The government uses the Golden Power and blocks the agreement between Tekne and Nuburu.

Just when everything seemed done, the government rejected the offer: a decree to exercise its golden power to sell a 70% stake in Tekne to the American company Nuburu. The Ortona-based technology jewel, known for its advanced electronic warfare and cybersecurity solutions, capable of competing with the industry's major players, had grown rapidly in terms of orders (reaching €54 million in revenue in 2023), but not in terms of internal organization. This disruption weighed on liquidity, with severe consequences for workers, who were laid off for six months between last year and this year. Change was needed: first, the transformation from an LLC to a joint-stock company, then the full payment of workers' outstanding wages, thanks to the influx of new liquidity from orders that had been successfully concluded for some time, and finally the search for a partner capable of ensuring production continuity. To secure the Italian government's approval for Nuburu's entry, Tekne had presented a highly detailed recovery plan, which specifically called for the restructuring of its organizational and production structures to meet the orders secured for the next 10 years (€67.4 million from the Ministry of Defense alone, ed.), including a plan for new hiring, and to allow the new majority shareholder, a leader in high-power laser technology, to expand into the defense sector. The government said no. The Ortona-based company, with 190 employees, half of whom are engineers, working on increasingly sophisticated technologies, such as the systems used by Ukraine to intercept and shoot down Russian drones, was too strategic for Italy. The government vetoed the American group's entry 90 days after the request for validation of the new structure and only two days after the closed-door meeting between the prime minister and the heads of Italy's leading defense and security companies.

Colorado has no intention of backing down, and in a statement they outlined a new proposal: an immediate minority investment, followed by the creation of a joint venture in the United States in the fourth quarter of this year, in which the Abruzzo-based company will have a 20% stake; and finally, by December, full control of Tekne. "The acquisition will proceed in full compliance with the Golden Power guidelines," clarifies Alessandro Zamboni, executive chairman of Nuburu. "There is ongoing and productive collaboration with the Italian authorities." And to maintain the dialogue with the executive, a symbolic gesture has been made: the resignation of Giorgio Ricchebuono, former deputy general manager of UBI Banca, as chairman of Tekne's board of directors, appointed by the American partner. At the Ortona headquarters, they have no doubts about the company's continuity, waiting for signals from the government and perhaps a solution in light of what emerged last Tuesday at Palazzo Chigi during the meeting with the major players in the sector. "The government blocked this solution, which was primarily a rescue plan," says Andrea De Lutis, secretary of the Fiom Chieti-Pescara union, "and only the government can let us know what the outcome will be. We need to know as soon as possible." Among the options is nationalization, others are in the hands of Tekne's CEO, Ambrogio D'Arrezzo, whose door has been knocking on several entrepreneurs' door in recent months, not only from Abruzzo and not just from the defense and security sectors.