PLAI

– PLAI, the Mondadori Group startup accelerator aimed at turning AI-based ideas into successful businesses, was a leading player at SMAU (www.smau.it/milano), a reference for the innovation ecosystem in Italy, which was held in Milan at FieraMilanoCity on 29 and 30 October.

During the event, PLAI – the Mondadori Group accelerator — together with other companies of excellence accepted the SMAU 2024 Innovation Award, the prestigious prize for Italian companies with a strong propensity for innovation, capable of driving the country’s growth. It aims to enhance collaboration between companies and startups through open innovation and co-innovation projects to promote competitive solutions internationally. The SMAU Innovation Award is dedicated to companies that embrace innovation as a strategy for growth and success, becoming a model for the Italian and international markets.

‘The SMAU Innovation Award is a source of pride for the entire Mondadori Group, which places technological progress and related applications at the basis of its strategy for success. To do so, it has created an accelerator to select and support the development of innovative startups and open a concrete market outlet for the most promising,’ says Stefano Argiolas, CEO of PLAI.

Stefano Argiolas talked about his experience with PLAI at the live show ‘Open innovation models and approaches, how to stimulate innovation in the enterprise’. Open innovation allows companies in general, but startups in particular, to work with external partners that encourage creativity and open opportunities for growth and the development of solutions and processes.

SMAU proved to be an event full of workshops, networking and unique opportunities to make contact with people driving change: Andrea Santagata, CEO of Mondadori Media and Chief Innovation Officer of Mondadori Group, was involved in the working table behind closed doors, chaired by Alessandro Fermi, Councillor for University, Research and Innovation of the Lombardy Region, entitled ‘Artificial intelligence: ongoing experiences and future prospects’ formed with other companies to discuss issues related to artificial intelligence and collaboration models with startups.

In the matching area, the space designed for networking, PLAI also met the request for interaction to present the solutions of its young businesses — of the 165 invited by SMAU — that align with the interests of Mondadori Group: education, books and publishing, new media & advertising and retail.

‘We decided to participate in SMAU for the first time because we consider the event to be the stage for innovation in Italy and also the preferred place for interaction among entrepreneurs. We have received several requests for meetings from startups that view PLAI as being able to transform the future. Our mapping and scouting does not end here. We are already thinking about the next acceleration cycle,’ declares Stefano Argiolas.

October was a month full of networking and presentations for PLAI, from Milan Digital Week to SIOS24 Florence by Startup Italia, from Codemotion Conference Day to Intersections 2024, the event stemming from the union of IAB Forum and IF! Italians Festival — dedicated to digital innovation, marketing, communication, creativity and technology — and finally to SMAU 2024.

PLAI is the Mondadori Group startup accelerator that aims to transform ideas based on the use of artificial intelligence into successful entrepreneurial ventures. PLAI offers them a distinctive field of application and an industrial market both within the Group and with the initiative’s partners. PLAI operates in the pre-seed and seed phases, selecting and investing in Italian and international startups. In addition to capital, the accelerator provides startups with concrete areas to apply AI, structured training and mentorship courses, and the opportunity to participate in networking events, partly thanks to the unique set of skills and assets provided by major Italian and international partners.

PLAI, the Mondadori Group startup accelerator aimed at transforming ideas based on the use of artificial intelligence into successful companies, has selected 11 startups for its first accelerator programme.

The startups were chosen from among 520 applications based on the quality of the team, the potential for business integration, level of scalability, technological innovation, roadmap, and go-to-market.

‘The decision was incredibly difficult, starting with the first round of selection from the more than 500 applications received. Each startup was full of innovation and ambition. The selection reflected our commitment to supporting the most revolutionary and sustainable ideas, highlighting the fierce competition and high quality of the projects submitted. We selected 11 of them in the end, and we are very eager to work together with the different teams and help them transform their ideas into successful businesses,’ says Stefano Argiolas, CEO of PLAI.

Startups entering in BATCH 2024

AD cube – new media & advertising
Companies waste up to 26 per cent of their advertising budgets due to inefficiencies in channel allocation. AD cube is an AI-driven director that optimizes ad campaigns across multiple platforms, including Google, Meta, TikTok, Amazon, and more. It meticulously manages budget allocation, creative content, and targeting strategies throughout the entire marketing funnel, leading to increases in ROI of up to 30 per cent.

