Riccardo Paterni represents RPM at the opening event of Prato Venture Labs
12 May 2026

Innovation is born from the intersection of skills, vision, and concrete market needs. It is with this spirit that Riccardo Paterni represented RPM at two important events dedicated to Open Innovation and the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem: the launch of P.R.A.T.O. Venture Labs and the event organized by Réseau Entreprendre Emilia-Romagna.

P.R.A.T.O. Venture Labs: Creating Connections Between Industry and Startups

The inauguration of P.R.A.T.O. Venture Labs marks the birth of a new Open Innovation hub in the Prato area, with a clear mission: to connect businesses, production chains, innovative startups, research, and the local community to generate new development opportunities.

An approach that begins with industry, the real needs of companies, and concrete market challenges. Because the most effective innovation arises when a solution meets a tangible need and when diverse partners collaborate to build value together.

Among the Open Innovators involved in the inauguration on May 12th was Riccardo Paterni, who shared his experience with RPM, explaining how the motorsports sector represents an extraordinary accelerator of innovation. Although he comes from a non-technical background, his speech clearly highlighted how motorsports is capable of rapidly generating new solutions, processes, and skills transferable to other industrial sectors.

The meeting provided an important opportunity for national and international businesses and startups to connect, with the goal of identifying concrete solutions to their needs and fostering new collaborations through tools, skills, and opportunities already available on the market.

Particularly significant is the work promoted by Giuditta Pasotto, Program Manager, and the entire P.R.A.T.O. Venture Labs team to create an ecosystem capable of facilitating access to innovation and leveraging the opportunities offered by funds dedicated to the development of collaborative projects.

The presence of companies from diverse sectors, from motorsports to nautical engineering (NAVIGO. of Viareggio was also present at the event), confirmed how innovation can become a common language between seemingly distant supply chains, yet united by the need to evolve and compete in increasingly dynamic markets.