Italian sustainable mobility start-ups land on Mediaset Infinity with The Perfect Pitch, the new TV series promoted by the Confindustria via RetImpresa.

The format, consisting of six episodes available from February, follows the journey of the three start-ups, Arlix, Limitless and Novac, selected from the Call promoted by the Confindustria Agency for the representation and promotion of business combinations and networks, in collaboration with the Consulate of Italy in Detroit, within the competition ROCK for open innovation.

From Rome to Detroit: the experience of three start-ups in the US ecosystem

The project, presented on 2 February 2026 at Confindustria headquarters, focuses on the experience of the winning start-ups, who are called upon to meet with investors, companies and institutions in one of the world's most strategic automotive and mobility ecosystems.

Thanks to The Perfect Pitch, start-ups had the opportunity to fly to Detroit, the international hub of industrial innovation, activating relationships and contacts useful for the development of their respective businesses and strengthening growth prospects in global markets. However, there was no shortage of entertainment and challenges to overcome.

A new language for reporting start-ups and open innovation

“Through the televised storytelling of the sustainable mobility start-ups featured in ROCK, The Perfect Pitch experiments with a different language to tell the story of innovation,” said Fabrizio Landi, President of RetImpresa. “Today, if we really want to talk to innovators and young people, we must have the courage to use new communication models,” reiterated Landi.

On the importance of establishing a new communication paradigm, the director of RetImpresa emphasised, Carlo La Rotonda, who emphasised that the decision to create a television format on Italian start-ups “is the result of a path pursued over the years by RetImpresa to support the growth of innovative companies, both in terms of design in a logic of collaboration, and in terms of image and reputation. “Presenting yourself with the perfect pitch is an aspect not to be underestimated in order to succeed in a market full of opportunities but highly competitive like the American one,” added La Rotonda.

The President of Piccola Industria, Fausto Bianchi, at the presentation event of The Perfect Pitch

The value of innovative Made in Italy and collaboration

Words echoed by Fausto Bianchi, President of Piccola Industria Confindustria and Vice President of Confindustria.

“The Perfect Pitch is an absolute novelty for our system and is a concrete example of how enterprise and innovation can be told in a different language that speaks to start-ups, SMEs and new generations,” said Bianchi, according to whom “initiatives like this show how Open Innovation and the collaboration between enterprises, institutions and start-ups are concrete development tools to strengthen Made in Italy.

In fact, the series offers a concrete insight into the value of innovative Made in Italy and the ability of young companies to compete in highly competitive contexts, confirming the role of open innovation as a lever for industrial development.

Start-ups, training and growth: the role of Open Innovation

It was precisely on this aspect that Riccardo Di Stefano, Confindustria President's Delegate for Education and Open Innovation: “Start-ups give a fundamental impulse to economic and social growth, create jobs, attract new capital and meet the expectations of many young people who want to get involved. In order to do so, they need tools, skills and concrete opportunities,” said Di Stefano, who then added: “The Perfect Pitch recounts precisely this path, which focuses on Italian entrepreneurial talent, the comparison with international markets and the opportunities offered by Open Innovation.

Institutions and the protagonists of the television story

The presentation event of the series also featured the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli and the President of 4.Manager, Stefano Cuzzilla. Also present for the Foreign Ministry was the Deputy Director General for Growth and Export Promotion, Filippo La Rosa.

The TV series, produced by TheNewYorker, was narrated, through the projection of some clips, directly from the voice of the protagonists: Allegra Baistrocchi of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Italian Consul in Detroit, who oversaw the organisation and networking in the USA, and as programme judges, Davide Ippolito, Ceo of TheNewyorker, and Monica Marangoni, journalist and TV presenter.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mediaset Infinity (@mediasetinfinity)

Alessio Sansò, Ceo of Limitless Device, Instead, he spoke about himself in an interview with The Entrepreneur (read it here), getting to the heart of the experience and opportunities that “The Perfect Pitch” was able to give to the participating start-ups.

“An incredible experience from a human and professional point of view [...] a journey full of challenges and opportunities that I tried to make the most of, still cultivating contacts and connections”.

The Perfect Pitch is not just a TV series, but the story of a real journey experienced by the startup protagonists. A project that restores the value of experience in the field, of confrontation with international ecosystems and of building lasting relationships, showing how the Confindustria system accompanies emerging companies in the processes of growth and opening up to global markets.