Summary

The global market for startup incubators and accelerators has been on an upward trajectory, particularly in Italy, where the market has been experiencing growth due to the increase in innovative startups and young entrepreneurs. As of 2020, the number of startup incubators in Italy exceeded 200, with a 38.6% growth observed in the number of activities between 2018 to 2022. Geographically, 60% of these incubators were located in the North, particularly in Lombardy, Tuscany, and Emilia Romagna. However, there's a clear disparity in the distribution of incubators across the country as the North concentrated 56.4% of the activities, while the South only had 22.5%. The market is dominated by private entities, which constitute over two-thirds of the total incubators, with public-private and purely public ones making up the remainder. Key players include Gellify Italia s.r.l with a turnover of €16.685.144 in 2022, and Noi s.p.a with €13.104.947 in the same year. Additionally, online incubators have gained prominence due to their flexibility and accessibility. The incubation process is comprehensive, covering exit options counseling, preparation for independence, an alumni network, and post-exit support. The demand analysis revealed that the Northwest is the principal region for innovative startups, housing 34.9% of the activity since 2020. These trends showcase the vitality of the Italian incubator and accelerator ecosystem and its crucial role in fostering startup growth and innovation.

Analyzing the Landscape of Italian Startup Incubators and Accelerators

As we delve into the Italian market for startup incubators and accelerators, a burgeoning landscape tailored to fostering innovative enterprises is unveiled. Inspiring a surge in entrepreneurial spirit, Italy has witnessed an increase in young and aspirational individuals keen on bringing their inventive projects to fruition. With a nuanced understanding of the two fundamental instruments at the disposal of these startups—incubators and accelerators—we see incubators as nurturing grounds for nascent businesses, aiding them from conception through early development stages, typically over one to two years. Conversely, accelerators prop up more mature startups, instigating rapid growth over a condensed timeframe. Italy, a country already steeped in creative and industrial artisanship, has adapted to the current entrepreneurial wave with the proliferation of these support systems. The most remarkable concentration of such growth mechanisms clusters in the north, predominantly within Lombardy, Tuscany, and Emilia Romagna, cumulatively accounting for around 60 percent of the country's total incubator market. As we approach the contemporary era, virtual incubators have come into prominence, offering the allure of accessibility and reduced operational costs.

This shift represents a modern twist on innovation cultivation, fitting seamlessly into the digital zeitgeist. Taking account of the geographical dispersion of this market, the Northwest region stands as a developmental stronghold, housing over a third (roughly between 30 to 40 percent) of the total activity. This area finds its dynamism through pivotal cities like Milan and Turin. The Center and Northeast regions follow suit, each contributing over 20 percent to the startup fabric, while the South displays a notable presence with just under 20 percent. Conversely, the Islands remain a minor player with under 10 percent engagement. This distribution paints a stark contrast between the affluent North and the more modest South, emphasizing the need for more uniform opportunities across the Italian peninsula. The market's backbone comprises a myriad of actors including corporate giants and university-linked enterprises. Among notable entities, Gellify Italia s.r.l stands out with an expansive network across major cities and specializes in cutting-edge sectors like cybersecurity and AI. Other leading names comprise Noi s.p.a, H-Farm s.p.a, and B4i, each bringing unique contributions to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Diving deeper into the market's complexion, we note a substantial rise in the number of incubators over four years, with a 38.6 percent surge observed. Significantly, the lean towards privatization prevails, with.

Pioneers and Trailblazers of the Italian Start-up Incubator and Accelerator Landscape

The entrepreneurial spirit in Italy is fostered by a range of incubators and accelerators, each with its unique approach to nurturing early-stage ventures and propelling them towards success. Let’s delve into the profiles of some of the key players that are pivotal in shaping Italy's burgeoning start-up scene.

