Open Innovation · Vienna
Building Europe's startup scouting engine — 3,000+ companies matched with corporates, three flagship conferences per year at the Hofburg Palace.
Pioneers Festival · Hofburg Palace · Vienna
As Innovation Director at Pioneers.io, Francesco led open innovation programmes and produced three conferences per year at one of Europe's most iconic venues, the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna. Over two years he built the scouting engine that identified, qualified, and matched deep-tech startups with major European corporates — managing a project portfolio worth over $600K and helping organisations like Greiner, FFG Austria, and Kapsch access the startup ecosystem in a structured, accountable way.
Designed and operated the sourcing and qualification pipeline that reviewed 3,000+ startups across Europe and matched them to corporate innovation briefs from Greiner, FFG Austria, Kapsch, and others. Built the scoring rubrics, the reviewer network, and the shortlisting methodology used across all programmes.
Produced three large-scale startup conferences per year at the Hofburg Palace, Vienna — one of Europe's premier venues for innovation events. Led speaker curation, startup showcase selection, and partner coordination across each edition, with thousands of attendees including investors, corporates, and founders from across Europe.
Structured and delivered bespoke open innovation programmes for corporate clients — challenge definition, startup matching, pilot scoping, and evaluation. Managed a project portfolio of over $600K, ensuring on-time delivery and measurable outcomes for each client engagement.
Served as the main point of contact for corporate innovation partners including Greiner, FFG Austria, and Kapsch. Translated complex organisational innovation needs into structured scouting briefs and managed expectations through every stage of the engagement cycle.
3K+
Startups scouted
Across Europe · deep tech focus
3×
Conferences per year
Hofburg Palace · Vienna
$600K+
Portfolio managed
Programmes · production · partnerships
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