Ahilab – new media & advertising
SEM and SEO are decreasing as they are progressively replaced by Gen AI. Ahilab is a native ads network for AI apps, connecting AI developers to digital advertisers. Developers use the Ahilab API to display ads in any AI-generated content (images, text, or video). Advertisers can run ads and reach only the target audience that interacts with Gen AI apps.

Aidamask – books and publishing
Options to optimize processes through new technologies are often blocked by fears that data protection is not ensured. Aidamask offers an API-based intelligent de-identification system integrated with Gen AI solutions; it is available as both a cloud (SaaS) and on-premises option. The zero-trust approach to data protection enables companies to harness the power of leading Gen AI models safely and effortlessly.

Alfred – education
Preparing for oral exams is challenging for many students. Due to a lack of personalized feedback and limited interaction with teachers, it often results in anxiety and poor performance. Prof. Alfred is an innovative e-learning platform that revolutionizes exam preparation through an intelligent virtual assistant. The platform provides personalized feedback in real time, is accessible 24/7, dynamically adapts to the specific educational content uploaded, and offers an experience that transcends traditional student-teacher interaction.

Equal Education – education
The unguided use of AI risks obscuring students’ and teachers’ actual abilities, and schools are struggling to ensure widespread mathematical literacy. Equal enhances math education with its challenge-based platform: math problems become interactive experiences for students to grow, with assistance and progress analysis. Supported by AI, Equal generates theoretical support and personalized exercises, while providing teachers with learning analysis tools to effectively address individual needs.

IStory – books and publishing
Children’s reading habits are changing due to passive time spent in front of screens, and parents are struggling to find engaging solutions that encourage reading and promote active and positive digital use. Istory provides a unique and personalized reading experience that combines AI-guided print books with interactive digital content that encourages safe, positive reading and use of technology.

Olivia – retail
Demand analysis at retail stores today requires a data-driven approach. Olivia is a retail data analytics platform that enables future demand forecasting through machine learning algorithms and sentiment analysis tools to better allocate budgets and plan commercial offerings appropriately at stores.

Paperbox Health – education
Paperbox’s DINO addresses challenges related to delayed or missed identification of learning disorders by offering an efficient and engaging screening and intervention tool that is highly accessible for children aged 5 to 7. Using Monte Carlo simulations for assessment and monitoring and employing Gen AI to personalize the learning pathway, DINO identifies each child’s learning needs, including potential disorders, and defines the most effective approach to interaction.

Pathway English – education
Preparation for exams and certifications is a challenge, both due to a lack of personalization if done independently and because private tutoring services are expensive. This Digital Academy is AI-based and offers continuous 24/7 personalized support. The virtual tutor analyzes student performance, identifies areas for improvement, and provides real-time feedback, creating a custom learning experience for each user.

Similar – books and publishing
Books based on movies attract fans but adapting a movie for a novel can take up to 6 months, limiting the author’s creativity to the confines of the original screenplay. Similar’s Bookify is a state-of-the-art deep learning system that converts movies to books in a single day and eliminates the need for manual effort.

Stip – retail
AI for customer service is not just about chatbots. Unless supported by additional AI models, chatbots only lead to partial improvements in efficiency. Stip has developed 15 AI models, each dedicated to a specific stage of the customer service process. With Stip, companies can automate content moderation, find similar requests and check how they were handled, generate response suggestions, automatically collect missing information from the customer, categorize requests, and more. All in their CRM software.

What the selected startups will do now

The four-month acceleration cycle for these 11 startups begins this afternoon with the kick-off at PL7 (WAO, Milan).

During this period, each startup will participate in workshops, dedicated operating and hands-on sessions, inspirational masterclasses led by Italian and international experts — divided into General AI Trends and Industry Verticals to help them understand their industry — and tailored mentorship sessions.

In addition, the startups will be able to participate in ecosystem events, networking meetings with partners, and company visits to stimulate collaboration and provide new opportunities for business development and growth.

The first appointment is with Milano Digital Week, the popular event that opens a discussion on new technologies with citizens and businesses. On Monday, October 14, all the startups in the PLAI accelerator programme will have the unique opportunity to present their innovative ideas to the professionals in the city of Milan at the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti.

On October 22 and 23, the 11 startups will also have the opportunity to preside over a booth entirely dedicated to them at the Codemotion Conference in Milan.

