The Mind the Bridge Foundation is a non-profit initiative founded by Marco Marinucci. A Google manager in his day job, Marco got inspired while involved in a business plan competition and mentoring project in Africa. Inspired by the radical impact such an initiative played, he decided to replicate the model with the hope to have a similar impact in his own country, Italy. The Foundation is led by a Board of Directors with Marco as Executive Director. Alberto Onetti, an Italian university professor with an in-depth knowledge of the Silicon Valley ecosystem, serves as its Chairman. The Board steers the direction of the initiative and defines its organizational objectives. The ultimate goal of the Foundation is to foster a sustainable Italian entrepreneurial ecosystem, spur more innovative ideas, and reinvigorate the complex new venture economy, providing Italian entrepreneurs with direct exposure to potential venture capital investors from the most experienced, entrepreneurial ecosystem in the world - Silicon Valley. Every year Mind the Bridge runs an annual Business Plan Competition with the purpose of selecting the best innovative business idea among all the talented Italian applicants. To the top startups Mind the Bridge provides a training Boot Camp, Coaching sessions, and the MtB Venture Camp in Italy, and hosts the MtB Gran Finale events in the US that showcase the program's finalists. Through the Business Plan Competition and Affiliate program with Italian incubators and sponsors, selected startups are admitted to the Mind the Bridge Gym, a Silicon Valley-based mentoring and coaching program located at Pier 38 in San Francisco.

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