What do a platform like Kickstarter, money like Bitcoin, the beautiful story of GoPago and the stock forecasts for MoneyFarm have in common? They are all stories that have – in different ways and with various goals – a common theme: money, and the future of money.
One could make the objection that the future of money having less given the hard economic times that we are experiencing; but it is a truth that only pertains to the surface of what is happening. In fact, a much more profound transformation is occurring, which does not pertain only to payment systems, whose results can be foreseen but are anything but a given. After books, music, and travel, if there were a sector that is about to be revolutionized by innovation then it would be money. And this is why, today, the new section SmartMoney has been added to StartupItalia! It is a place to discuss how startups are inventing the future of money.
It will be a multi-authored blog that will be based on three important professionals: David Wolman, a writer for Wired US and author of the beautiful and relevant book, The End of Money, which would be great to re-publish in Italy; Emanuela Perinetti, the young researcher who has just returned to Italy after a period of studying abroad, in South Korea, precisely this subject; and Martina Pennisi, one of the most noted writers on the topic of innovation, who will coordinate the website. SmartMoney is part of a larger project, supported by CheBanca! and realized in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano (Polytechnic University of Milan), in order to help emerge, award and sustain the best innovation in this sector. On February 21st, in fact, the CheBanca Grand Prix, a startup competition with prizes that are anything but symbolic, will be held.
In the meantime, enjoy the reading and, like always, share the stories you may also have regarding this theme.