  • Gellify Italia s.r.l - Touted as an innovation powerhouse, Gellify blends forward-looking visions with technological prowess to drive the digital metamorphosis of organizations. With various locations across Italy, Gellify caters to a multitude of tech sectors, steering startups towards global growth.
  • Noi s.p.a - A beacon in the startup world, Noi s.p.a offers fertile ground for innovation through comprehensive pre-incubation and incubation programs, coupled with funding guidance and mentorship, targeting several high-tech industries from its strategic location in Bolzano.
  • H-Farm s.p.a - An avant-garde entity, H-FARM transcends the traditional templatized support system providing consultation, incubation, and education in the digital terrain since 2005, partnering with global firms to champion digital innovation.
  • B4i - Bocconi for Innovation - Affiliated with the esteemed Bocconi University, B4i serves as a cradle for high potential startups, bringing academic rigor to the startup world through well-structured pre-acceleration and acceleration initiatives.
  • Lventure Group - Società Per Azioni - This venture capitalist entity thrives on unmistakably tailoring its supportive strategies to each startup team. With investments to turbocharge startups, Lventure Group is a catalyst for innovation that offers a collaborative ecosystem to foster daily networking among founders and investors.
  • Plug and Play Italy s.r.l - With a global reputation as an innovation nexus, this hub extends its Silicon Valley ethos to Milan and Modena, emboldening startups across various industries with comprehensive acceleration programs and connectivity to a vast network of investors.
  • Polihub s.c.a.r.l - Established as an Innovation Park and startup accelerator, PoliHub is dedicated to deep tech innovation. It champions new business ideas through strategic technology management and tailored acceleration programs.
  • Sviluppo Como - Comonext s.p.a - Operating as a Digital Innovation Hub and startup incubator, Comonext drives digital innovation by offering collaborative workspaces, enabling networking, and facilitating corporate consultancy.
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  • Number of pages : 30 pages
  • Format : Digital and PDF versions
  • Last update : 20/12/2023
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Summary and extracts

1 Market Overview

1.1 Definition and presentation

Incubators and accelerators are often used synonymously, and although the ultimate goal is to help startups grow and attract capital, the two terms differ in their definition.

In order to facilitate and support startups,there are two main types of devices, public or private:

  • Incubators come into playbefore creation and during the early stages of the company's life, accompanying project managers to enable them to transform their idea into a structured and profitable enterprise. The incubation period generally ranges from 12 to 24 months. Incubators often offer equipped premises, professional support, and sometimes evenfinancial support.
  • Accelerators are often private andintervene at a more advanced stage of the company and in a shorter, more intensive period (3 to 4 months). Their goal is to accelerate the growth of the newly established company.

There are several types of incubators:

-Public and university incubators: business innovation centers and university business incubators

-Private business incubators: Independent Private Incubators and Corporate Private Incubators.

Both accelerators and incubators are considered key players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem as they are critical to the development of innovative projects and startups.

Globally, the market for accelerators and incubators can certainly be considered to be growing.

In Italy, the incubator market is growing given the proliferation of innovative start-ups and the increasing number of young people ready to get involved with their own projects.

The number of incubators in Italy in 2020 is estimated to exceed 200. Sixty percent are located in the north, especially in Lombardy, Tuscany and Emilia Romagna.

The main players in the Italian market are: D-Pixel, Make a Cube, Impact Hub Milan, Boost Heroes, etc.

One trend to keep in mind is the increasing presence of online (as opposed to physical) incubators. The advantages of online incubators are: greater flexibility and accessibility, time savings, higher quality of mentors, reduced costs, access to a larger network of investors.

1.2 The global market

in ****, Sillicon Valley represents the world's most important ecosystem for start-ups. The figure emerges from the report edited by Startup Genome concerning the global startup economy. The report ranks different ecosystems in light of their scores in different categories: Performance: composed of the measure of startups' economic impact and success rate. Funds: ...

1.3 The Italian market

between **** and ****, the total turnover generated by startup incubators in Italy is clearly growing. During the period under consideration, total turnover increased from *** million euros to more than *** million euros, marking a growth of ***.*%. After declining between **** and **** (***).

