The Italian startup system is accelerating: according to Dealroom data released by Wave by Vento, Italian startups raised $652 million in venture capital in the first half of 2026, a 29% increase over the same period in 2025, while the overall value of the national tech ecosystem reached $139.9 billion. Artificial intelligence is driving growth in Italy and across Europe, and Bending Spoons is one of the sector's leading companies. However, there are some uncertainties: only four Italian companies—xFarm, Exein, Lexroom, and Smartness—are on VivaTech's 2026 European Top 100 "Rising Startups" list, operating in agritech, cybersecurity, legaltech, and hospitalitytech, respectively. The figure points to an interesting position in specialised niches, but one still far from the weight of the United Kingdom, France and Germany. On the internationalization front, Italy is increasing its presence at GITEX AI Europe 2026 in Berlin, doubling the number of participating Italian startups in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, deep tech, quantum technologies, and fintech to 25, thanks to the Italian Trade Agency's (ITA) efforts to support the internationalization of Italian innovation.