With the aim of creating innovative startups, the Start Cup Piedmont Valle d’Aostareached his twentieth edition and promoted by incubators I3PInnovative Business Incubator of the Polytechnic of Turin, e 2i3TBusiness Incubator of the University of Turin.
Organized within the PNI – National Innovation Award promoted by PNICube, the Start Cup Piemonte Valle d’Aosta is divided into the traditional two stages, the Ideas Competition (Phase I) and the Business Plan Competition (Phase II). In its 19 previous editions, the initiative involved over 7,800 aspiring entrepreneurs divided into teams who over the years presented a total of over 3,700 business ideas and 2,000 business plans. The total prize pool of over 1.4 million euros it supported the creation of over 180 companies which today employ more than 1,450 people.
Phase I and Phase II: methods and timing
The Start Cup competition is divided into two parts. There Phase IThe “Ideas Competition”, which rewards the best business ideas in support and consultancy services – provided by business incubators – aimed at drafting the Business Plan, in addition to orientation and support services provided by other Partners. There is time to introduce yourself until June 28thby filling out the application on the official website of the Competition www.startcup-piemonte-vda.it. The teams that present the best business ideas and pass the selection phase will be contacted directly by the incubators to start consultancy services.
There Phase IIor the Business Plan Competitionwill start on June 29th, end on July 29th and will give access to the final selection and prizes. Everyone can access it, even those who were not included in the first selection or who did not present an idea in Phase I. To participate in Phase II it is necessary to present a Business Plan describing an entrepreneurial project on the competition website.
You can participate in only one or both phasesfree of charge, by submitting a business idea or an entrepreneurial project which, regardless of the stage of development, are the result of the work of a single or a group of individuals e aimed at the birth of an innovative startup.
All aspiring adult, university and structured entrepreneurs from universities and research centers (university students, graduates, doctoral or PhD students, research fellows or scholarship holders, structured professors) and owners of newly started businesses can participate, individually or in groups. as specified in the Competition Regulations. During the online application process, in both Phases, proposers will have to identify a reference incubatorchoosing it from the business incubators of the Promoting Bodies (I3P, 2i3T or Pépinières d’Entreprises of Aosta or Pont-Saint-Martin in case of candidacy for the Valle d’Aosta Prize).
Entrepreneurial ideas and projects that refer to the five race categories:
- Life Sciencesfor innovative products and/or services to improve people’s health;
- ICTi.e. innovative products and/or services in the field of information technologies and new media for cybersecurity and cloud computing – for example e-commerce, social media, mobile, gaming – and innovative hardware and software technologies, such as for example microelectronics and photonics devices, advanced materials for ICT, new computational architectures, technologies in the AI/LLM field, imaging;
- Cleantech & Energyor innovative products and/or services aimed at improving environmental sustainability, environmental protection, energy management;
- Industriali.e. innovative products and/or services for industrial production that do not fall into the previous categories, innovative from a technological or market point of view;
- Tourism and Cultural and Creative Industryinnovative products and/or services aimed at the tourism and cultural and creative industry sectors.
The awards of the 20th edition
Phase I – Ideas Competition
The best business ideas receive service rewards:
1) free support and consultancy activities aimed at supporting the entrepreneurial team in developing the Business Plan, provided by the incubators organizing the competition through experts;
2) 5G consultancy services aimed at feasibility studies aimed at evaluating the potential added value of 5G connectivity, provided as part of the project CTE NEXT of the City of Turin.
To participate in the services referred to in point 2) it is necessary to select the relevant option when registering for Phase I of your business idea.
It will also be possible to take advantage of the free services of, by indicating your preference when registering for Phase I of your business idea orientation and accompaniment provided by the experts of InvitaliaOfficial Partner of the National Innovation Award, aimed at submitting applications for relief on the Agency’s various incentives.
