CrossConnect: eight startups reshape the future of Infratech

Artificial intelligence and underwater robots are among the innovative solutions to transform major networks and physical infrastructure.

Last update: 

23 ottobre 2026 - 14:37 CET

Tomorrow’s infrastructure will need to be able to see, protect itself and regenerate. How? By turning roads, energy networks and industrial plants into intelligent, secure and circular ecosystems through artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, next-generation sensors and cybersecurity.

This is CrossConnect’s mission: to develop tomorrow’s technology champions and foster collaboration with large companies to address their innovation challenges.

CrossConnect is the Catania-based acceleration programme dedicated to infratech. The CDP Venture Capital initiative is managed by Plug and Play Italy and ELIS Innovation Hub, co-managers and co-investors in the programme, with the support of corporate partners Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group, Eni (through Joule, its School of Entrepreneurship), a.Quantum (Acea Group), Sonatrach Raffineria Italiana and Pirelli.

On 22 October, at CrossConnect Expo - “Exploring the Future of AI Infrastructures” held at Palazzo Biscari in Catania, the eight startups in the third cohort presented their infrastructure technologies to investors, companies and industry professionals at the end of a four-month acceleration programme. The solutions cover a broad scope, ranging from cybersecurity for industrial plants to protecting the seabed, from fresh water availability to recycling photovoltaic panels.

Each startup received 150,000 euros in investment and acceleration services and worked closely with the partner companies to develop its Proof of Concept, test its solutions in real industrial settings and refine its business model. The best-performing startups may now receive follow-on investment of up to 400,000 euros.

The startups in the third cohort

Eight startups, founded between 2024 and 2026, all sharing the same goal: applying AI, robotics, sensor technology and cybersecurity to infrastructure to make it safer, more resilient and more circular.

  • GeospatialX: founded in Catania, it has developed a decision intelligence platform for property, infrastructure and land assets that cross-references geospatial, environmental, economic and corporate data, turning fragmented information into actionable insights for due diligence, risk assessment and location intelligence.

  • Hystrix: based in Pisa, it protects industrial devices and legacy machinery from cyber threats, ensuring operational continuity for medium-sized and large companies and simplifying cybersecurity compliance requirements.

  • Localyte: a Rome-based startup, it designs software based on AI and sensor fusion that enhances sensor performance and ensures accurate geolocation even in environments where no GPS signal is available.

  • New Water Labs: active in the UK and Italy, it is working on a cutting-edge technology that aims to make fresh water abundant and affordable, anywhere and from any source.

  • Renovo: based in Milan, it has developed a modular, plug-and-play robotic solution that automates the dismantling of end-of-life photovoltaic panels, maximising material recovery and reducing costs and environmental impact.

  • Seamorph: a Turin-based startup, it builds autonomous, reconfigurable underwater vehicles designed to inspect and protect critical subsea infrastructure.

  • Thelia: based in Milan, it develops a material perception system for robots and autonomous vehicles. With a single scan, it enables Physical AI to read an object’s 3D geometry, composition and state of degradation.

  • WaveLAB: based in Bolzano, it installs an edge AI module on existing electric vehicle charge points, compatible with any charging station and management system: it identifies the causes of failed charging sessions, detects misuse and damage and opens up the infrastructure to urban services and third-party applications.

Panels, pitches and discussions with investors

Entitled “Exploring the Future of AI Infrastructures”, this edition addressed the topic across three interconnected dimensions.

The first concerns the physical foundations of artificial intelligence (BUILD): from advanced hardware to sensors, through to the energy systems and infrastructure needed to bring AI into the physical world.

The second is the intelligence layer (COMPUTE), encompassing edge AI, data processing, sensor fusion, connectivity and computing infrastructure capable of operating faster, closer to where data is generated and in increasingly complex environments.

The third consists of practical applications (APPLY), from industrial systems to mobility, from energy to water and autonomous operations, to understand how AI moves beyond experimentation and transforms the way we build, manage and operate our environments.

The day began in the morning with an executive roundtable on AI and its infrastructure, bringing together corporate partners and experts around topics such as energy networks and smart grids, semiconductors, data centre management, high-performance computing and quantum computing, through to sovereign AI and data governance.

In the afternoon, following an introduction to the programme’s results by the CrossConnect Team, the keynote by Ernesto Ciorra, Adjunct Professor at Università Cattolica and a pioneer of Open Innovation in Italy, addressed collaboration between corporates and startups.

Startup pitches and PoC presentations then alternated with two panel discussions. The first, “Building AI Infrastructure: What Does It Really Take?”, featured a discussion between Nunzio Abbate, General Manager SRA Systema LAB at STMicroelectronics, Arnaud Castaignet, Senior VP Strategic Affairs at Skeleton Technologies, and Danilo Lo Bello, Data Center Manager at Mediterra Data Center. The second, “From Lab to Market: Turning Deep Tech into Real-World Impact”, focused on taking deep tech from the laboratory to the market, brought together Matteo Zallio, Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge, Gonzalo Otegui, Director of Product (AI) at Multiverse Computing, and Emilio Alacevich, Research Manager at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia.

Investors also had their say in the panel discussion “AI Infrastructures: Bubble or Long Run Opportunity?”, in which Shane Sabine, Managing Partner at Punch Capital, Stefano Molino, Senior Partner at CDP Venture Capital and Tommaso Maschera, Director at Plug and Play Italy discussed venture capital perspectives on AI infrastructure. This was followed by a fireside chat with Simone Massaro, founder of BaxEnergy and CEO of Forward Invest, who looked back on the challenges and turning points of a success story built in Sicily.