ITALY. Travel experience player Avolta has launched an innovation hub for start-ups at its Milan office.
Under its innovation and ventures arm, Avolta Next, the company put out a call for ideas dedicated to food & beverage and motorways in December 2023, attracting more than 100 applications from four continents. From this pool, five start-ups were selected to set up their businesses in the new 220sq m hub.
The start-ups work inside the historical headquarters of Autogrill, now the Avolta office in Milan. Their space is located next to the Factory Food Designers, the company’s incubator of ideas where the next-generation Avolta F&B concepts are born – based around strategic pillars of quality, food safety, sustainability and technology.
The group of international start-ups are tasked with developing innovative solutions to improve the competitiveness of the motorway F&B sector and its services. One example is Hoooly!, developer of an AI and robotics-based waste bin that automatically separates waste and offers detailed analysis to improve efficiency and sustainability.
Edizione President and Avolta Honorary Chairman Alessandro Benetton said: “Every great idea needs a nurturing environment to flourish. Avolta Next Milan is one of the places where Avolta brings the industry’s major transformation to life, fuelled by the contributions of innovative start-ups that share our passion for innovation and excellence.
“I am delighted to see how the success of the Innovation Hub at Aeroporti di Roma has inspired Avolta to launch a similar initiative in another sector. This is a testament to our DNA, which we aim to spread further to create new global champions.”
Avolta CEO Xavier Rossinyol commented: “We are the first to seamlessly unite travel retail, travel convenience and F&B on a large scale, operating at a unique intersection that sets us apart.
“When we talk about innovation at Avolta, we mean transforming the experience for travellers, using new technologies, global data and AI to accelerate change. Collaboration with start-ups and young entrepreneurs is key to going all the way and doing it fast, like in other companies inspired by Edizione. Avolta Next Milan is proof that we mean innovation in Italy and beyond, just as Autogrill has done for decades.” 
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