I-Tes turns an EIC Seal of Excellence into investor traction with EEN2EIC support

Brussels, February 11th 2026

Summary

›Italian startup I-Tes used EEN2EIC and Enterprise Europe Network services to sharpen its investor pitch after receiving an EIC Seal of Excellence in March 2024.
›Targeted coaching and an e-pitching session coordinated by APRE with Bpifrance support led to improved investor engagement.
›By late 2025, I-Tes secured a €300,000 seed investment and plans a larger seed-up round of €3.5 million to €7 million.
›The case illustrates how EEN2EIC links Seal of Excellence holders to investment readiness pathways, though detailed investment terms and technology performance data remain undisclosed.

I-Tes and the EEN2EIC pathway from Seal of Excellence to early investment

I-Tes is a Piedmont-based Italian startup developing thermal energy storage and energy efficiency solutions aimed at industrial decarbonisation and Blue Economy applications. The company positions its technology as reducing cost, weight and environmental impact to support scalable and sustainable industrial models.

Company and technology focus

The company targets sectors where energy storage and waste heat recovery can improve efficiency and reduce emissions. In maritime and coastal industries, which sit under the EU's Blue Economy umbrella, lighter and lower footprint systems are generally more competitive due to stringent space, weight and environmental constraints.

Thermal energy storage explained:Thermal energy storage technologies capture heat or cold for later use, smoothing demand peaks and improving system efficiency. Common approaches include sensible heat storage in solids or liquids, phase change materials that store latent heat during melting or solidification, and thermochemical systems. Key performance indicators typically include storage capacity, round-trip efficiency, power density, cycle life, safety and cost per unit of energy stored. The article does not specify which architecture I-Tes uses.

Blue Economy context:The Blue Economy covers maritime transport, ports, shipbuilding, offshore energy, aquaculture and coastal industries. Decarbonisation here often requires compact, robust and efficient systems due to harsh operating environments and limited space on vessels or platforms.

Why I-Tes engaged with EEN2EIC and the Enterprise Europe Network

I-Tes received the European Innovation Council Seal of Excellence in March 2024 for an EIC Accelerator proposal. The Seal indicates the proposal met high quality thresholds even if it did not receive EIC funding. On this basis, the company was invited to tailored investment-readiness support through the EEN2EIC project and Enterprise Europe Network services. Confindustria Piemonte, the EEN2EIC Local Node for North-Western Italy covering Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta and Liguria, acted as the company's entry point.

Seal of Excellence:An EIC Seal of Excellence is awarded to proposals deemed fundable by EIC evaluators that cannot be financed due to budget limitations. It is a quality label that can facilitate access to alternative sources of funding and support at EU and national levels but does not carry direct EU funding.

What EEN2EIC does:EEN2EIC is designed to extend Enterprise Europe Network support to EIC-relevant groups, including women entrepreneurs, widening countries and Seal of Excellence holders. It builds a bridge between EEN and EIC, focusing on investment readiness, matchmaking with investors and corporates, and improved participation in EIC initiatives.

Enterprise Europe Network and local node:The Enterprise Europe Network supports SMEs with internationalisation and innovation services across the Single Market Programme. Confindustria Piemonte serves as a local node for North-West Italy within EEN2EIC, connecting companies to coaching and investor engagement opportunities.

What the support entailed

The support pathway focused on strengthening I-Tes's ability to engage the financial market, centred on targeted coaching to build a structured, clear and focused investor pitch deck. The company first ran a simulated pitch with EEN experts who identified strengths and areas for improvement and provided practical guidance. I-Tes then joined an e-pitching session to European investors that was organised by APRE, the EEN2EIC coordinator, together with partner Bpifrance.

Founder Roberto Semino described the impact on delivery: "EEN2EIC marked a real turning point: I became aware of how to structure the presentation work and, above all, how to manage time effectively. Today, I am able to tailor the presentation to the seconds available, while always keeping the value of our solution clear."

APRE and Bpifrance roles:APRE is the Agency for the Promotion of European Research and coordinates EEN2EIC. Bpifrance is France's public investment bank and frequently partners in EU investment-readiness and matchmaking activities. Their involvement typically brings a curated investor network and operational experience in e-pitch formats.

Reported benefits and investment outcome

I-Tes applied the refined pitch in multiple settings. The company was admitted to a second presentation round in July 2025 with Faros, an accelerator focused on the Blue Economy that is part of CDP Venture Capital's National Accelerators Network. In October 2025, I-Tes presented to an audience of industrial partners and investors, including Enel, RINA and Fincantieri, which the company says decided to invest in the project. The outcome was a €300,000 seed investment. Semino added: "The recommendations we received through the EEN2EIC support on structure, key messages, and time management were extremely formative. I applied them both to the July 2025 presentation with Faros and to the October pitch in front of a table of 10 to 11 investors, which led to the investment. Today we are in the execution phase, and investors such as Eureka, Tech4Planet and Faros have complimented us on the quality of our business plan and our technology."

