BeLeaf – BeTheFuture has officially kicked off with the 2025 edition of the Call for Innovation promoted by Philip Morris Italia, in collaboration with Almacube, with the goal of identifying and developing innovative technological solutions capable of making the tobacco supply chain more sustainable and digitalized.
The initiative was aimed at highly innovative entities operating in the fields of agritech, bio-innovation, and artificial intelligence, offering selected projects the opportunity to be evaluated for an advanced Proof of Concept and to become part of the Philip Morris Italia ecosystem as an Innovation Partner.
Co-design at the heart of the process
From April 7 to 10, 2025, at the Philip Morris headquarters in Bastia Umbra, the central phase of the program took place: the Deep Dive Co-Design, the beating heart of the methodology applied to the Call.
During this phase, 4 innovative entities selected through the Call worked side by side with Philip Morris professionals, supported by Almacube coaches, to co-design tailored solutions based on the proposed technologies. The process was guided by the Tech to Innovation methodology, developed by Oper.Lab, the Open Innovation observatory of the Department of Management at the University of Bologna, to facilitate the integration of emerging technologies into business processes.
The startups at the center
The solutions being co-designed address key challenges for the future of the agri-industrial supply chain, thanks to the contribution of these four entities:
🔬 Biopreparáty – develops advanced biotechnologies for the natural protection of crops, promoting sustainable and low-impact farming practices.
🌱 Incomac – offers intelligent drying and preservation systems that increase energy efficiency and maintain product quality after harvest.
🧠 Symboolic – applies AI and machine learning to create predictive models that improve agronomic decision-making and resource management.
🍃 Herbolea Biotech – has developed a proprietary technology for the sustainable extraction of active ingredients from plant biomass, with alternative applications to tobacco cultivation.
Towards the Proof of Concept
With the co-design phase completed, the teams are now working to refine their proposals. The solutions that best meet business needs will have the opportunity to move on to the next phase: the Proof of Concept, where they can be tested in the field within the Philip Morris Italia supply chain.
🔗 To learn more about the 2025 edition challenges and the details of the initiative, visit the official website: beleafbethefuture.com
