(Finance) – The Group Mondadori launches PLAI, the startup accelerator which intends to transform ideas based on the exploitation of artificial intelligence into successful business realities. PLAI will offer them a distinctive field of application and an industrial outlet both
within the publishing house and with the initiative’s partners.
With PLAI, the Mondadori Group has the following objectives: to create a technological hub that allows it to identify highly innovative initiatives relating to the sectors in which it operates, publishing, education, retail, media and advertising; position yourself at the center of the artificial intelligence revolution, becoming the nucleus of a national and international community of innovators; create industrial value and competitive advantage through targeted investments in startups in the AI sector.
“Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming many markets. In a scenario where generative AI allows you to create and rework any form of content, revolutionizing the way any activity is carried out, we want to give a strong boost in terms of knowledge and conscious use of AI in all our areas of business,” he underlines Antonio Porro, Administrator
delegate of the Mondadori Group. “As leading multimedia publishers, we want to play a central role in the Gen AI ecosystem to preside over the sector as trendsetters, attract talent and offer our customers new products and services. With this objective, PLAI, our accelerator, is born today”, concludes Porro.
PLAI will operate in the pre-seed and seed phases by selecting, for each annual acceleration cycle, 10 Italian and international startups which will be supported with an initial investment of 100 thousand euros each, in exchange for a minority share. The overall financial commitment of the Mondadori Group is approximately 6 million euros, to be invested in the three-year period 2024-2026.
The accelerator will provide startups, in addition to capital, concrete areas of application of AI, structured training and mentorship paths and the opportunity to participate in networking events. All this also thanks to the set of unique skills and assets made available by the relevant Italian and international collaborators who have decided to join the Mondadori Group in this initiative: Startupbootcamp, I3P, Amazon AWS, PWC, Multiversity, GroupM, Codemotion and Datapizza.