Public-Private Capital and Systemic Infrastructure: The Incentive Gap | Milan Longevity Summit 2026

*The capital exists. The need is clear. So why is it still so difficult to finance the infrastructure required for systemic change?* From the energy transition and climate infrastructure to health, innovation and new models of sustainable development, many of the transformations we need require significant, patient, and often long-term investment. Yet a persistent gap remains between what society needs to build and what existing financial models are designed to fund. In this panel from the *Milan Longevity Summit 2026*, *Marco Alverà, Luciano Balbo, Paolo Pio, and Omar Bertoni* join moderator *Guido Cornettone* to explore the role of public and private capital in closing that gap. The conversation brings together perspectives from *large-scale infrastructure, impact investing, venture capital, and sustainability innovation* to examine where today's incentives are misaligned and what new approaches to capital could unlock. How can public investment reduce risk and mobilise private capital towards strategic infrastructure? Where can venture and impact capital accelerate solutions that conventional finance may overlook? How do we finance innovations whose value extends beyond immediate financial returns? And what needs to change for capital markets to better recognise long-term societal and environmental value? The discussion also explores an important tension: systemic transformation requires both *scale and experimentation*. Major infrastructure demands enormous pools of capital and long investment horizons, while breakthrough solutions often emerge from entrepreneurs and new ventures operating at the edges of established markets. *Participants:* • Marco Alverà – Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Zhero Group • Luciano Balbo – Chairman, Oltre Impact • Paolo Pio – Co-founder & General Partner, Exceptional Ventures • Omar Bertoni – Chief Executive Officer, LifeGate Way • Moderated by Guido Cornettone – Chief Executive Officer, SoLongevity Ultimately, closing the incentive gap is not simply about finding more money. *It is about designing financial structures, partnerships, and incentives capable of directing capital towards the systems we need for the future — and making long-term value investable today.* *Powered by @FinecoLive * The Milan Longevity Summit brings together global leaders across science, policy, business, technology and society to explore longevity through a *One Health* perspective — connecting the health of people with the health of our societies, economies, and planet. *Learn more about the Milan Longevity Summit:* https://www.milanlongevitysummit.org/it/speakers26 #MilanLongevitySummit #SustainableFinance #ImpactInvesting #Infrastructure #PublicPrivatePartnerships #SystemicChange #ClimateFinance #VentureCapital #OneHealth #FutureOfFinance