TIM and CDP Venture Capital announced today that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to identify innovative startups and SMEs with high potential and of mutual interest, featuring technologies critical to digital sovereignty, from either CDP Venture Capital’s portfolio or TIM’s deal flow scouting, and to assess potential industrial, commercial and technological collaboration initiatives.
The agreement aims to strengthen Italy’s capacity to develop and promote Italian technologies in areas of strategic importance for the country’s digital sovereignty, by providing a coordinated set of industrial expertise, technological capabilities and financial resources. The aim is to accelerate the development of innovations in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing, smart cities and smart infrastructure, defence, and new consumer-focused services and enabling technologies.
The partnership’s operating model is based on the industrial validation of the most promising technologies, enabling the certification of mature solutions ready for integration into critical national systems. Furthermore, CDP Venture Capital will collaborate within the framework of TIM’s Open Innovation Programme to facilitate the identification and development of innovative technological solutions and potential industrial synergies through specific funding channels, joint go-to-market activities, and access to the enterprise market and the public sector.
“The ability to foster and build synergies with strategic partners is a cornerstone of our value creation. Our collaboration with TIM is a key factor in strengthening the growth trajectory of the companies we support. Integrating capital, expertise and advanced technologies means creating the best possible conditions for Italian innovation excellence to consolidate and expand further”, said Emanuele Levi, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of CDP Venture Capital.
“Innovation makes an impact when it becomes part of business processes, industrial priorities and day-to-day decision-making. This is the path we have chosen at TIM: a company that has undergone profound change in recent years, becoming more focused, more pragmatic and better able to turn vision and execution into results. For us, innovation works on two fronts: within the company, where it strengthens processes, skills and execution capabilities, and externally, where it can act as a growth accelerator for startups and SMEs. It is with this in mind that this partnership has been established: to make our infrastructure, our industrial vision and our practical understanding of customer needs available to the ecosystem. In this way, innovation drives development, strengthens competitiveness and makes a tangible contribution to Italy’s digital sovereignty”, said Pietro Labriola, TIM CEO.
TIM and CDP Venture Capital have already begun working closely with two key companies in CDP Venture Capital’s portfolio: Cubbit, which has developed innovative geo-distributed cloud storage technology, and CAEmate, which specialises in engineering and modelling solutions using Digital Twin technology for the preventive maintenance of infrastructure. Collaboration with these startups is a practical example of the approach the two companies intend to adopt: supporting the adoption of national solutions in real-world use cases alongside an industrial partner and guiding them towards structured growth pathways.
The agreement leverages, on the one hand, TIM’s industrial, technological and commercial capabilities, and on the other, CDP Venture Capital’s expertise in supporting innovative, high-potential companies. The partnership aims to create an environment conducive to entrepreneurial and technological development, offering Italian startups access to industrial validation, commercial channels, qualified capital and growth opportunities, with the aim of making a tangible contribution to Italy’s digital transformation.
TIM Press office timpressoffice@telecomitalia.it www.gruppotim.it |
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Contacts CDP Venture Capital Press Office CDP Venture Capital SGR |
Rome, 30 March 2026