Phase II – Business Plan Competition
By the beginning of November they will be the best startup projects participating in the Business Plan Competition (Phase II) have been decreed who will receive cash prizes and services, as well as special mentions, awarded with the support of a Jury made up of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and business angels. Thanks to the funding made available by the promoting bodies and supporters of the 2024 edition, this year the total prize money rises to over 75,000 euros and will be paid in money, intended to generate financial resources functional to the start-up of innovative startups, and servicesoffered by various partners.
THE three overall winners will receive cash prizes: the first place winner will receive a prize of 7,500 eurosto the second of 5,000 and to the third of 2,500. To the first six projects in the ranking will also be recognized the prize of 1,000 euros each for registration in the PNI 2024the National Award for Innovation, the “champion cup” among the winning business projects of the regional Start Cups which this year will take place on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 December 2024 in Rome, organized by the University of Rome ” Tor Vergata” in collaboration with the universities and research bodies of the Start Cup Lazio network, as part of the Lazio innovation ecosystem called Rome Technopole financed by the PNRR.
As always there will be no shortage of special prizes promoted by sponsors interested in concretely contributing to the development of innovation:
- CRC Foundationattentive to interventions aimed at competitiveness and sustainable development, will assign the CRC Foundation Awardof value Of 10,000 eurosto the best entrepreneurial project that establishes the company in the Province of Cuneo;
- Valle d’Aosta Autonomous Regionaimed at entrepreneurial development in the Aosta Valley area, will assign the Valle d’Aosta Award from 7,500 euros to the best entrepreneurial project that establishes the company in the Pépinière d’Entreprises of Aosta or Pont-Saint-Martin;
- Piedmont Aerospace Districtan association that aims to strengthen the aerospace sector – by collaborating with all the players in the sector and also through the creation of projects for the diffusion of innovation – will award the Sustainability in Aerospace Award from 7,500 euros to the best project that considers the theme of sustainability in aeronautics and space;
- Laura & Franco Beltramo ETS Foundationan organization that supports innovative projects in the field of scientific research and technological innovation, will offer two Social Innovation Awards of total 15,000 euros intended for two best entrepreneurial projects in the medical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agriculture and food needs fields that promote social progress and the development of better living conditions;
- LINKS Foundationa research center interested in promoting technological and economic growth, increasing the competitiveness of the ecosystem and enhancing intellectual property, will give away the City of the Future and Sustainability Awardwith a total value of 7,500 euros in the form of services, to a maximum of two of the best projects offering innovative products and/or services based on technologies linked to sustainability;
- Jacobacci & Partnersa reference company in the Italian panorama and one of the main European companies in the field of intellectual property protection, will allocate to the two best entrepreneurial projects with intellectual property characteristics, two prizes of the total value of 7,000 eurosprovided in the form of services;
- The UniCredit Start Lab Awardpowered by UniCreditinterested in supporting innovative startups in the corporate life stages with specific actions, will consist of a mentorship session to evaluate the suitability of a project to be admitted to targeted contents of the Start Lab program;
- Three 5G & Emerging Tech awards in services intended for the best 5G business projects, offered as part of the project CTE NEXT from the City of Turin.
Also expected five special mentions:
- “Female Entrepreneurship”, for the best female business project with a majority female team (greater than 50%);
- “Social Innovation”, for the best ‘Social Innovation’ project, which proposes innovative solutions in one of the fields envisaged by article 2, paragraph 1, of Legislative Decree 155/2006 on social enterprise;
- “Open Innovation / Industrial Spin Offs”, dedicated to the best project concerning innovative products and/or services deriving from a research activity conducted in collaboration between a company and a Piedmontese university;
- “Climate Change”, for the best business project with an impact on climate change capable of integrating innovation, technology, protection and valorisation of natural resources, in order to generate economic growth and environmental protection;
- “Sustainable Technologies”, to the best project that stands out particularly for its originality in the field of sustainable technologies, awarded by Jacobacci & Partners.
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