Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message - and turn it into an output - activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online. All this is defined by a set of instructions programmed through the Arduino software. Arduino was born at the Ivrea Interaction Design Institute as an easy tool for fast prototyping, aimed at students without a background in electronics and programming. As soon as it reached a wider community, the Arduino board started changing to adapt to new needs and challenges, differentiating its offer from simple 8-bit boards to products for IoT applications, wearable, 3D printing, and embedded environments.

Eurotech is a global company focusing on embedded computers and Pervasive Computing, which combines three key factors: the miniaturisation of computers capable of processing information; their spread in the real world - in buildings and machinery, on board vehicles, on persons and in the environment; and their ability to network and communicate. Year founded: 1992 Revenue: $69 million (2014) BIT: ETH

Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine to Machine (M2M) focus on transforming bits of data collected at the edge of a pervasive distributed system into actionable information and knowledge for business decision makers and end users. These transformations are driving the biggest change in industry since the steam engine! One of the most important aspects of IoT vision is that smart objects communicate effectively with each other and with applications residing in data centers or the cloud. Eurotech develops and offers the technical building blocks required to build distributed systems of devices and sensors to be effectively interconnected with IT infrastructures. Eurotech solutions are a combination of hardware, Firmware, operating systems, programming frameworks and external infrastructure that enable customers focus on their core activities.

ITT Exelis, TBM Rail Group, TEB