Every year in Italy more than 3,2 billion are distributed euros of contributions and subsidies to companies, 90% of which provides for at least a part of non-repayable subsidies, and for the rest zero-interest loans, since these are public tenders. However, this money is only the tip of the iceberg of a system that is often not exploited as it could be: 40% of this 3,2 billion does not arrive in the coffers of the requesting companies, due to bureaucratic technicalities, not to mention a another 20% of funds (about 800 million) for which no requests even arrive. Why? Because companies are not aware of tenders, or find it difficult to interpret the requirements, or because even once the application has been sent, they are hindered by further requests from the issuing bodies. A real pity, if you think that by analyzing the balance sheets of companies 8 times out of 10 they are detected costs and investments (already incurred) that can be expensed, in whole or in part, through incentives and contributions that are currently available. And if you think that now the money will also arrive, a lot of it, from the PNRR, which will be introduced into the economy and which it would be good to intercept.
To help companies in all this obstacle course there is a startup, Agevolando, founded in Brescia by Francesca Bontempi, managing director of R-Impresa and with a long experience in the field of subsidized finance: "The algorithm sifts the tenders in all countries, issued by entities at all levels: ministries, regions, municipalities, chambers of commerce, the European Union. The funds come in denominations of 5.000, 20.000 or 50.000, but dozens are set up during the year, and usually the same company has the requisites to obtain more than one”. Technology helps to find the contributions, but the real added value comes from the work of the people, who upload the calls to the platform "translating" it from the often complicated and convoluted language of bureaucracy: “Every morning at 7, our customers receive an email with all the calls available, which our team led by a lawyer summarizes in about twenty lines, making it easier for companies to understand”. A hard job which, however, leads to a very precious skimming off, given that usually a notice is written on dozens of pages and that the deadlines for registering are very limited: "Often - explains Bontempi - everything has to be done in a few days and it happens that companies do not they don't even have SPID, PEC or digital signature ".
For this reason, Facilitando also offers specific consultancy for companies that choose to be accompanied right through to the actual collection of the money. An extra service that is requested and paid for separately: the annual subscription to the platform costs 297 euros, but when in addition to signaling the tender, Agevolando also takes care of completing the request and assisting the customer in all the legal and subsequent bureaucratic procedures, then a commission on the funds disbursed is also recognized. Anyone can join Agevolando: SMEs, startups, professionals, artisans, and although the platform was created only a year ago, there are already case histories that give an idea of the sometimes unexpressed potential of public subsidies. Just to give a couple of examples: a barber in the province of Brescia has already won 5 tenders in 8 months, “receiving more non-repayable money than his own turnover. This allowed him to take over and renovate the place”. Or a Bergamo-based company active in ecological plastic has cashed in 800.000 euros (of which 320.000 non-refundable) banned by Sace Simest for internationalization: "This company already had part of its business abroad, and so was able to develop on that market".
However, there are not only companies in the North, on the contrary: "We - Bontempi confesses - work throughout Italy and indeed it is usually the companies in the North that are most reluctant to ask for contributions". Also for this reason in the North – where there are more VAT numbers – are usually disbursed less public funding than in the Centre-South, where instead the subsidy culture is more deeply rooted and the beneficiaries hardly miss the opportunity. "In Lazio we have a recent relevant case: after our report, a company operating in the sanitaryware resale sector obtained 20.650 euros from the Lazio Region, of which 17.000 non-refundable, for the digitization of the company".
Really great service if it works!