Startups, because incubators ask the government for help

Startups

Italian startup incubators lean towards a green and social approach. 50% of those interviewed by the Social innovation monitor of the Polytechnic of Turin, for the preparation of the annual analysis report of the ecosystem of incubators and accelerators in Italy, declared that they support startups with a significant social or environmental impact. Startups that mostly operate in the health and wellness sector (including sport), community development, environmental protection, culture, art and crafts, social tourism and responsible consumption.

In general, in Italy in the last year incubators and accelerators have grown by 3%, going from 229 to 237, employ a total of about 1,700 employees, have incubated about 3,600 startups, and produce a turnover of approximately 552 million euros, the highest ever recorded since the Polytechnic produced its annual report. Most of the incubators operate in the North-West of the peninsula, with a prevalence in Lombardy, where there are 57. In the rest of the country, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Tuscany and Campania stand out for their commitment, respectively with 29, 22, 18, 16 incubators. The sector, strategic hub of Italian innovation, therefore demonstrates a certain vitality even if the operators ask the government for interventions to refine the discipline, which has passed ten years.

Updating the Startup act

“ We are preparing a position paper for the government, with proposals for improvements to the discipline introduced by the 2012 Startup act - announced Stefano Soliano, vice president of Innovup, the representative association of the innovation supply chain -. There are three qualifying points concerning incubators and accelerators: the revision of the metrics for certification; the concession package; administrative simplification”.

Maurizio Montemagno, director general for industrial policies, innovation and SMEs of the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy (MIMIT): “It is probable that the time has come to review the criteria and requirements for the certification of the incubators, which today number sixty. The increase in the Campania region is significant. The Startup act has allowed the Italian entrepreneurial system to recover the initial gap in the level of digitization, given that Italy has risen from the initial 23rd place to 16th in the European ranking. Perhaps today there is a certain confusion between tools and initiatives, including investment ones. Although the ministry has launched a search engine on its website to scout incentives, the effort is not enough. It is necessary to rationalise, publicize and consolidate the experience".

Federica Garbolino of Invitalia (public investment support company) highlighted the need for greater coordination between institutions, available tools and initiatives. “ The Smart fund money has done very well: it has been absorbed at 80%. At the moment, however, it has not been refinanced ". The network of accelerators created by the National Innovation Fund is significant: there are 16 of them. There are two more on the launch pad and the intention is to reach 20, covering the entire national territory. “ The model envisages that each accelerator is verticalized in sectors considered strategic for the country system - explained Stefano Molino, manager of the fund -. The programs belong to three macro groups: digital manufacturing industry in sectors of excellence such as aerospace; digital transition-fintech-proptech-tourism; sustainability and environmental impact. The model envisages not only accompaniment and funding, but above all a connection between startups and industry. In fact we involve corporate partners” .

“The report demonstrates how incubators and accelerators are an important element of the Italian entrepreneurial system”, underlines Davide Moro, deputy director of research. In line with the Italian entrepreneurial fabric, about half of the incubators (57%) are set up as limited liability companies. 17% are joint stock companies. As regards the main services offered by incubators, the first is "managerial support", followed by "support for the development of relationships" and "support for the search for funding". Other relevant services are the use of physical spaces and entrepreneurial and managerial training.