This will be followed — in parallel with training and mentorship — by other presentations at SMAU Milan 2024 (October 28 and 29), Italy’s reference event on innovation and startups. The startups will also participate in Intersections 2024, the largest event in Italy dedicated to marketing, communication, creativity, and technology, stemming from the collaboration between IAB Forum and IF! Italian Festivals (October 29 and 30).

At the end of the acceleration period in early 2025, the startups will be featured at Demo Day, a full day where they can make themselves known to investors and companies, kicking off another important stage of development.

PLAI is the Mondadori Group startup accelerator that aims to transform ideas based on the use of artificial intelligence into successful entrepreneurial ventures. PLAI offers them a distinctive field of application and an industrial market both within the Group and with the initiative’s partners. PLAI operates in the pre-seed and seed phases, selecting and investing in Italian and international startups. In addition to capital, the accelerator provides startups with concrete areas to apply AI, structured training and mentorship courses, and the opportunity to participate in networking events, partly thanks to the unique set of skills and assets provided by major Italian and international partners.

PLAI, the Mondadori Group startup accelerator aimed at transforming ideas based on the use of artificial intelligence into successful companies, will make a strong contribution to the 7^th edition of Milan Digital Week.

This widespread, collective event — with more than 190 events in more than 100 locations —will be held from October 11 to 14 in Milan, focusing on artificial intelligence as a driver of digital development and innovation for the benefit of people and the business community. The Central Hub of this event will be Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, a meeting place for conferences, workshops and round tables in the heart of Milan, serving to connect citizens and businesses to create a constant interaction between them.

PLAI will be present for the entire duration of the event, with a desk in the Expo area. Together with Mondadori Group, it will also enrich the schedule of activities and meetings planned for Milano Digital Week, delving into new aspects of digital Milan through its experience both as a multimedia publishing group and in the selection and acceleration of business ideas that impact different areas of people’s lives.

The morning of Monday, Oct. 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be completely dedicated to artificial intelligence, under the title: ‘Italy’s Strategy for Artificial Intelligence’. At this session, Andrea Santagata, the Managing Director of the Digital and MarTech Units at Mondadori Media S.p.A. and Chief Innovation Officer of Mondadori Group, will give a keynote speech at 10 a.m. entitled ‘Turning artificial intelligence into a driver of change: The Mondadori Case’ and will then participate in the round table moderated by Emilio Mango (TIG, The Innovation Group) entitled ‘The Ethics of Algorithms and The Ethics of Speed’.

In the afternoon, Stefano Argiolas, CEO of PLAI, will introduce the workshop ‘Unveiling Innovation: Generative AI as a Tool for Crafting New Business Ventures’, while the startups selected for PLAI’s first acceleration round — which were announced on Oct. 7 — will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to the audience of professionals attending Milan Digital Week at Palazzo Giureconsulti from 4 to 4:30 p.m.

PLAI is the Mondadori Group startup accelerator that aims to transform ideas based on the use of artificial intelligence into successful entrepreneurial ventures. PLAI offers them a distinctive field of application and an industrial market both within the Group and with the initiative’s partners. PLAI operates in the pre-seed and seed phases, selecting and investing in Italian and international startups. In addition to capital, the accelerator provides startups with concrete areas to apply AI, structured training and mentorship courses, and the opportunity to participate in networking events, partly thanks to the unique set of skills and assets provided by major Italian and international partners.

PLAI, the  Mondadori Group’s startup accelerator aimed at transforming ideas based on the use of artificial intelligence into successful entrepreneurial ventures, has successfully reached a new milestone just a few months after its launch: in 60 days, since the start of the “call 4 startups”, 520 applications have been received.

After an initial selection of 203 startups, only 18 were given the opportunity to present themselves during the Selection Day before an audience of professionals: through a 3-minute elevated pitch and dedicated interactive tables – with partners, members of the Advisory Board and the PLAI team, as well as the Mondadori Group – they had a chance to present themselves and therefore continue their selection process to access the acceleration programme promoted by PLAI.

It was an intense and dynamic day of speeches, presentations, and networking, packed with ideas and inspiration. This unique opportunity provided all participants with a special insight into the Italian and international ecosystem of generative artificial intelligence, focusing in particular on four application areas: education, book and publishing, new media & advertising and retail.

In the coming weeks, the names of the 10 startups selected for the first acceleration cycle will be announced based on the criteria of team quality, integration potential, scalability, technological innovation, roadmap and go-to-market. For these startups, the acceleration cycle will begin in October and last four months. During this phase, each startup will benefit from more than 50 hours of dedicated workshops led by Italian and international experts, 20 hours of tailored mentorship and participation in dedicated events.

