The Bologna Gathering 2026 will bring together more than 500 investors, founders and corporate executives in Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna region. Attending investment firms manage more than €50 billion in assets.
Now in its fourth edition, the invitation-only gathering focuses on venture capital, start-ups and emerging technologies. Participating start-ups and scale-ups have raised more than €1.2 billion between them, while investors' assets under management have risen from €39 billion at the previous edition.
The event is backed by ART-ER, the Metropolitan City and Municipality of Bologna, and the Emilia-Romagna Region. It is produced by the StartYouUp association and cloud company Cubbit, in a public-private effort to strengthen Bologna's position on the European technology map.
This year's edition is framed around Europe's push for greater technological sovereignty and Italy's emergence as a more active venture capital market. Its focus spans artificial intelligence, defence, cyber security, space, autonomous driving and cloud infrastructure.
The backdrop is growing international interest in Italian technology companies. PitchBook data cited by the organisers shows Italy recorded 225 venture capital funding rounds in the first quarter of 2026, up 80% from the same period a year earlier and the highest quarterly total in the past decade.
Investors expected to attend include Saul Klein, co-founder of LocalGlobe and Phoenix Court; Emanuele Levi, chief executive of CDP Venture Capital; and representatives from BlackRock, White Star Capital, Woven Capital, Eurazeo, DTCP, Hitachi Ventures and ETF Partners. The line-up also includes investors from across the Italian market, including United Ventures, P101, Primo Capital, Neva SGR and Italian Founders Fund.
Deal activity
The guest list reflects some of the larger European technology funding rounds completed in recent months. Axelera AI, the Dutch artificial intelligence company founded by Italians, will be represented by chief executive and co-founder Fabrizio Del Maffeo after raising USD $250 million.
Cyber security company Exein, which completed two rounds worth €70 million and €100 million, is also among the participants. Others include autonomous driving start-up Niulinx, which raised €38 million; Smartness, which closed a €47 million Series B round; and humanoid robotics company Generative Bionics, which raised €70 million.
The broader list of start-ups and scale-ups includes Cubbit, SiPearl, Newcleo, Musixmatch, Qomodo, xFarm and Lexroom. These companies, the organisers said, reflect Europe's effort to build stronger domestic technology businesses in strategically sensitive sectors.
Corporate presence
Large companies are also expected to attend, underlining the role of corporate buyers, partners and investors in the regional technology economy. Those listed include SAP, Leonardo, Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking, Scaleway, Klarna, Lamborghini, Fastweb + Vodafone, Ducati, Ferrari, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Mitsubishi Corporation.
The Emilia-Romagna region is central to that pitch. Organisers point to the DAMA Technopole, which houses the Leonardo supercomputer, and the IT4LIA AI Factory as examples of infrastructure intended to support Italy's role in artificial intelligence and digital industry.
Marina Silverii, executive director of ART-ER, said the gathering helps connect the region with international venture capital and technology networks.
"ART-ER is among the founders of The Bologna Gathering because the event represents a unique opportunity to connect Emilia-Romagna's innovation ecosystem with the most advanced international networks in venture capital and technology. Our objective is to strengthen the region's positioning as a strategic hub for European technological sovereignty, attracting talent, investment, and high-impact projects. In line with this, and simultaneously with TBG, we have launched the first edition of R2I Research to Innovate Italy, an event organised by ART-ER together with the Emilia-Romagna Region and the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces, created with the aim of placing regional territories and innovation ecosystems at the heart of national and European policy," Silverii said.
Local authorities also see the event as a way to reinforce Bologna's standing in European innovation.
"Bologna is increasingly establishing itself as a European point of reference for innovation and emerging technologies," said Matteo Lepore, mayor of the Municipality and Metropolitan City of Bologna. "The Bologna Gathering is a concrete opportunity to connect talent, capital, and businesses, strengthening the role of our city and Emilia-Romagna as a strategic platform for the development of a competitive technology ecosystem that is open to the world. In a complex global context, investing in research, artificial intelligence, and new businesses means building Europe's future starting from our regions, and Bologna is ready to play its part with vision and responsibility. Our commitment is to continue strengthening this path, making Bologna an urban laboratory where technological development and social cohesion grow together, and where innovation becomes a concrete tool to improve people's lives."
Cubbit co-founders Stefano Onofri and Alessandro Cillario said the event was designed to connect international investors with Italian companies in a private setting.
"Never before has Europe asked itself so urgently how to turn the continent's new technology companies into global champions. At a time when tech made in Europe will become increasingly strategic, Italy must play a central role in this journey. The Bologna Gathering was created precisely to connect the best international investors with the best Italian companies, creating, through a private, relationship-driven format, the conditions for the best of our ecosystem to grow with European and global ambition," Onofri and Cillario said.