The third edition of Gitex Africa, which took place from 14 to 16 April 2025 in Marrakech, confirmed the trade fair, which originated as an evolution of the Dubai event and will soon also come to Europe in Berlin, as the main technological event on the African continent. With over 1,400 exhibitors from 130 countries and more than 45,000 visitors, the event is consolidated as a strategic bridge between Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Italy participated with a delegation of 15 start-ups selected by ICE-Agenzia, in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Morocco. The companies presented innovative solutions in areas such as artificial intelligence, digital health, fintech, media verification, sustainability and traceability technologies.
Among the highlights of the Italian participation was Icarus Technology and BxT.ai reaching the semi-finals of the Supernova Challenge 2.0. The competition, a benchmark for early-stage start-ups at international level, offers equity-free prizes totalling $110,000, representing a strategic showcase for access to global investors.
Icarus Technology, founded in 2023, has unveiled an artificial intelligence-powered voice assistant designed to support GPs and health centres in managing day-to-day interactions with patients. The system automates repetitive tasks, such as prescription requests, while also operating offline to ensure maximum reliability and security.
Milan-based fintech start-up BxT.ai presented its artificial intelligence-based solution designed to support short-term investment decisions. The platform provides daily operational guidance and integrates with the main financial intermediation tools, offering an innovative approach that is also accessible to non-expert users.
Italian companies present at the event
The 15 selected start-ups stood out for their proposed solutions and potential for international application. Among them:
- Epitomea presented Library Med, an artificial intelligence-based platform for the automated review of scientific papers. The aim is to improve the quality of medical research by supporting the work of researchers and clinicians through intelligent text analysis.
- MLR, developer of the WuvDay platform, proposes a system for the certification and traceability of digital content, designed to counter phenomena such as disinformation and deepfakes.
- My-Money is a fintech start-up that enables device-free biometric payments by enabling secure transactions without the use of cards, smartphones or PINs, using different forms of biometric user identification.
- NextFlag presented a travel recommendation platform based on AI and personal social networks. The system combines sentiment analysis and self-learning algorithms to propose authentic destinations, overcoming the logic of fake or generic reviews.
Also reinforcing the value of the Italian presence was the participation of students from the ICE Master’s in Foreign Trade (CorCE). The young professionals were able to deal directly with the African innovation ecosystem, participating in meetings with start-ups, investors and institutional stakeholders. “When I attended this master’s course 30 years ago, opportunities like this did not exist. Today, thanks to Gitex, these young people can experience the international market first hand,” says Francesco Pagnini, director of the ICE office in Casablanca.
During the event, the second edition of Lab Innova, an ICE programme dedicated to training Moroccan start-ups, was announced. The programme includes a week of lessons in Agadir, with Italian teachers, followed by coaching activities and a mission to Rimini during the Ecomondo fair. ‘We are working closely with universities, incubators and institutions to strengthen the link between Italy and Morocco,’ adds Pagnini, ‘Innovation is a natural meeting point between the two ecosystems.
Monica Muscio, Commercial Counsellor at the Italian Embassy in Rabat, underlines the strategic role of the Italian collective: ‘We are proud to be here with 15 start-ups representing the best of Italian innovation. Events such as Gitex are fundamental for creating connections and building new opportunities between Italy and Morocco, in an increasingly open and dynamic context’.
After just three years, the Italian presence at Gitex Africa has gone from pilot project to structured collective, increasingly recognised at international level. For 2026, the focus is on further expansion, involving new companies, strategic sectors and consolidating relationships already active on the African continent.
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