It ended today, Wednesday 13 November, at Napoli la second edition of Up2Stars, the acceleration program conceived by Understanding St. Paul to support the startup more promising and innovativeThe initiative took place at theFederico II University, as part of the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of its foundation, and saw the participation of numerous actors in the innovation ecosystem.
“The success of the second edition of Up2Stars confirms our ability to take concrete action to support innovation and Italian talent to promote the development and digital transition of the country. – commented Anna Roscio, executive director sales & Marketing Imprese Intesa Sanpaolo -. In two years we have selected 80 innovative startups that represent entrepreneurial excellence, we have accelerated them, presented them to a wide audience of investors and companies and, thanks to our international dimension and a network of strategic partners such as Innovit, we have provided them with all the tools to compete with the global market. We have been working for years and investing to create an organic network made up of research, innovation and technology transfer towards SMEs, capable of promoting the transition of our country towards new models, in close correlation with the objectives of the Pnrr”.
Up2Stars: 80 startups selected in two years
Over the past two years, Up2Stars has received over 1000 applications, selecting 80 startups who were able to benefit from an acceleration program that put them in contact with investors, companies and experts in the sector. The final event was an opportunity to take stock of an initiative that has contributed to the growth of Italian startups, offering them visibility and networking opportunities, even at an international level.
The program has recorded significant successes, such as the Presentation of 12 startups in September in front of the Silicon Valley Investors, a first for an Italian bank. The selected companies had the opportunity to interact with US venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, an experience that marked an important step in their growth path.
In total, Up2Stars involved over 250 actors including companies, investors and venture capitalists, and created a collaboration network that saw the participation of Partner strategic as Microsoft, Cisco, Gellify, Elite-Euronext Group e Digit'Ed. Thanks to these synergies, many of the accelerated startups have had access to resources that are essential for their development, including the Elite-Euronext Group Lounge, which prepares companies for the capital market.
The role of the Federico II University
A key element of this edition was the involvement of theFederico II University, which hosted the final event and which, over the years, has collaborated with Intesa Sanpaolo in various research and innovation projects. This year, the university celebrates 800 years since its foundation and represents a center of excellence for technology transfer, with projects shared with the banking group, such as the CNR Agritech andInnovation hub, focused on the transfer of technologies from academic research to businesses.
Beyond Italy: the step towards internationalization
Intesa Sanpaolo has taken a decisive step towards theInternationalization of startups with the creation of a global network of collaborations. The selected startups, in addition to being accelerated in Italy, had the opportunity to expand their horizons thanks to the experience in the United States. Internationalization is a central theme for the program, which is part of a broader context of support for innovation, which also includes support for technology transfer for Italian SMEs.
The Up2Stars program has, in fact, a total value of approximately 2,2 million of euros in services e opportunity, and is part of a broader strategy by Intesa Sanpaolo to encourage the growth of startups, supporting innovation and technology transfer towards Italian SMEs. In this context, the bank has also made a concrete contribution on the financial front, with over 800 million euros in funding to startups in recent years, and a market share of around 32%.
The future of Italian startups
The ecosystem of the Italian startups is experiencing a period of great growth. According to data from the Innovative Startup Register, registered companies exceeded 12 thousand units at the end of 2023, with an acceleration that has been recorded especially in recent years. Startups, mainly active in the ICT, health, agriculture 4.0, and fintech sectors, are small, high-tech companies, often struggling with the transition from the startup phase to the scale-up phase.
However, Italy is still facing some challenges in terms of competitiveness, especially at European level. According to the European Competitiveness Report, theItaly is below the European average regarding the investments in research and development. In fact, Italian companies are concentrated in medium-intensity technological sectors, while in Europe and the United States the number of investments in high-tech sectors is growing. This scenario could be reversed thanks also to the Up2Stars initiative, which helps to give visibility to Italian startups, supporting them in their growth and innovation path.
