The 14 entrepreneurial ideas developed by the team of female students from five schools will set sail from the Port of Palermo. Next Thursday, February 15 at 11 am, the Costa Diadema Cruise Ship, will host the final event of Women in Technology, the programme designed by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and the Costa Crociere Foundation to promote the educational and professional success of 200 young female students, especially in Southern Italy. Finalists from Sicily, Calabria, Campania and Lazio will present their entrepreneurial micro-projects for social innovation in travel to a jury composed of companies and professionals.
A foldable stroller to help travelling parents, an app to promote safety onboard cruise ships, a power bank for cars that uses Aeolic energy to recharge and recycled plastic earphones that absorb solar energy and recharge mobile devices. These are just some of the projects developed by the young women participating in “Women in Technology,” the project developed by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and the Costa Crociere Foundation to promote enterprise by young women in the technology sector, especially in Italian regions with the highest unemployment rate.
On Thursday, February 15 at 11 am, the Costa Diadema Cruise Ship will host the aspiring entrepreneurs from Sicily, Calabria, Campania and Lazio who will present their entrepreneurial ideas through an elevator pitch and showcase the first prototypes of their products to a jury of experts and professionals.
This is the final event of a course that lasted over a year, during which the students, trained by young start-uppers and Fondazione Mondo Digitale Coach Cecilia Lalatta Costerbosa, worked in groups to develop a business idea and identify innovative solutions to improve travel experiences. The costs for the production of the prototype were covered via crowdfunding on the Phyrtual.org social innovation platform.
“In some regions in southern Italy, only three young women out of ten have a job. We are using the Life Education Model to develop transversal entrepreneurial competences, self-trust and problem-solving abilities to prepare the new generations to successfully face the job market,” explains Mirta Michilli, Director General, Fondazione Mondo Digitale. "We hope that Women in Technology has provided these young women with the right tools to believe and invest in their talent.”
“The projects and ideas that were presented are extraordinarily innovative and full of potential. It is a wealth that the 200 young women will be able to rely on in the development of their future personal lives and careers, perhaps in a quickly growing sector such as that of cruises,” points out Davide Triacca, Secretary General, Costa Crociere Foundation, explaining the impact of Project “Women in Technology.”
