Fostering Communities
We have a long tradition of addressing disability issues in Austria. interested in potentially supporting their new businesses.
Our shuttle service for disabled customers in Vienna was extended These meetings were aimed at encouraging future partnerships
to the Styria region. Last year, more than 110 shuttle rides were and collaborations among start ups and investors, companies,
provided to customers who were meeting with account managers innovation stakeholders and other experts, including many from
in branches. We will extend this service to Upper Austria in 2013. our UniCredit network.
UniCredit Bank Austria AG has also been collaborating with With the launch of our Start Up Academy in Italy the two editions’
instructors for the deaf at the University of Vienna in order local winners also participated in week-long managerial training
to create the country’s first comprehensive sign language sessions. More than 45 training hours per edition were provided by
dictionary that will include banking terminology. In parallel, our more than 20 indipendent professionals and managers from the
bank is striving to increase the number of employees who can UniCredit network.
communicate through sign language in order to better serve our
deaf customers, including by providing remote advice via webcam. Stemming from the success of the HVB Women’s Council in
Germany, UniCredit Bank AG launched a mentoring program for
In Bulgaria, 195 UniCredit Bulbank AD buildings - or 98 percent new female entrepreneurs to receive support from experienced
of our local offices - have access ramps and moving platforms businesswomen. Eligible candidates are invited to apply for
for disabled customers. Similar efforts are underway in other one of six mentoring places by submitting their innovative
countries. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, our headquarters and all of business ideas. Through the program, mentees receive guidance
our branches will be wheelchair-accessible by the end of 2013,
while in Croatia, we are working to ensure similar accessibility at
F CUS
77 percent of our branches.
Supporting innovative entrepreneurship
By offering the right mix of professional guidance, financial support
and visibility, UniCredit can help individuals develop the mindset to Il Talento delle Idee success stories
start their own businesses. Equipping entrepreneurs with the skills
and resources they need to turn their ideas into reality gives them
a better chance to succeed as future leaders and also contributes Through Il Talento delle Idee, UniCredit has put promising
to shape more innovative communities. business startups on a path to success. These have included:
In 2012, we conducted the second edition of Il Talento delle Techlab Works, which specializes in artificial intelligence systems
Idee contest to support new startups and Italian entrepreneurs that videorecord medical procedures and in company security
between 18 and 40 years old. In cooperation with Confindustria systems. Established in 2008 by three engineers under the
Young Entrepreneurs, the contest identifies innovative business age of 30, Techlab Works currently has eight employees and is
plans and provides winners with the financial and organizational establishing a market foothold in Sicily and northern Italy.
support they need to get their businesses started. Business They specifically produce technology used in surgeries, which
proposals are evaluated by panels of important local stakeholders has been adopted by several medical institutions, including the
and representatives from Confindustria Young Entrepreneurs and
highly respected Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna.
UniCredit.
WIN (Wireless Integrated Network), which also works in the
Since the contest began in 2009, more than 700 proposals have medical field, producing systems that monitor patients remotely.
been evaluated (277 in the first edition and 436 in the second), Founded in 2009 at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, WIN
with roughly 47 percent submitted by entrepreneurs between benefited from capital investments made by the Italian Business
the ages of 18 and 30. Moreover 23 percent of proposals were
Angel Network and the Tuscany Innovation Fund. From 2010,
submitted by female entrepreneurs. The greatest number of
when it comprised two employees, WIN now employs 15 people
applications involve ICT/Digital, clean technology and energy, and
tourism. Over time the quality of the assessed business plans and plans to expand its position in the European markets.
has risen, with an average of 24 percent of proposals awarded Fubles.com, which is an online social network founded in 2007.
a ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ rating. From the pool of Italy’s regions Today, the site has more than 250,000 users in Italy, Spain,
finalists, judges select 39 start ups as winners as a result of the the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Fubles.com was voted the
two editions. These start ups received training mentoring and
number-two app by Apple Italy in 2011, and is currently ranked
perfomance monitoring, as well as financial support and exposure.
number four among the “highest-rated and most used sports
In two editions the 39 start ups participated to more than 320 apps” on Facebook.
business meetings with over 140 experienced professionals
62 2012 Sustainability Report · UniCredit