Total turnover of startup incubators Italy, ****-****, in millions of euros Socialinnovationmonitor

The ...

2 Demand analysis

2.1 Demand in Italy

Between **** and ****, the total number of incubated startups in Italy grew steadily. While in **** there was a total of *,*** incubated businesses, in **** these are *,***, representing a growth of **.* percent in just five years. The growth appears to be constant during the entire period, including the ****/**** biennium, thus indicating the absence of ...

2.2 Demand drivers

Start-ups that turn to an incubator can reap numerous benefits, including:

Access to funding: Incubators often help start-ups access funding, whether through angel investors, venture capitalists or government grants. Mentorship and access to networks: The presence of experienced mentors and access to a wide network of contacts, including investors, other entrepreneurs ...

2.3 Geographical distribution of demand

In order to visualize the geographical distribution of the demand for start-up incubators in Italy, a map was created with the concentration of innovative start-ups in each Italian macro-region compared to the national total.

The Northwest represents the main area of development of innovative start-ups in Italy, gathering almost */* of the ...

3 Market structure

3.1 The market structure

In order to analyze the structure of the startup incubator market in Italy, the number of incubators, the legal nature of incubators and the type of activity are considered.

Number of incubators

Between **** and ****, the total number of incubators in Italy appears to be growing. During the period, the total number ...

3.2 The incubation process

The exit or transition phase of start-ups is a crucial step in both the incubation activity and the start-up itself. This phase can be divided into additional sub-phases:

Exit Options Counseling: Evaluating options: helping start-ups evaluate the various exit options available, such as selling the company, merging with another company, or ...

3.3 The geographical distribution of supply

In order to visualize the geographical distribution of start-up incubators in Italy, a map was created the percentage of activity concentrated in each Italian macro-region in ****.

As in the case of start-ups, for incubators the Northwest is the main center of development (***) collecting **.* percent of total activity. This is followed by ...

3.4 The main actors

The following is a list of leading startup accelerators and incubators in Italy:

Gellify Italia s.r.l: is a Purple innovation factory that combines future visions, software and human ingenuity, enabling organizations to thrive as modern digital enterprises. Through an integrated ecosystem, it connects people, processes and technologies, with a ...

4 Supply analysis

4.1 Type of the offer

According to the European Commission's definition, a business incubator is "an organization that accelerates and systematizes the process of creating new businesses by providing them with a wide range of integrated support services that include the incubator's physical spaces, business development support services, and integration and networking opportunities." In other words, ...

4.2 The gain of incubators

Although all incubators share the same goal of assisting start-ups in their early stages, they are divided into the following types:

Non-profit companies: The most reputable incubators are nonprofit organizations run by academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, etc., to help young students or assist economic development in society.

For-profit development ...

5 Regulations

5.1 The legislation

The following is the Italian regulations on start-ups and start-up incubators:

Start-up

Decree Law of October **, ****, no. ***: by which the legislature introduced into the legal system a regulatory framework to support the birth and growth of new innovative companies (***) with the explicit aim of fostering technological development, new entrepreneurship and employment, ...

6 Positioning of actors

6.1 Segmentation

  • Gellify Italia s.r.l
  • NOI s.p.a
  • H-Farm s.p.a
  • Lventure Group s.p.a
  • Plug and Play Italy s.r.l
  • Polihub s.c.a.r.l
  • Sviluppo Como – Comonext s.p.a
  • Digital Magics s.p.a
  • 2i3T s.c.a.r.l
  • Opificio 4.0 s.r.l

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Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Gellify Italia s.r.l
NOI s.p.a
H-Farm s.p.a
Lventure Group s.p.a
Plug and Play Italy s.r.l
Polihub s.c.a.r.l
Sviluppo Como – Comonext s.p.a
Digital Magics s.p.a
2i3T s.c.a.r.l
Opificio 4.0 s.r.l

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