Italy's Startup Delegation at Nrth 2026: Six Companies Looking for Canadian Partners
Six Italian companies pitched at Nrth 2026 with the Italian Trade Agency. We met them after the stage to find out what they build, why they chose Canada, and who they want to meet here.
Through Toronto
Featuring the Italian Trade Agency delegation at Nrth 2026
Toronto's biggest tech festival opened its 2026 edition under a new name. Elevate became Nrth on opening night, with more than 10,000 attendees expected and a plan to move from one annual festival to year-round programming. The Italian Trade Agency brought the only international delegation on the programme, and on the afternoon of September 23 six Italian companies pitched in the Meridian Hall Lower Lobby. UpNext was on site as a Nrth media partner, running popup interviews as each speaker came off the stage.
Rocket Pitches: Italian Trade Agency
The 40-minute session was hosted by Paola Furno, Deputy Italian Trade Commissioner to Canada. Six companies covered advanced materials, battery engineering, fintech infrastructure, applied mathematics, industrial AI and stadium food service. Most of the speakers were operators and business development leads, and two were North American hires. Fast Charge Engineering and PickEat both sent people already based on this side of the Atlantic, a sign that their North American plans are well past the scouting stage.
Speaking with us after the session, Paola Furno described the program as a way for Italian companies to come to Canada, make connections and showcase what they have built. Italian companies used to look first to the United States, she said, but stronger relations between Italy and Canada are making Canada a more popular destination. Distance is still the main challenge for companies based in Italy, she said, but Canada offers them a real opportunity to open new markets.
Her colleague Carlo Angelo Bocchi, Italian Trade Commissioner in Canada, puts it in numbers: "While most are familiar with Italian design, fashion, culinary culture, delectable wines, fewer people know that Italy ranks amongst the top global producers and exporters of technology." Sales of Italian products into Canada reached a record C$13.6 billion, the best figure in five years.
Meet the Delegation
Nano-Tech
Nano-Tech makes advanced composite materials, using nanotechnology to build parts that are lighter, stronger, fire-resistant and safer to produce. Andrea Giovannelli, who leads business development, told us the company already supplies almost all Formula 1 teams along with prominent aerospace and defence companies, and projects about €2.5 million in turnover for 2026.
With a €10 million round closed, Nano-Tech came to Toronto looking for customers and partners, and it is scouting North America as a possible production site. Giovannelli described a long relationship with ITA that has taken the team to Japan and to the JEC Composites show in Paris.
HQ Ascoli Piceno, Italy
On stage Andrea Giovannelli, Business Development
The ask Hypercar and racing builders, aircraft interior makers, UAV and electric aircraft companies
Fast Charge Engineering
Fast Charge Engineering designs high-performance battery packs and management systems that extend runtime and pull heat away from cells under constant load. The Rome-based manufacturer has been operating for five years and, according to North American business development manager Garrett Cownden, works with European names including Airbus.
A pilot with Ford convinced the team it needed English-speaking people on the ground here, which is how Cownden, a childhood friend of COO and co-founder Filippo Morani, came to lead the Canadian push. The company is raising €3 million to set up operations in Canada.
HQ Rome, Italy
On stage Garrett Cownden, BD Manager, North America
The ask Partners in high-performance batteries, and companies that want to electrify products they didn't think could be electrified
BCC Studio
BCC Studio built a tool that gives Italian and European startups an equivalent of the SAFE, taking a complicated piece of Italian law and making it simple to apply. COO Marco Cipriani said the product has been validated by an Italian notary, has been in use for a year, and is being distributed through three major Italian accelerators in the north, centre and south, with a multi-user platform coming next.
BCC Studio is raising €4 million to serve a market Cipriani sizes at 300,000 European startups, and he sees Canada as a future base, possibly with a dedicated company here.
HQ Italy
On stage Marco Cipriani, COO
The ask Investors at any ticket size, and ecosystem partners in Canada
Prometeo
Prometeo was founded in 1994 as a University of Siena spin-off and applies mathematical modelling to business decisions that need verifiable answers. CEO Giulio Ancilli argues generative AI can't offer that certainty on its own, and he summed up the pitch simply: bring us your problem, and if the solution works, we talk about sharing the value.
Prometeo works with large chemical, pharmaceutical, mechanical and consumer goods companies on production scheduling and supply chain monitoring.
HQ Siena, Italy
On stage Giulio Ancilli, CEO
The ask Canadian system integrators who can bring its models to their clients
Therness
Therness is a Politecnico di Torino spin-off that uses thermal cameras and AI to inspect every weld as it is made, catching defects while parts are still in the fixture.
Operations Director Pietro Paolo De Crescenzo represented the company on stage. Therness is backed through CDP Venture Capital's Tech4Planet program.
HQ Turin, Italy
On stage Pietro Paolo De Crescenzo, Operations Director
The ask Pilot customers on robotic welding lines, and integration partners for in-process inspection
PickEat
PickEat lets fans at stadiums, arenas and festivals order food and drinks from their phones and skip the line. The Genoa startup is live with Italian basketball and volleyball clubs, including Varese Basket.
Partner Patrick McGuire pitched for the company as part of its push into North American venues.
HQ Genoa, Italy
On stage Patrick McGuire, Partner
The ask Stadiums, arenas and festival operators in North America
Also in the ITA Canada Start-Up Program delegation: Avacam, which uses AI time-lapse cameras to monitor landslides and glaciers.
The Italian Trade Agency's Canada Start-Up Program 2026 brought seven Italian companies to Toronto and Montréal from September 21 to 25. Over the summer, DMZ coaches prepared the companies in virtual sessions on the Ontario and Québec ecosystems, the legal side of market entry, and pitching. In Toronto, DMZ led ecosystem immersion, corporate and investor meetings, and a pitch at its Dundas Street space before the delegation moved to Nrth. DMZ has supported more than 800 venture-scaled startups that have collectively raised over $3.25 billion.
The week closes in Montréal with Centech, which hosts a second pitch along with meetings with manufacturers, research institutions and industry clusters. Garrett Cownden of Fast Charge Engineering called the program "the express entry." Marco Cipriani of BCC Studio, on his first trip to Canada, said it let the companies skip the time they would otherwise lose gathering information alone.
Why It Matters for the UpNext Network
Through Toronto tracks European companies that enter North America through this city, and the ITA delegation is its first edition. Every company arrived with a product in market, and their asks were specific: system integrators, pilot customers on robotic welding lines, racing and aerospace buyers, battery partners and stadium operators. Two already have North American staff, Prometeo has been operating since 1994, and Nano-Tech has closed a €10 million round. Several pointed to Canada's closer alignment with Europe as the reason to come now.
The week also showed how a delegation partnership works. A national agency brings the companies, a local accelerator prepares them, a festival gives them a stage, and a media partner puts their stories in front of a network that can act on them.
Want to meet one of these companies? Use the intro links above, or email us with who you'd like to meet and why. We'll make the connection.
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