Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy's biggest bank, is increasing the international growth of small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) and has identified aerospace as a vital sector to promote abroad. The third US mission organised by its Banca dei Territori division brought 12 companies from the aerospace supply chain to San Francisco, selected from the division’s more than 200,000 business clients. The purpose was to connect with the California innovation system, potential investors, and new industrial partners. The companies are from all around Italy, including Naples, Turin, Parma, Bergamo, Ravenna, and Padua. Many have refocused some of their business on the aerospace industry. Stefano Barrese, the director of Banca dei Territori, coordinated the mission in collaboration with INNOVIT, the Italian cultural and innovation center in San Francisco. During the mission, the bank introduced Connecting Markets, an AI-powered platform that assists SMEs in finding international partners. Aerospace is one of the European economy's fastest-growing sectors. Intesa Sanpaolo has provided more than one billion euros in financing to over 500 SMEs in the supply chain and was the first European commercial bank to join the ESA Investor Network, which is run by the European Space Agency.