Accelerator VeniSIA joins Future Cities Forum in Venice

Above: Professor Carlo Bagnoli of VeniSIA

Future Cities Forum is delighted that Professor Carlo Bagnoli and Managing Director, Maria Claudia Pignata of VeniSIA are joining our Future Cities Forum at the Procuratie Vecchie in Venice - hosted by Generali Group and the Home of the Human Safety Net.

VeniSIA is a sustainability innovation accelerator, based in Venice and devoted to the development of business ideas and technology solutions which are able to face climate change and other environmental challenges. The accelerator says it:

'...attracts institutions, companies and individuals to provide ideas and solutions for sustainable development challenges that are applicable to Venice's fragile and unique environmental ecosystem, and yet scalable, to the benefit of the whole planet. VeniSIA’s ultimate purpose is not to make an accelerator in Venice but to make an accelerator out of Venice.'

At Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Carlo Bagnoli is Full Professor of Strategy Innovation, at the Department of Management, Scientific Director of VeniSIA - Venice Sustainability Innovation Accelerator, Founder and Scientific Director of SIM - Strategy Innovation Master and of SIF - Strategy Innovation Forum.

Among other roles, he is President of Future Farming Initiative Srl, Project Leader and Committee Coordinator of Cross-cutting activity #1 Acceleration iNEST - Interconnected Northeast Innovation Ecosystem, and member of the Management Committee and Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee of Smart Destinations in The Land of Venice - 2026, a R.I.R. (Regional Innovation Network) of the Region of Veneto.

He is Founder and Scientific Director of the university spin-off Strategy Innovation Srl and he is the Co-founder of the university spin-off Digital Strategy Innovation Srl. As a result of an active scientific research in support of business, Carlo Bagnoli develops projects of business model transformation for Italian companies blending innovation, creativity and provocation, while implementing certified methodologies.

Professor Bagnoli is author of 80 scientific papers and 7 monographies. His most recent books: “Alla ricerca dell’impresa totale. Uno sguardo comparativo su arti, psicoanalisi, management” - Edizioni Ca’ Foscari and “Business Model Circolari” - Ed. Giappichelli and “Digital Business Models for Industry 4.0” - Ed. Spinger.

Maria Claudia Pignata will join Professor Bagnoli at Future Cities Forum. She is a senior manager with twenty years' experience in marketing and business internationalization, managing investments and training programs for innovation in private and public ventures in Italy, UK, Middle East and Africa (South Africa, Mozambique). Her career has included work with the Milan Chamber of Commerce, The World Bank Group and the Region of Veneto.

She was previously owner of an events agency based in Milan and she is Adjunct Professor of Cultural Events Design at a private university in Rome. She holds a Master’s Degree in International and Diplomatic Sciences (Gorizia) and a Specializing Master in Strategy Innovation (Venice).

Below: Maria Claudia Pignata of VeniSIA (Photo courtesy of Innovation Manager Hub)