For the second year, the San Francisco Italian Consulate, The Italian Trade Agency, and INNOVIT sponsored a four-day forum of forty startups, fifteen major Italian corporations, and scores of enablers. The event was held at the INNOVIT Italian Innovation and Cultural Hub building in downtown San Francisco.

The forum showcased Italian Innovation across numerous industries. The Program allowed the Startups to make a 1-minute pitch before each of the six panel discussions on topics such as Energy, Sustainability, Healthcare, and Innovation.  

Offering business opportunities to the younger generation of Italian-Americans is one means to promote continuation of Italian Heritage. The showcasing of Industrial Italian products educates Americans that Italy produces more than great food and wine.

American-Italian Federation of the Southeast President Marsala attended the event. Marsala was previously Mayor of Atherton, CA and currently serves in multiple Italian-American organizations: a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), Area Coordinator for NIAF, and Divisional Vice-President for the Italian Sons and Daughters of America. He produces a TV on the Sicilian Migration to America themed “From Immigrants to Contributors to Leaders.”  

He operates a Global Innovative Outpost in Menlo Park and invited four of the exhibiting companies to meet regarding implementing their product into America. One is working on Telemedicine and remote monitoring; another reduces workplace injury with early detection, the other is in Puglia providing software development for several US Companies.