrightMol Biotech, which develops technologies for the search for new drugs. The applications are varied, but they all share the need to prove reliability in the field, economic sustainability and growth potential.

Alongside Scientifica’s technical team, the assessment involved STMicroelectronics, Aeroporti di Roma, Edison, Eni, TELT, ELT, Fincantieri and Thales Italia. According to the organisers, the process may include specialist support, experimental testing of the technologies and possible commercial collaborations with the partners. For startups, the value lies not only in any capital that may be provided: being able to compare a solution with the needs of an industrial user helps determine whether the prototype can become a product that can be purchased, integrated and replicated. The opportunities announced, however, remain a set of possibilities to be developed, not commercial contracts already secured.

It is at this point, from research to business, that the initiative finds its economic significance. A promising technology requires laboratories, testing time and resources that do not always fit the faster growth paths of digital startups. The model proposed by Scientifica and IREFI seeks to connect these needs with investors and industrial groups, narrowing the gap between those developing a solution and those who might use it. For the eight selected companies, the phase now begins in which scientific results and market prospects will have to reinforce each other: selection is only a starting point, while the quality of execution will determine what comes next.