Displaid, a start-up founded in 2023 by four PhD students from the Politecnico di Milano and specialising in the monitoring and management of bridges and viaducts, has announced that it has closed its first round of financing worth €1.2 million.
The transaction involves the participation of Club degli Investitori members through Simon Fiduciaria, Growth Engine through A-Road (the start-up is one of five in the sixth batch of the programme), Sensible Capital and CDP Venture Capital through the CrossConnect Accelerator programme, which has Plug and Play Tech Center and ELIS as co-investors, and several business angels.
Prior to this round, Displaid consolidated its technology through a process of bootstrapping, pilot projects and commercial contracts that allowed it to refine its solution and demonstrate its value. Now, with the funds raised, the company is ready to grow, expanding its team, entering new markets and developing innovative solutions to make infrastructure maintenance smarter, safer and more sustainable.
Founded by Lorenzo Benedetti (CEO), Francesco Morgan Bono (CTO), Luca Radicioni (COO) and Giancarlo Donizzelli (CFO) (pictured), Displaid now has a team of 10 specialised professionals and is supported by a network of advisors, including international figures such as Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT Senseable City Lab in Boston.
With the aim of innovating infrastructure management, Displaid uses artificial intelligence and sensors to monitor bridges and viaducts. The sensors collect data in real time, while algorithms analyse it to identify any problems; this allows managers to intervene promptly, making infrastructure safer and more efficient.
“Infrastructure is a fundamental asset for the socio-economic development of the country and must be managed with vision and responsibility. Yet it took a tragedy like that of the Morandi bridge to really raise awareness of its central importance,” explains Lorenzo Benedetti in a statement. This awareness has given rise to our mission: to offer a concrete solution for comprehensive, intelligent and proactive infrastructure management. We provide advanced technological tools to support management bodies and public administrations, helping them to monitor, prevent and plan in a more effective and sustainable way.
Displaid is an enabler of a new generation of infrastructure: intelligent, connected, alive. Already adopted by leading operators such as Ferrovienord and the ASTM Group, and by public administrations such as the Metropolitan City of Florence and the Municipality of Narni (TR), Displaid’s technology allows bridges and viaducts to ‘speak’. Intelligent sensors detect structural data and convert it into operational information, transforming infrastructure from passive elements into systems capable of communicating, anticipating failures and optimising interventions.
Investors such as Silvia Rovere, president of Poste Italiane, managing partner of Sensible Capital and member of the Investors’ Club, believe in Displaid. She sponsored the initiative in her role as champion, stating: “Infrastructure plays a strategic role in the growth and competitiveness of the entire country. Being able to invest with Displaid in a proptech platform capable of ensuring efficient and predictive management represents an opportunity for Sensible Capital and the Club to contribute to innovating the sector with highly scalable and sustainable technology.”
“The investment in Displaid fits perfectly with CrossConnect’s mission to support businesses that develop cutting-edge solutions for physical and digital infrastructure. The team’s AI-based technology makes a real contribution to improving infrastructure security and, in line with the objectives of the PNRR, accelerates the country’s digitalisation process,” says Stefano Molino, Head of the Accelerator Fund at CDP Venture Capital.
Fabio Mondini de Focatiis, founder of Growth Engine, adds: “We chose to invest in Displaid because of the team’s expertise and the potential of the solution in a market that has seen limited innovation in recent decades. Their technology, based on AI and sensors, can transform infrastructure management, improving safety and efficiency in a scalable and sustainable way.”
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