Talking about technological innovation at the service of global challenges always makes you apprehensive and anxious. It creates a mixed feeling of detachment from the real world and simultaneously like your participation in the plot of a science-fiction thriller. But the core challenge, in my opinion, is to realize the idea of a future that policy makers and our society are putting us through using a strategy made up of small steps.

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the G20 Innovation League – an event dedicated to innovation. It was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the framework of the Italian Presidency of the G20 – not only representing Zerynth, but also all Italian entrepreneurial projects who respond to the digitization challenges of the industrial world through IoT and AI technologies.

While listening to the speeches that preceded the presentations of the startups, I had the feeling that the “global challenges” – such as healthcare, cleantech, smart mobility, and smart industry – will only be reachable through AI and IoT when the traction paradigm is also applied at the level of policy-makers and large strategic consulting organizations. The very same paradigm that is now applied to startups since we require them to immediately demonstrate that they can “realize” innovation in small amounts of time.

This observation was also confirmed by José Ángel Gurría Treviño, former secretary general of the OECD, as he addressed the issue of how to adapt and adopt technology in society and the business world. He reiterated that the real challenge lies in supporting, first of all, the millions of small and medium-sized enterprises that will reap the benefits in an efficient, effective, and ethical manner.

All this cannot be achieved without an attitude of “offloading” the innovation that global technology startups have had to learn firsthand to ensure survival and traction in the market.

At Zerynth we have a credo of staying grounded in reality. Driven by the vision of a world where people’s lives are simplified thanks to digitized, connected, and sustainable business processes, we have created an IoT platform designed to accelerate the digital transformation of the industrial sector, regardless of the degree of maturity and size of the companies that operate it.

With the recognition we received as the best Startup of the G20 countries in the IoT & Wearables category, (the only Italian company that was awarded anything), we take up the challenge because the G20 policy makers have infused us with enthusiasm and responsibility.

But, not before the well deserved festivities and celebrations with the fantastic team behind the Zerynth project.