Nuhpro has won the Startup World Cup – San Marino Regional 2026, held today at the Kursaal Congress Centre. The startup, which develops functional foods based on the Food as Medicine approach, will represent San Marino at the world semifinals on November 4 in San Francisco. If it qualifies, it will advance to the final on November 6, where a $1 million investment will be at stake.
The event was attended by Captains Regent Gerardo Giovagnoli and William Casali. The award was presented by Alex Lubnevskiy, ambassador of the Startup World Cup, and Gian Angelo Geminiani, president of San Marino Innovation, which organized the regional leg together with the initiative’s partners.
A second appointment in the United States has also been announced for Nuhpro. Nicolas Rossini, head of innovation at San Marino Innovation, revealed that the winning startup will gain access to the AI 4 Future final, a competition dedicated to artificial intelligence startups promoted by WMF – We Make Future, scheduled for November 5 in San Francisco.
At the Kursaal, ten finalists were selected from fifty applications: twenty-five from Emilia-Romagna, fifteen from San Marino and ten from the Marche region. Each team had four minutes to present their project in English, followed by questions from the jury on business model, market prospects and growth potential.
The day was opened by Secretary of State Alessandro Bevitori. “A territory’s capacity for innovation is also measured by how well it can turn ideas into businesses, skilled jobs and new opportunities. The Startup World Cup offers these companies a genuine international benchmark: not just a stage, but a chance to engage with investors, markets and different growth models. For San Marino, it’s important to keep creating favourable conditions for skills and entrepreneurship to flourish, fostering dialogue between institutions, the economic system and innovators. Lasting results for the country can emerge from this kind of collaboration,” he said.
The audience award went to Value for its Sentinel project, a safety system for elderly people living alone. “The solution uses an AI-based radar, with no cameras or wearable devices, to detect falls and alert family members,” the organizers explained. This award was also presented by Geminiani.
Competing alongside Nuhpro and Value were Airtisan, with quality-control software for manufacturing, Ekua, with 3D scanning technology for insurance claims, and FLEAi, with a smart workbench for manual assembly. Also presenting their projects were Health Spectrum Laboratories, with a platform designed to promote relaxation, Micro-y, with sensors for structural monitoring, Moto Trainer, with motorcycle simulators, NeuroNEC, in the field of minimally invasive endoscopic surgery, and Parkie, with micromobility services.
The proposals were evaluated by Maurizio Focchi, president of Focchi Spa and of the Nuove Idee Nuove Imprese association, Martino Gemmani, of Alunova Sammarinese, Stiven Muccioli, founder and CEO of BKN301 and SM Capital, and Clelia Maria Tosi, head of Fintech District. The event was organized by San Marino Innovation, Startup World Cup and Pegasus Tech Ventures, in collaboration with Fattor Comune.
