In Milan, on December 9th we have a party for premiare la Italian Tech Person of the Year, the person who in 2021, using technology, had the greatest impact. Below, in alphabetical order by surname, there are the candidates, which you can vote for here. After getting to know them, of course.
Our event
Here are the 12 innovation champions 2021, among them is the Italian Tech Person of the Year: vote!
by Riccardo Luna
Enrica Arena, Orange Fiber
For a few days, Marinella’s ties in Naples have also been made with a fabric made from the scraps of oranges. The idea comes from Orange Fiber, a revolutionary startup born in 2013 by two young women from the South: Adriana Santanocito (who later dedicated herself to something else) and Enrica Arena. It took 8 years to reach the finish line and Enrica never gave up. Marinella’s orange ties sold out in 24 hours. But they will come back.
Simon Beckerman, Depop
In June 2021 he sells his Depop, a kind of Instagram in which to sell and buy vintage clothes, to the American giant Etsy for 1.625 billion dollars. Founded in 2011 in H-Farm and now based in London, it is the second unicorn in Italian history (after Yoox) and the first for valorisation at the exit. With this operation Depop reaches a higher rating even than the one that Facebook gave to Instagram in 2012.
Norma Cerletti, Norma’s Teaching
From unemployed to the most popular English teacher on the web. Former teacher in a kindergarten, in 2020 she quits and invents weekly English courses on Instagram. In one year she conquers and entertains 746 thousand followers, writes a book that sells 70 thousand copies in a few months, is interviewed by the whole world.
Giulia Galieti, standard bearer of the Republic
He is 18 years old, he is among the 30 young bishops of the Republic nominated by President Mattarella. Student of the Rossellini Cine-TV Art High School, eager to do her part, was awarded for making the video The vaccine is not a choice to support anti-Covid vaccination.
Khaby Lame, TikTok
A worker fired at the beginning of the pandemic, he reinvented himself on social media. He makes short, funny, surreal videos. He is the king of TikTok. 21 years old, originally from Senegal, he lives in Chivasso. Today it has 122 million followers, is the first profile in Europe and the second in the world (after Charli D’Amelio). Each of his posts generates an average of 145 million views, 6 million likes, 75 thousand comments and 26 thousand shares. On Instagram she has over 59.4 million followers, almost double that of Ferragni.
Alessio Lorusso, Roboze
At 17, he builds his first 3D printer, which he perfects to create the most precise 3D printer in the world, with super polymers and high-performance materials. In 2013 he invests all his savings and founded Roboze. After years of research and development, industrial production around the world is changing. Today he is 31 years old, multinationals for clients, 100 employees, offices in Houston and Germany. And an important round is about to close.
Simone Mancini, Scalapay
Founder and CEO of Scalapay (a startup that offers deferred payment solutions for ecommerce), in September 2021 it raised 155 million dollars, reaching a valuation of 700 million dollars. Among the main investors: Tiger Global, an American investment company. Story within history: Simone, 33, 30 of whom lived in Australia, is the son of missionaries. He returned to Italy in 2019 precisely to start a startup.
Luca Rossettini, D-Orbit
Degree in Aerospace Engineering, two masters, a PhD in advanced space propulsion, Luca Rossettini wanted to become an astronaut: he was rejected in the final stages of the ESA competition, but he did not abandon the dream of going to Space. In 2011 he founded D-Orbit, a space logistics and orbital transport company. In 2021, it launched dozens of satellites into orbit aboard its Ion Satellite Carrier platform.
Ambra Sabatini, Olympic athlete
Gold medal in the 100 meters at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Ambra Sabatini, 19, who has always had a great passion for athletics, two years ago on a scooter with her father (who was accompanying her to training) has an accident and loses the left leg. After rehabilitation, he devoted himself to swimming and cycling. He received the racing prosthesis only in 2020 and immediately began to collect victories and records.
Luca Travaglini, Planet Farms
His idea of Planet Farms, a unique model of vertical farm, capable of producing perfect food. Healthy, high quality, with a very low environmental impact and within everyone’s reach. Luca Travaglini, with co-founder Daniele Benatoff, after years of research and development, in October 2021 inaugurated the largest European vertical farm just outside Milan (in Cavenago di Brianza). It is the most advanced in terms of technology and automation in the world.
Fabio Viola
One of the most successful game designers, father of gamification in Italy. Use the game for educational purposes. Among his projects: from Play Alghero, a game system funded by the European Union to promote the artistic and cultural heritage of the city, to Fuga dal Castello, an educational game by Intesa Sanpaolo to sensitize young people to economic issues. His Father and Son, created for the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, reached 4 million downloads.
Giuseppe Virgone, PagoPa
He works at the service of the digitization of our country. Giuseppe Virgone is the CEO of PagoPa, a national platform that allows you to pay taxes and public administration services in a transparent and innovative way. 500 thousand transactions per day. At the end of 2021, approximately 180 million transactions will be recorded, for an economic value of 36 billion euros.
.