Italian Trade Agency Partners with Plug and Play APAC to Support Italian Startups Expansion into Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE, Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play APAC has partnered with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) to support the international expansion of nine innovative Italian startups in the FinTech sector. As part of ITA's Global Startup Program (GSUP), the cohort will embark on a four-week immersion trip to Singapore from October 21 to November 14, 2025.

The program's objective is to enable access to the Singaporean and Southeast Asian markets, enabling Italian startups to build strategic partnerships, strengthen organizational and technical capabilities, and position themselves for global growth. During their time in Singapore, the startups aim to validate their solutions in the Southeast Asian market, assess product-market fit, explore commercialization pathways, and establish conversations with corporates and investors.

Commenting on the launch of the fourth edition of the Global Startup Program in Singapore, Giorgio Calveri, Trade Commissioner of the Italian Trade Agency in Singapore, said:

"The Global Startup Program has become a key platform for showcasing Italian innovation, empowering our most promising entrepreneurs to compete and grow on the global stage. With the program being held in Singapore for the fourth time, we are proud to further strengthen Italy's presence in major international hubs like Singapore, where FinTech plays a crucial role in shaping the future of business. By uniting our startups, global partners, and participation in the Singapore FinTech Festival through the Italian Pavilion, we are creating a bridge of opportunities that will enable Italian innovation to flourish worldwide."

Plug and Play, a Silicon Valley-based global open innovation platform, has an established presence in Asia Pacific through its regional headquarters in Singapore. From this hub, Plug and Play connects corporates, startups, and venture capitalists within its vast ecosystem, driving cross-border collaboration and accelerating innovation across verticals.

A key highlight of this partnership will be the Italian Trade Agency Demo Day, held as part of the Plug and Play APAC Summit on 28 October 2025. The 9 startups will pitch their solutions to a global audience of corporates, investors, and ecosystem leaders. (https://www.plugandplayapac.com/apac-summit) They will also attend Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) and the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF).

"We're proud to partner with the Italian Trade Agency to support Italian startups as they tap into the opportunities in Southeast Asia's rapidly growing tech markets. Through this program, we'll connect these innovators with our extensive network of corporates and investors, and our APAC Summit is the perfect stage to showcase their solutions. We look forward to strengthening cross-border innovation between Italy and Southeast Asia," said Jupe Tan, Managing Partner, Plug and Play APAC.

The partnership underscores ITA and Plug and Play's mutual commitment to bridging ecosystems, driving innovation, and creating opportunities for startups to scale beyond their local markets.

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we're present in 60+ locations across five continents. We offer corporate innovation programs and help our corporate partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. We also organize startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC to drive innovation across multiple industries, where we've invested in hundreds of successful companies, including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal, and Rappi.

Our Asia Pacific headquarters was launched in Singapore in 2010, and we are now present in five cities in Southeast Asia with additional locations in China, Japan, Korea and India. We work closely with both the public and private sectors with programs, innovation initiatives, and startup investments across the region.

For more information, visit https://www.plugandplayapac.com

About Italian Trade Agency (ITA)

The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) is the governmental agency responsible for supporting the international expansion of Italian companies and promoting foreign investment into Italy. ITA plays a key role in enhancing the competitiveness of Italian businesses and facilitating their presence in global markets.

With a motivated and modern organization and a widespread network of overseas offices, ITA provides information, assistance, consulting, promotion, and training to Italian small and medium-sized businesses. Using the most modern multi-channel promotion and communication tools, it acts to assert the excellence of Made in Italy in the world.

The network. Through its headquarters in Rome, an office in Milan, and a global network of 69 offices and 18 local branches in 74 countries, linked to Italian embassies and consulates, the Italian Trade Agency provides information, assistance, promotion, training, and cooperation in the industrial, consumer goods and services sectors. The Italian Trade Agency collaborates with Italian Regions, Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Trade Associations and other public and private organisations.

For more information, visit https://www.ice.it/en/

Media Contact
[email protected] 

SOURCE Plug and Play