“Give back—repay our country for what it has provided us in terms of education, culture, and entrepreneurial spirit. That’s why we founded the Italian Innovators Initiative, or I³/NYC for short. We want to assist Italy expand by capitalizing on the prospects in New York, which has emerged as the world's second technological hub." This is how Alessandro Piol explained the initiative that was launched a few days ago at the Italian consulate in New York. The event was attended by representatives of the New York ecosystem of high-tech startups, including Julie Samuels, president and CEO of Tech:NYC, a non-profit organization of technology companies in the Big Apple, and Jonathan Schulhof, executive vice president for technology at NYCEDC, another nonprofit organization that collaborates with the city government to attract, support, and develop business in New York. More than 6,000 Italian entrepreneurs are already working in New York in the digital, fashion, media, finance, agri-food, and health sciences industries. At least a dozen Italian-founded firms are expanding, with some employees based in the United States and others in Italy. "We will conduct a survey of all these entities to understand how to assist those already here and those considering coming here to grow", says Piol. "This will also help facilitate connections between Italian talent and companies interested in bilingual professionals ready to operate on an international scale". Among the projects are an AI observatory, mentoring programs, education, and guidance initiatives.