The narrative links coaching and e-pitching to the eventual investment. However, the article does not disclose investment terms, cap table composition or specific technology milestones. It also does not clarify which entities ultimately participated in the seed. Such omissions are typical in early-stage announcements but leave open questions about scale and conditions of the deal.

Timeline	Event	Details
March 2024	EIC Seal of Excellence	Quality label following an EIC Accelerator proposal by I-Tes
2024-2025	EEN2EIC coaching	Pitch simulation with EEN experts and targeted coaching on structure and delivery
2025	E-pitching session	Organised by APRE with Bpifrance to a European investor audience
July 2025	Faros second round	Access to second presentation round at Faros Blue Economy accelerator
October 2025	Investor presentation	Industrial partners and investors including Enel, RINA and Fincantieri
Late 2025	Seed investment	€300,000 seed investment closed; investor mix not fully specified

Next steps for I-Tes

The company plans to launch a seed-up round by year end with a target between €3.5 million and €7 million. It is continuing its acceleration journey within Faros with support from Deloitte to consolidate development and scalability strategy. Execution priorities were not specified but typically would include pilot deployments, certification where relevant, and early commercial agreements.

EU innovation ecosystem context and the EEN2EIC bridge

The case illustrates a deliberate linkage between EIC and EEN instruments. The EIC under Horizon Europe provides high-selectivity funding and labels such as the Seal of Excellence. The Enterprise Europe Network, funded under the Single Market Programme, offers coaching, market access and investor matchmaking. EEN2EIC explicitly extends EEN support to women entrepreneurs, widening countries and Seal of Excellence holders to improve their investment readiness and participation in EIC-linked opportunities. Such bridges are intended to convert evaluation quality signals into capital and partnerships.

National Accelerators Network by CDP Venture Capital:CDP Venture Capital manages Italy's network of thematic accelerators. Faros focuses on the Blue Economy, typically offering mentorship, corporate links and pilot access. Participation can provide visibility with corporates such as shipyards, energy utilities or classification societies that are influential in procurement.

Tech4Planet and Eureka mentioned as investors:Tech4Planet is a technology transfer hub supported by CDP Venture Capital focused on sustainability. Eureka is referenced as an investor without further detail. The article reports their positive feedback on I-Tes's plan and technology but does not specify if they joined the seed round.

Evidence gaps and what to watch

The announcement attributes clear communication improvements to EEN2EIC coaching and links these to investment access. The support activities described are in line with typical EEN practice. Still, several elements remain unspecified: technology metrics such as storage capacity, round-trip efficiency, cycle life and per kilowatt-hour costs; existence of pilots or paying customers; precise investor composition and terms; and any use of non-dilutive funding at regional or national level that often complements a Seal of Excellence. For Blue Economy applications, certification pathways and maritime integration constraints are also critical. Progress updates on pilots, industrial validations and follow-on fundraising will be important indicators of traction.

Stakeholders and roles

Entity	Role	Notes
I-Tes	Startup	Thermal energy storage and efficiency solutions; based in Piedmont
EIC Seal of Excellence	Quality label	Awarded in March 2024 for an EIC Accelerator proposal
EEN2EIC	Support programme	Bridge between EEN and EIC targeting SoE holders, women entrepreneurs and widening countries
Confindustria Piemonte	Local EEN2EIC node	Covers Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta, Liguria; first contact point for I-Tes
APRE	EEN2EIC coordinator	Organised e-pitching session; Italian agency for promotion of European research
Bpifrance	Partner in e-pitching	Brought investor network to the e-pitch session
Faros	Accelerator	Blue Economy focus within CDP Venture Capital's National Accelerators Network
Deloitte	Acceleration support	Advisory support during acceleration path
Enel, RINA, Fincantieri	Industrial audience	Attended October 2025 pitch session; article states they decided to invest in the project
Eureka, Tech4Planet, Faros	Investors or stakeholders	Praised I-Tes's plan and technology; specific investment roles not detailed

Data and privacy note relevant to EEN2EIC and EIC services

EIC and EEN2EIC services process personal data under Regulation 2018/1725. Access often requires EU Login. Typical processing covers evaluation activities, coaching, matchmaking, events and community features. Authorised EISMEA, European Commission staff and designated contractors can access data, along with Enterprise Europe Network staff where relevant. Retention periods vary by role and activity, and users have rights to access, rectify or erase data within legal limits. For support or account removal requests, beneficiaries generally contact EISMEA's helpdesk. Users should review the specific data protection notices linked to the tools they use.

Disclaimer

This case information is shared for knowledge purposes. It should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission or any other organisation.