A Demo Day is planned for early 2025, when startups will be introduced to the market, enabling them to present themselves to investors and companies and therefore kick-start a further important stage of development.

During the Selection Day, PLAI welcomed two new strategic partners: Fastweb, one of Italy’s leading telecommunications operators, and StartupItalia, the independent digital hub of Italian technological innovation.

“We are proud to have important Italian and international partners with us, who will support us in building a functional ecosystem to support startups and with whom we will be able to discuss various innovation and AI topics. The accelerator activities are proceeding at a fast pace, with great enthusiasm and the best professionalism, partly thanks to their contribution,” comments Stefano Argiolas, CEO of PLAI.

Together with those who had already joined the project, the two new partners will provide the PLAI-Ground – the ecosystem around PLAI – with unique skills and assets. Selected startups will be able to join structured training and mentorship courses, participate in networking events, access cutting-edge technologies and thereby accelerate their growth and reach their full potential.

Fastweb and StartupItalia are also joining the PLAI Advisory Board, composed of a group of established professionals, academics and managers with wide-ranging expertise in AI and business development.

Fastweb’s partnership with PLAI is part of a broader agreement reached with the Mondadori Group. Fastweb, which in July launched NeXXt AI Factory, the first supercomputer in Italy dedicated to generative AI – and presented the first release of MIIA, the new LLM (large language model) trained natively in Italian on high-quality Italian data both public and from third-party companies –, will be able to count on an important set of editorial content from Mondadori Media’s vertical media brands (such as GialloZafferano, Focus, MypersonalTrainer…).

The agreement is based on the Mondadori Group’s conviction that a national language model based on the Italian language, such as Fastweb’s, is a useful asset for the Italian economy to take advantage of the many opportunities related to the AI revolution. Moreover, the AI model developed by Fastweb is based on the utmost attention to data protection and copyright, which are essential aspects for reconciling development, rights, innovation and fair distribution of value.

Fastweb will therefore be an important partner not only for PLAI, but also for the development of AI within the entire Mondadori Group.

The collaboration with StartupItalia, initiated from the very first stage through support for PLAI in the call 4 startups, will continue in the future with a focus on a serial, multi-channel and multimedia value communication path, which will see the creation of editorial and social content on specific strategic topics and PLAI’s participation as a partner in the Florence (2 October) and Milan (17 December) editions of the StartupItalia Open Summit (SIOS) – since 2015, the leading, most recognised and most widespread Italian event dedicated to innovation.

PLAI is the Mondadori Group’s startup accelerator that aims to transform ideas based on the exploitation of artificial intelligence into successful entrepreneurial ventures. PLAI offers them a distinctive field of application and an industrial market both within the Group and with the initiative’s partners. PLAI operates in the pre-seed and seed phases, selecting 10 Italian and international startups for each annual acceleration cycle. In addition to capital, the accelerator provides startups with concrete AI application areas, structured training and mentorship courses and the opportunity to participate in networking events, partly thanks to the unique set of skills and assets provided by major Italian and international partners

The Mondadori Group has launched PLAI, the start-up accelerator designed to transform ideas, based on exploiting artificial intelligence, into successful entrepreneurial initiatives. PLAI will offer them a distinctive field of application and an industrial outlet both at the publishing house and with the initiative’s partners.

With PLAI, the Mondadori Group defines the following goals:

• set up a technology hub to identify highly innovative initiatives in its business sectors – publishing, education, retail, media and advertising;
• acquire a central role in the artificial intelligence revolution, becoming the core of a national and international community of innovators;
• create industrial value and competitive advantage through targeted investments in AI start-ups.

“Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming many markets. In a scenario in which generative AI makes content creation and processing a feasible prospect by revolutionising the way any activity is carried out, we want to give a strong impetus in terms of knowledge and informed use of AI in all our business areas,” says Antonio Porro, CEO of the Mondadori Group. “As a leading media publisher, we want to play a central role in the Gen AI ecosystem to lead the industry as a trendsetter, attract talent and offer our customers new products and services. PLAI, our accelerator, was conceived with this goal in mind,” concludes Porro.

PLAI will operate in the pre-seed and seed phases by selecting, for each annual acceleration cycle, 10 Italian and international start-ups that will be supported with an initial investment of EUR 100,000 each, in exchange for a minority share. The Mondadori Group’s overall financial commitment is approximately EUR 6 million, to be invested over the three-year period 2024-2026.

