Airport operator Aeroporti di Roma has launched a corporate venture capital company, named ADR Ventures, to finance the development of entrepreneurial projects.
ADR Ventures will allow startups to work on their projects directly from Aeroporti di Roma’s Innovation Hub, launched in October 2022 at Fiumicino’s Terminal 1. The new company will aim to support the most promising startups, accompanying them in the integration with the business and the management of investment processes, accelerating their business growth process and the commercialization of the solution devised.
The new company’s objectives will also include managing investments in the capital of startups through due diligence, monitoring companies in which investments have been planned and identifying, through scouting, potential target companies characterized by growth prospects and functional to the realization of new services and solutions. The activity of ADR Ventures will not be limited to the provision of venture capital but will also cover a range of activities related and instrumental to the realization of the business idea.
Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, said, “The creation of ADR Ventures, an ad hoc corporate venture capital company to finance innovative solutions in the travel sector, confirms the solidity of ADR’s open innovation strategy and our determination to play our part in ensuring the development of an advanced ecosystem for innovation in the sector. It follows the recent launch of the startup accelerator here in Fiumicino, whose first call for ideas yielded extremely positive results, precisely to engage high-potential startups, provide them with support and invest in the projects with the greatest potential. From now on, thanks to ADR Ventures, in addition to the support of expertise and contamination provided by the ‘immersion’ of startups in the airport, we will be able to provide them with financial support to further accelerate their growth.”
Emanuele Calà, quality and innovation director of Aeroporti di Roma and director of ADR Ventures, added, “With this new company, we offer further support to startups, investing in their ideas developed within the Fiumicino Innovation Hub not only in economic terms but also in terms of know-how and skills, fostering the development and growth of new companies and entrepreneurs to accompany the digital transformation of Fiumicino and Ciampino airports.”
