Challenging a new generation of entrepreneurs

The next stage of the Vento initiative kicks-off in February, with 30 carefully selected aspiring entrepreneurs from different countries now put to the test to develop a business idea, responding to a specific market challenge. UniCredit as a partner of Vento, will be one of the company’s challenging these young entrepreneurs to see how they come up with an innovative solution to a real-life business problem. The other businesses that will be setting challenges include: Reale Group, Reply and Telepass, with one common goal: finding a solution that can be transformed into a high growth potential business.

The challenge set by UniCredit comes from our Working Capital Solutions team with a focus on how to transform inventory (of finished/semi-finished products) from tangible fixed assets to liquidity. Traditional bank lending represents the most common source of external finance for many businesses, which are often heavily reliant on debt to fulfil their working capital needs (e.g., cash flow and investment needs). Businesses that have a lot of their capital tied up in inventory, may face growing gaps in their short-term cashflow. However, inventories can also represent a source for alternative and innovative working capital solutions to inject liquidity that businesses can use to grow.

UniCredit’s role in Vento shows our Group’s ongoing commitment to developing and offering the most innovative and sustainable digital solutions on the market. The initial results of this 1st edition of Vento will be revealed in mid-June 2022.

The programme is inspired by the best venture builder models that are rapidly emerging in the US and Europe. Vento aims to minimise the risk of failure of business ideas and increase the growth potential of new companies by applying a systematic process to participant selection, team creation and background research, all with the support of partner companies.