Isaac, the startup that won the SHaReD competition—launched by Fondazione Pesenti to reward innovative ideas in disaster and environmental emergency management—has joined the Speed Mi Up incubator. It now stands alongside other young entrepreneurs and new businesses working in fields such as public lighting, sustainable fashion, publishing, building safety, the job market, and energy production.
February 5, 2019 – Today we’re sharing the story of Isaac, an innovative startup selected by two panels of judges as part of the SHaReD (Social Hazards Resilience in Disaster) competition.
Three months ago, Speed Mi Up and Fondazione Pesenti launched a major challenge: to find startups capable of offering innovative solutions for the prediction, prevention, and management of major risks and natural disasters.
Yesterday, the winning project—chosen by two expert panels made up of professionals in emergency management such as Titti Postiglione and sustainability experts like Stefano Gardi, along with professors from Bocconi University and Politecnico di Milano (including Amelia Compagni, Manuela Grecchi, Marco Imperadori, Donato Masciandaro, and Stefano Alberti), as well as entrepreneurs and startup specialists such as Raffaele Mauro and Alvise Biffi—was awarded.
The winning startup is called Isaac. This innovative venture is focused on developing high-tech solutions to enhance the dynamic performance of existing structures, both civil and industrial, turning them into so-called “Smart Structures.”
Thanks to its deep engineering expertise and the experience of its team, Isaac specializes in seismic protection and continuous structural monitoring, offering high-performance, fully automated devices that ensure safety and comfort.
“This is another step forward in the collaboration between Bocconi University and Fondazione Pesenti, and a sign of our ongoing commitment to supporting initiatives that have a positive impact—particularly those driven by younger generations with strong social relevance,” emphasized Sergio Crippa, Secretary General of Fondazione Pesenti.
Profile of the SHaReD Award-Winning Startup
Isaac offers innovative products and services designed for vulnerability assessment, seismic protection, and monitoring of existing buildings. In Italy alone, 5.5 million buildings are classified as “at risk,” affecting a total of 21.8 million people (according to the Ance-Cresme Report).
From a two-year research project at Politecnico di Milano, a patented and innovative seismic protection device was developed. Called ISAAC-AMD, the device can be easily installed on a building’s floor or roof. It counteracts structural movement during an earthquake, reducing oscillation and minimizing the risk of collapse or damage.
The same system can also provide continuous monitoring of a building’s stability and safety—an invaluable tool in post-earthquake structural assessments.
The team is made up of four engineers: Alberto Bussini (25), Francesco Ripamonti (41), Nino Bussini (69), and Anna Impedovo (25).
Speed Mi Up and the Eight Selected Startups
Group photo of the entrepreneurs at Speed Mi Up
“Imagine buildings equipped with systems that counteract the impact of earthquakes. Picture machines that convert industrial noise into electricity, smart backpacks that charge phones as you walk, and better, easier connections between job seekers and companies.
We’ll see streetlights adjusting their brightness based on traffic flow, new ways to forge online business relationships real estate crowdfunding platforms, and subscriptions that allow access to content from multiple newspapers with a single account.”
This is the future envisioned by the eight startups now part of Speed Mi Up, the incubator supported by Bocconi University, the Milan Monza Brianza Lodi Chamber of Commerce, and the Municipality of Milan. What unites these startups is a forward-thinking, optimistic outlook on the future.
Starting today, the startups will benefit from two years of high-value services. Speed Mi Up hosts them at its Milan locations on Via Ulisse Gobbi (within Bocconi’s campus) and Via Achille Papa (at the World Join Center). But it offers much more than just co-working spaces: it actively accelerates startup development. Rather than simply responding to requests, the incubator proactively supports entrepreneurs by pushing them toward their goals, offering both one-on-one and group mentorship. This helps startups grow quickly, strengthen their strategic, managerial, and financial capacities, and refine their business plans to access external funding.