Italian Trade Agency and L Marks Launch Global Start-Up Program 2025 to Connect Italian Innovations with the UK Market

29 September 2025
London, UK | Rome, Italy
L Marks, in continuation of its partnership with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), is today announcing the launch of the Global Start-Up Program London, Edition VI, a five-week program supporting innovative Italian start-ups in entering the UK market. Building on its past successes, this program brings together innovative Italian tech companies with the UK business and investment community.
Following several weeks of remote preparation, the Italian start-ups will arrive in the UK next week for hands-on immersion. Over the course of the program, they will take part in tailored workshops on AI strategy, legal frameworks, fundraising, and UK tax planning, as well as networking sessions with senior executives, government officials, and corporate partners. They will also benefit from pitch coaching and insights shared by L Marks alumni, preparing them for investor breakfasts and meetings with leading venture capital and innovation teams in London.
The Global Start-Up Program will also look beyond the capital, highlighting opportunities across the UK’s regions. Each start-up will finish the program with a clear go-to-market strategy, targeted stakeholder connections, and practical support for UK expansion. The program will culminate in a showcase event, hosted at the residence of HE Inigo Lambertini, Ambassador of Italy to the Court of St James’s, – a unique experience bringing together investors, corporates and start-up ecosystem leaders from both countries.
If you are interested in joining us at this event, or meeting any of the start-ups 1:1, please sign up here
“We are proud to continue our partnership with the Italian Trade Agency through this new edition of the Global Start-up Program. Italian entrepreneurs bring exceptional energy and innovation, and the UK market offers real opportunities for their technologies to thrive. Building on the success of our past cohorts, this program will create meaningful connections with investors, corporates, and partners that extend far beyond the five weeks. It’s a practical, results-driven collaboration that delivers lasting business impact.”
Daniel Saunders, CEO of L Marks
“The Global Start-Up Programme organised by ITA and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to be a cornerstone of our strategy to support the international growth of innovative Italian companies. This year, through our collaboration with L Marks in London, we are proud to accompany eleven outstanding start-ups on a journey of acceleration, connection, and visibility in one of the world’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems. The Final Demo Day at the Embassy of Italy will be a unique opportunity to showcase the excellence, creativity, and resilience of Italian entrepreneurship to the UK’s community of investors, corporates, and partners, at the end of this exciting journey.”
Mr. Giovanni Sacchi, Director of ITA London Office said:
The program welcomes 11 Italian start-ups across various tech sectors:
- Pragmatica (Hospitality/Hotels) – An AI start-up that develops business automation solutions, including qb-hotel for hospitality guest management, qb-smart for workforce efficiency, and qb-marketing for AI-powered marketing campaigns.
- Ticketoo (P2P Tickets) – A secure fan-to-fan ticket marketplace platform that allows users to safely buy and sell event tickets for concerts, sports, and entertainment venues across Italy.
- Dishup (Hospitality/Restaurants) – An AI-powered comprehensive restaurant management platform that handles everything from taking orders and kitchen management to payments, POS, billing and sales analytics in one solution.
- Osense.ai (Finance/ESG) – An AI-powered sustainability platform that helps companies optimise ESG strategies through predictive modelling, automated reporting, and scenario analysis for compliance and financial performance.
- Zerow (Fashion/E-Commerce) – A circular fashion marketplace that recovers and resells surplus luxury fabrics and leather from high-end fashion producers, promoting sustainable fashion through waste reduction.
- Inspection Drone (Drones/Digital Twin) – An AI-powered drone inspection service that provides automated infrastructure monitoring, defect detection, and digital twin creation for bridges, renewable energy facilities, and construction sites.
- Braino.AI (Finance) – A fintech platform offering an AI-powered ecosystem of investment, savings, and parametric insurance services designed to adapt to individual user profiles and identify optimal investment opportunities.
- Koala (Energy) – An energy platform that helps local communities create distributed, transparent energy aggregations while providing access to public funding, technical training, and research projects for energy independence.
- BxT.AI (Finance) – A fintech start-up that has developed “Penelope,” an AI trading and investment platform designed to democratise trading and make financial markets accessible to users regardless of their expertise level.
- You Addict (Fashion) – An AI-powered virtual personal styling platform that provides personalised outfit recommendations by combining items available for purchase with customers’ existing wardrobe pieces.
- Wink Suite (Marketing) – A no-code marketing automation platform that manages loyalty programs, promotions, and multi-channel campaigns with features like spin-to-win, cash-back, and referral programs for brands and agencies.