Is Italy’s tech ecosystem on the rise? Takeaways from The Bologna Gathering 2025

We visit Wandl in Ruhpolding, Bavaria, where a husband-and-wife team host corporate retreats in a historic alpine farmhouse. Teams leave behind dull hotel rooms to breathe fresh mountain air and find new focus for leadership.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rejoice! Rosé season doesn’t have to end. We meet husband-and-wife duo Stephen and Jeany Cronk, the founders of award-winning rosé brand Maison Mirabeau, which is now sold in over 40 countries. They share how a risky move to Provence paid off and why rosé deserves a place on festive tables.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We meet Ece Gözen, co-founder of Gozen, the biotechnology company behind Lunaform, a biomaterial now catching the attention of major fashion houses such as Balenciaga and offering a new approach to sustainable design.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Italy is positioning itself to become Europe’s next tech hub. Plus: author Mehran Gul on ‘The New Geography of Innovation: The Global Contest for Breakthrough Technologies’. And: Kagi founder Vladimir Prelovac on the search engine’s answer to combating internet AI slop.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We meet Pietro Collina, co-founder of Whitebox Cocktails, a company making full-strength, single-serve classics such as negronis, espresso martinis and cosmopolitans. Collina talks about creating canned cocktails and scaling the brand to international shelves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Founder Scott Hudson shares the story of Henrybuilt and how the company constructed a business around custom kitchen systems that combine design, craftsmanship and function.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Founder Natalie Enslöw shares how she launched Fjör, a skincare brand tackling dryness, sensitivity and other skin issues with advanced microbiome technology and a purpose-driven approach.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore different ways to build community through entrepreneurship. June O’Sullivan talks about the role of social enterprise in shaping modern business. Then: Alexei Korolyov meets the founder of an independent Viennese cafe chain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CEO of Cata, David Brunier, shares his journey to creating a next-generation SaaS platform that launches fully branded consumer apps with no coding and minimal upfront costs, including the top app in Singapore.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aera co-founders Jas Minhas and Olof Larsson join us at Midori House to discuss how things have been ticking along at their watch brand since Minhas’s previous visit. Plus: Monocle’s Brenda Tuohy on Geneva Watch Days trends.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.