Made-in-Italy Tech Takes the Stage at CES 2026 as Italy Pavilion Officially Opens in Las Vegas
Ribbon Cutting of the Italian Pavilion at CES 2026
Arena Italia is the hub of Italy’s presence at CES: a dedicated space designed to host thematic panels, discussions, and pitching sessions featuring key innovation ecosystem players and international partners. Arena programming officially began with the ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by ITA President Matteo Zoppas, alongside Kinsey Fabrizio, President of the Consumer Technology Association (the organizer of CES), Raffaella Valentini, Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles, and Giosafat Riganò, Trade Commissioner at the ITA Office in Los Angeles.
Matteo Zoppas, President of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), said: “As part of Italy’s national system—serving as the Government’s operational arm and working in coordination with Italy’s diplomatic network—we are proud to lead, for the ninth consecutive year, Italy’s institutional participation at CES in Las Vegas, the world’s most important event dedicated to technology and innovation. With 141,000 attendees from around the world and more than 4,500 exhibitors, CES is the ideal stage to showcase the excellence of our innovation ecosystem. This year, ITA is bringing 51 Italian startups selected from 13 regions to Las Vegas—companies that fully embody a distinctive strength of Italian innovation: developing practical, cutting-edge technologies that can be applied to products, components, and industrial processes, and that create the differentiation that makes Italian solutions stand out in global competition. From predictive monitoring solutions for critical infrastructure to intelligent systems for sustainable agriculture, from AI-powered wearables to advanced technologies for safety and well-being, our startups demonstrate how Italy can combine manufacturing tradition with technological vision. At the same time, CES also highlights major challenges on which Italy and Europe cannot afford to fall behind—among them autonomous driving, which is already a reality in the U.S. and Asia, and humanoid robotics, which will likewise have an impact on everyday life. High-tech trade between Italy and the United States reached $10.23 billion in 2024, marking an extraordinary 53.8% increase over the previous year. In 2024, Italy exported more than €3 billion in consumer electronics, up by more than 17 percentage points year over year; the United States, with €209 million and growth of 7.6% compared to 2023, ranks as the fourth-largest destination market. This positive trend also continued in the first nine months of 2025, when Italian consumer electronics exports to the United States totaled nearly €176 million (+23.6% vs. Jan–Sept 2024). Sectors such as biotechnology, life sciences, and aerospace are posting triple-digit growth, confirming the competitiveness of our solutions in the most advanced segments. With more than 15,000 startups and innovative SMEs active nationwide and rising high-tech investment, Italy continues to be a reference point for innovation. Our commitment is to keep creating tangible business opportunities and international visibility for Italy’s excellence—helping strengthen the €76.7 billion in Italian direct investment in the United States and the overall Made in Italy export value of €64 billion (+7.9% vs. Jan–Nov 2024), while consolidating a strategic bridge between our two countries”.
Immediately following the pavilion opening, the traditional “Spritz & Pitch” networking event brought together international stakeholders and the pavilion’s startups, creating opportunities for direct introductions and follow-up conversations.
The afternoon panels opened with a conversation with Stéphane Ouaki, Head of Department at the European Innovation Council (EIC), who outlined the EU’s funding tools and acceleration programs for tech companies targeting global markets. He was joined by Alessandro Liani, CEO of Videosystems, an Italian startup attending CES within the pavilion organized by the EIC.
Next, Arena Italia hosted a discussion on the transition to clean energy systems and new mobility models, featuring Francesco Cupertino, former Rector of the Polytechnic University of Bari and President of Fondazione NEST and Marco Ferrari (CEO of Eltech).
Following that session, a panel moderated by Grace Park, CEO of Nuleep, focused on women’s leadership in tech. The discussion included opening remarks by Iqbal Khowaja, CTO of the State of Hawaii, and featured several founders and managers from the Italian startups at CES. The conversation addressed overcoming gender bias in data and artificial intelligence, as well as growth strategies within international ecosystems.
The afternoon continued with a focus on the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the first Italian territory classified as a “Strong Innovator” by the European Commission. With contributions from Lydia Alessio-Vernì, General Director of Select Friuli Venezia Giulia, Fabrizio Rovatti, Technology Manager at Area Science Park, Annalisa Paravano, CEO of Idrotermica Buttrio and Vice President of Confindustria Udine, and Diego Bravar, President of Biovalley Investments Partner and Vice President of Confindustria Alto Adriatico—together with the region’s startups exhibiting at CES, Apprendo and EMC Gems—the session explored investment opportunities in the region and the support services offered by Select Friuli Venezia Giulia to advance innovative projects in areas such as AI and quantum computing.
The day concluded with a talk organized by ITA’s foreign direct investment (FDI) desks in New York and Los Angeles/San Francisco, featuring desk heads Sebastiano Peluso and Marco Mavilla.
The Italian startups at CES 2206: Accudire, AdapTronics, Agade, Aida Innovazione, Apprendo, Audioboost, Avacam, Beadroots, Beep, Chimera Tech, Cybertec, D-Air Lab, Elai, EMC Gems, Eye-Tech, EZ Lab, Fortitudo Diamonds, Fred, Ginga, Go-Oz, Hevolus, Icarus, IdolMatch, Innovatech, IntelligEarth, Koala, Limbico, Link In, Lookalike, MLR, Myndoor, NextRender, Nextsense, Oraigo, PA360, PopulaRise, Prodigy Products, RAME, REA Space, Salute360, Sensor ID, Social Thingum, SunCubes, Tinental, TrueScreen, Uptivo, Viber Alert, Vidoser, Volumio, WhoTeach, Wink Suite.
Roberto Rafaschieri
Blum
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