When Americans think of Italy, the usual images come to mind: pasta, wine, high fashion, dreamy landscapes. But at 3686, the South’s largest startup and innovation conference in Nashville, Tennessee, the surprise came from a different corner of Italian culture: mobility tech, robotics, and car-sharing platforms.
For the first time, a group of Italian founders took the stage in front of more than 300 international investors. And what they brought wasn’t food or fashion—it was deep technology.
Italy has quietly been building a startup ecosystem that’s punching above its weight. In 2024, Italian startups and scaleups raised about €1.5 billion across more than 400 rounds of financing—an increase of nearly a third from the year before. Deep tech, robotics, life sciences, and smart city solutions are some of the most active fields.
That’s not the Italy many outsiders imagine. Yet here it was, in Nashville, a city better known for guitars and honky-tonks than for European entrepreneurs, where three Italian startups presented ideas that could change how we move people and things.
Behind this unexpected presence were two figures. Allegra Baistrocchi, the Italian Consul based in Detroit, covers Tennessee as part of her jurisdiction. In her role, she builds cultural and economic bridges between Italy and the U.S., and saw 3686 as the perfect stage to showcase a different face of her country.
On the business side, Carlo La Rotonda, Director of RetImpresa—an innovation initiative within Confindustria, the main organization representing manufacturing and service companies in Italy—pushed to connect Italian startups with American capital. Founded in 1910, Confindustria functions like a private, independent chamber of commerce, bringing together hundreds of thousands of firms of all sizes to promote growth and support its members. Together, they helped launch a competition called The Perfect Pitch – Rock Your Startup. Supported and co-driven by Davide Ippolito, founder of the media group ilNewyorkese and a disruptive reference point for the Italian community in the U.S., they brought Italy’s startup energy all the way to Nashville.
Three startups embodied this spirit. 2hire (founder Filippo Agostino) creates tech that turns any vehicle into a connected digital device. Already operating in 15 countries, their platform is the plumbing for future mobility services. Alba Robot (Daniel Chiaravalli) blends robotics and AI to make autonomous solutions for moving people and goods, targeting accessibility and logistics. Volvero (Marco Filippi) runs a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform, connecting private owners and users to make mobility more sustainable and inclusive.
“Confindustria has been representing Italian companies for more than a century. With The Perfect Pitch we wanted to demonstrate that our mission goes beyond advocacy: it’s about creating real opportunities for startups to compete and grow on the international stage,” said Carlo La Rotonda.
Allegra Baistrocchi was even more direct: “Being invited as the first foreign country to this key innovation event, right after Tennessee saw a 40% increase in imports from Italy, is concrete proof of what Italy can bring. The future of mobility is moving people, goods, energy, and data—and Italy is ready to lead this sustainable transformation.”
This mission wasn’t just a one-off. The entire journey has been captured in a documentary called “Italian Mindset”, produced in partnership with the Italy America Reputation Lab and the Italian American media group founded by Davide Ippolito. The film, slated for release on U.S. television in spring 2026, aims to break stereotypes and show America an Italy that’s as inventive and innovative as it is stylish and historic.
Because maybe the next time Americans think of Italy, they’ll picture not only a plate of pasta, but also a startup founder in Nashville, pitching a bold new way to move the world forward.