25 Feb 2010: New Online Business Opens Doors to Italy
Today, 25 February, sees the launch of a brand new online business, Business e via Italy (BEV). The company's bilingual website www.businesseviaitaly.com has two aims: to help Italian companies reach out to foreign investors and to give advice and information to businesses and private individuals wanting to do business with Italian companies or set up in Italy. The man behind BEV is Swedish businessman Ben Radomski. BEV has already attracted the attention of a number of key organisations who are supporting the site, including the British Chamber of Commerce in Italy and The Italian Chamber of Commerce for the UK. The site is also working with Invest in Milan (part of Promos/Milan Chamber of Commerce).
Frustrated by the time it took to find the information he was looking for to help him move to Milan from the UK and set up business there, Radomski felt he had to do something about it. He decided to create an online service that would help people like him, who were hoping to start businesses in Italy, perhaps even move there, and needed information, advice and services and a way of getting in touch with Italian companies who were looking for foreign investment. But it is not a one way street. BEV also aims to promote Italy by helping Italian SMEs reach international customers.
"Italy lags behind other foreign countries in attracting investment and isn't exactly famous for its ease of doing business," says Radomski. "But there are so many Italian SMEs out there that want to trade internationally. BEV is there to help them."
"I wish there had been a service like BEV when we moved to Italy five years ago," says Dean McMorran of www.caserma-carina.co.uk a Le Marche country house featured as a case study in the BEV knowledge bank. "There is a real need for an independent and impartial central point where people starting up businesses and moving to Italy can turn to get help and information. It would certainly have helped us avoid some of the legal problems we've had, I'm sure."
Italian companies are already very enthusiastic about the idea. "I think BEV could be a wonderful way to reach foreign clients," says Mr Marco Frazzica from legal firm De Berti Jacchia Franchini Forlani. "The one click service system is a brilliant idea and should be capable of generating many new leads."
As foreign companies and individuals continue to be interested in doing business with il bel paese and Italian companies strive to improve their attractiveness to overseas investment, BEV is going to prove an invaluable ally. Definitely an idea whose time has come.
Consolato Generale Britannico - Communications Team
via San Paolo 7, 20121 Milano
Tel: +39 02 72300253
Fax: +39 02 86465081
Email: communicationsmilan@fco.gov.uk