2024-01-25 08:26:00
And hub which arises from vision of the former Olivetti: the Elserino Piol Foundation is born
I met Elserino Piol in the 70s in New York at my uncles’ house. I had just finished sixth grade. I still remember his imposing figure back then, his braces, his cigar. The first time I saw him was at lunch at home, I was really struck by the attention he paid to me.
I was a little girl who asked a lot of questions and his wife had taken me to see exhibits on previous New York days. We talked all lunch, I answered his questions (including about the exhibitions) and he answered mine. But I was a little girl and… he is a great, long-time manager in the electronics field. He was intrigued by a little girl who could recognize metals from photos of x-rays of the metals (even from a distance) on display, as his kind wife Marisa had told him. I still remember Siena’s desserts and his whiskey at the end on the sofa.
I liked that man very much. I didn’t perceive his social importance, nor was I intimidated despite his strong presence, but I instinctively perceived that he had an edge. Only years later did I understand the value of that meeting and his words. Even a little girl could sense that he was a courageous and far-sighted man.
In the image Marisa Piol, Elserino’s wife, and her sons Andrea (left) and Alessandro (right). The photo was courtesy of the Piol family and dates back to the 1970s
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A Protagonist. And he really was and would be so for his entire professional life: protagonist for almost 50 years ofIT and telecommunications industry, former president of Olivetti and father of Italian venture capital.
Elserino left us at the age of 91 last April surrounded by his loved ones, in his home. Shortly before, I had brought him to Milan, through his son Alessandro, the Sienese sweets that he had told me he loved in the 70s. Today, less than a year after his death in Milan the Foundation that bears his name was presented to the press. An idea born in 2021, whose establishment however dates back to January 2023, in Valmorel in the Belluno area where Alessandro’s father was born and Andrea Piol who with Elserino’s sister are on the Board of Directors of the Foundation with other friends.
A social innovation project to continue to have Elserino with all of us. Andrea Piol will lead the Foundation. Those in attendance were also given the re-edition of “The dream of an enterprise” from 2004 by Elserino Piol with an eloquent subtitle: “From Olivetti to venture capital: a life in Information Technology”.
This is how the ELSERINO PIOL FOUNDATION was born with love: an innovation hub between hospitality, sustainable mobility and support for the agri-tech sector. Exactly in the heart of the Belluno area, but with an international scope like Piol was. Fruit of Elserino’s vision (who has always been recognized for human correctness and intellectual honesty) father of Venture Capital in Italy – the initiative materializes thanks to the dedication of his children Andrea, Alessandro and Elserino’s sister Marinella Piol.
The Foundation it is proposed to use the technology and the research as key tools for the creation of a cutting-edge hub for the development of innovative projects in the Hospitality, Agri-Tech and Sustainable Mobility sectors. The objective is to transform Valmorel into an authentic “Laboratory of ideas” intended as a center of excellence that exploits advanced technologies and socio-cultural initiatives in order to be able to replicate these experiences in similar territories in Italy.
The Foundation look carefully at tourism sector, which in 2022 has already shown signs of post-pandemic recovery further confirmed by data relating to 2023, with 81% of respondents saying they traveled as much or more than the previous year. For this reason, investing in the tourism sector will be increasingly relevant also for 2024, aiming above all at sustainability and responding to the growing environmental awareness of travellers. In fact, a study conducted by the Sustainable Tourism Forum revealed that criteria related to the environment are of crucial importance for at least 64% of travelers and the percentage is growing in relation to younger groups.
Il Agri sector–Tech plays a fundamental role in the project of Foundation Elserino Piol, considering the enormous growth recorded in our country. According to what emerged during the COP28 – United Nations Conference on Climate Change – the volume of investments in Italy increased by 90%. The Agri-Tech Observatory therefore represents a response to the technological impact on agriculture at a global level with the aim of training individuals with advanced skills and preserving local traditions. TO Valmorel for example there is one of the few active shift dairies: they arrive with the milk, make the cheeses and take them home. In August people go, perhaps in the afternoon, and find it closed and have no information on where they can go to buy those cheeses. The Foundation will work to build a database and feed websites and digital panels that will be used to map and enhance what the territory offers.
The Piol Foundation’s attention will also extend to the sustainable mobility sector. In fact, according to a survey by the McKinsey Center of Future Mobility, the growing preference of consumers for urban mobility with low environmental impact is highlighted, with 46% of those interviewed already using more sustainable brands or products and 16% thinking to change their habits in favor of green forms of mobility. Through its Observatories, the Foundation therefore aims to facilitate collaboration between institutions and businesses to promote sustainable mobility initiatives and projects in the Belluno area and then to replicate these experiences in other similar territories. There Elserino Piol Foundation it will be a guide in territorial planning, addressing current and future environmental challenges. Among its objectives is the transformation of Valmorel into an example of sustainability that can mitigate the effects of climate change and attract not only tourists, but also young generations. A significant step towards a more sustainable future both for the Veneto region and for the entire national territory.
Alessandro Piol and Andrea PIol
Andrea Piol, son of Elserino Piol comments as follows: “The Foundation, conceived and desired by my father, is an ambitious initiative that promises to revive a community that in recent years has seen its talents abandon their territory of origin towards large centres. The project, with its bold vision, underlines the importance of putting into practice that integrated approach where innovation, tradition and respect for the environment come together to create a unique model of sustainable development.” – followed by his brother Alessandro Piol: “My father Elserino was a great visionary in the panorama of innovation and management in Italy and abroad. From the pages of his book ‘The dream of a business’ in fact, the big ones emerge entrepreneurial skills and the far-sighted vision of a man who wanted to create a real social innovation initiative whose objective was not only to enhance Valmorel, a region to which he was very attached, but above all to build and ensure a future for young people in the area thanks to the contribution of research and technology” .
*Founder of the ItaliensPR international platform
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