Every year, our independent teams at the European Innovation Academy work hard to create startups within 15 days. Their incredible efforts are just one of the reasons we’re proud to share the results here in our gallery. In order to hear more about what’s going on in the Italian program, we talked with three of our on-site teams. They shared some of their startup ideas,  project, expectations, and more. 

Check it out!

Team: S.I.S – Student Immigrant Success

Participants: Aurélie Laborde, Rosette Cesar, Samantha Ortiz, Xi Yang, XiaoXiao Huang 

Team S.I.S is working on a non-profit platform that aims to expand education access for immigrants in the United States. The idea is to create a product that will offer mentoring, English, career development, and financial classes for those who are lacking in resources and education.

This the first EIA Team formed exclusively by women. Together, these five aspiring entrepreneurs want to help immigrants overcome cultural and linguistic barriers.

When asked about what they expected to gain from their time with EIA, they all had this much in common: Develop entrepreneurial skills, work with an international team, and be better prepared for a future career. 

Team: Astro (MATE)

Participants: Davide Antonucci, Adrian Sager La Ganga, Francesca Legittimo, Rachel Buggé, Gabriele Vittori

A lack of gravity might sound cool, but without it, the human spine is not compressed at a normal rate. Developing and strengthening muscles is also a challenge in space. The Astro team has set to work on a serious issue: The health of astronauts on active missions in space.

To achieve success, they’ll be working with the MATE Exoskeleton, human-assistive tech developers in Comau. They’ll be working to apply wearable hardware in a way that helps preserve astronauts’ health and extend their time in space. Validating this idea is not an easy task, as it is a narrow niche.  The customer base is not the easiest to reach… 

If you happen to know Mr Elon Musk, please message us so we can help the Astro team!

Team: ReflectTech

Participants: Adam Gainer, Bradley Mansour, Felipe Harrison, Mihaela Mina, Valerie Kozak

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1.35 million people die each year from automotive accidents. This represents the 8th leading cause of death in the world today. Vulnerable travellers on the road (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) represent more than half of global deaths. And between 50% and 70% of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities occur overnight.

Reflective Tech is working on a technology that aims to avoid road accidents by increasing nighttime visibility. The product is primarily focused on New York City, where this is a massive issue. 

The team has set some pretty ambitious goals during their time with EIA. They want to get the most from the program’s collaborative environment, develop insights from a multicultural experience, and cultivate their entrepreneurial skills.

This is just a sneak peek of some of our amazing startup ideas. We’ll be sharing plenty more in the next couple of weeks. Keep up with our social media channels and be the first to know what happens at EIA Summer Programs around the world!