In addition to capital, the accelerator will provide start-ups with concrete AI application areas, structured training and mentorship courses, besides the opportunity to participate in networking events. This will also be achieved with the unique set of skills and assets of relevant Italian and international partners, who have decided to join the Mondadori Group’s initiative, precisely, Startupbootcamp, I3P, Amazon AWS, PwC Italy, Multiversity, GroupM, Codemotion and Datapizza.

Core Operational Allies

• Startupbootcamp, Europe’s first start-up accelerator and a leading global network, will support the PLAI team during every stage of the project, contributing significantly in terms of international scouting, and providing its network of experts and mentors. PLAI and Startupbootcamp teams will cooperate intensively, sharing the same workplace. This partnership is an important part of Startupbootcamp’s vision to accelerate 100,000 technologies featuring a positive impact on the planet and society by 2030.
• I3P, the incubator of Politecnico di Torino, which supports the creation and development of innovative, technology-intensive start-ups, will support PLAI at all stages of the acceleration process, especially by enriching its training offer with more than 10 dedicated workshops.

Strategic collaboration HUB

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) will offer start-ups credits for using the AWS cloud featuring over 200 services, including those dedicated to Machine Learning and Generative Artificial Intelligence, as well as access to AWS’ team of AI experts.
• Multiversity, a leader in the world of education and a pioneer in generative AI applied to digital education, will provide its academic expertise in the technology transfer process, thus creating an ideal ecosystem for the success of start-ups in this field.
• GroupM will provide innovation and expertise in marketing, media and digital technology to bring start-ups closer to customers’ actual business environments.
• PwC Italia will support the PLAI team by providing its expertise acquired in the publishing and media market, and in innovation management processes, by contributing to scouting and training phases for start-ups, and by assisting the PLAI team as strategic advisor.

Communication & Networking

• Codemotion will involve network experts and support the PLAI community’s creation to enhance the programme by fostering meetings with its community of more than 250,000 developers through dedicated events and contests, and participation in the annual conference, a landmark for developers in Italy.
• Datapizza will support the PLAI community’s growth by creating synergies with Gen AI experts, and by reporting on the initiative on the Italian Media Tech, which counts 15 million organic impressions each month.

Where

PLAI‘s DNA is enclosed in the name, a pun that turns play into PLAI, with the addition of the AI factor. It symbolises a dynamic environment, a genuine playground for start-ups that are set and ready to explore and revolutionise the field of generative AI. The PLAl-Ground, a physical meeting and working place at the WAO PL7 space in via Lambertenghi 8, Milan, designed to stimulate creativity and discussions, and to accelerate the implementation of ambitious projects, will be placed at the disposal of start-ups.

Next steps

As of today, start-ups may apply to be examined and selected to access the acceleration programme promoted by PLAI. The selection phase for the 10 start-ups in the first cycle will end with the selection day in mid-September, while the four-month acceleration period will start in October. During this phase, each start-up will benefit from more than 50 hours of dedicated workshops conducted by Italian and international experts, and 20 hours of tailored mentorship. They will have the opportunity to apply their idea both within the Mondadori Group and at PLAI’s partners. In January, a Demo Day will be organised to introduce the start-ups to the market. They will make themselves known to investors and companies, and thus initiate a further important stage of development.

PLAI’s Chairman will be Antonio Porro, Chief Executive Officer of the Mondadori Group, while the CEO will be Stefano Argiolas, Chief AI Officer of the Mondadori Group and founder of Hej!,the start-up acquired by the Mondadori Group in 2021. It offers AI-driven performance marketing solutions.

Moreover, the PLAI team’s strategic decisions will be supported by an Advisory Board comprising a group of established professionals, academics and managers with wide-ranging expertise in AI and business development. They are determined to highlight and push the most promising start-ups to new heights. Advisory Board members are listed below: Alessandra Antonelli, Paola Bonomo, Marco Bressani, Luciano Catoni, Paola Colombo, Guido Di Fraia, Matteo Flora, Luca La Mesa, Marco Magnaghi, Paolo Merialdo, Paola Mogliotti, Giangiacomo Olivi, Giulio Ranucci, Alceo Rapagna, Maurizio Romandini, Chiara Russo, Massimo Sideri and Franco Spicciariello.

Are you ready to PLAI?
www.plai-accelerator.com