The second and last phase of the 15th edition of Start Cup Piemonte Valle d'Aosta, the initiative promoted by the incubators I3P, 2i3T and Enne3, ended with 134 Business Plans and 402 proposers.
Organized as part of the PNI (National Award for Innovation), promoted by PNICube, Start Cup Piemonte Valle d'Aosta aims to support the emergence of innovative startups with high knowledge content, spread the culture of innovation at the local level and promote the economic development of the Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta territory.
Business Plans and participants
Compared to the last edition, the number of Business Plans submitted has increased by 60%; almost half of the projects concern the ICT competition category (43%). This is followed by Industrial (23%), Cleantech & Energy (11%), Life Science (11%) and Tourism & Cultural and Creative Industry (9%).
The 402 proposers (+80% compared to 2018) are mostly men (77%) and hold a master's degree in 33% of cases, a diploma in 23%, a bachelor's degree in 22% and a master's or doctorate in 18%.
The awards ceremony
The projects will now be evaluated by an evaluation committee chaired by the Director of A.I.F.I. (Italian Association of Private Equity and Venture Capital) and composed of experts, business angels, investors and entrepreneurs, as well as representatives of the promoting entities. After analyzing parameters such as the technical feasibility of the Business Plans, the prospect of economic growth and the competence of the entrepreneurial teams, the jury will draw up a short list of 10 Business Plans. The finalists will take part in the final ceremony that will take place on Tuesday, October 29 in Alessandria, Italy, at the University of Eastern Piedmont, during which the winners and special mentions will be announced.
Prizes and awards
This year the prize pool amounts to over 60,000 euros, disbursed in cash and services: the first place will go to a prize of 10,000 euros, the second of 7,500, the third of 5,000. In addition, the first 6 projects of the final ranking will acquire the right to participate in the PNI 2019, the National Award for Innovation or the "cup of champions" between the winning business projects of the 15 regional Start Cups, that will take place in Catania at the end of November 2019.
There are also special prizes: the Valle d'Aosta one, amounting to 7,500 euros for the best Business Plan that sets up the company in the Pèpiniéres d'Entreprises of Aosta or Pont Saint Martin, offered by the Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta, and the Eastern Piedmont Prize of 7,500 euros, for the best Business Plan that sets up the company in the Enne3 Incubator in Novara or Alessandria, offered by the local authorities.
Among the novelties of the XV edition, some of the special prizes are promoted by sponsors interested in contributing concretely to the development of innovation:
Jacobacci & Partners, a point of reference on the Italian scene and one of the main European companies in the field of intellectual property protection, is offering €10,000 in consulting services for the protection of trademarks and patents;
Fondazione CRC, attentive to interventions aimed at competitiveness and sustainable development, awards the Cuneo Prize of €7,500 to the best Business Plan that sets up a company in the Province of Cuneo;
Contamination Lab Torino, an inter-university project of the Politecnico di Torino and the University of Torino that involves university students in training paths for the generation and maturation of innovative ideas, offers the CLAB Torino Prize, consisting of a year of pre-incubation at the I3P or 2i3T incubator for the best Business Plan presented by a team composed of at least two university students (at least one enrolled at the Politecnico di Torino and at least one enrolled at the University of Torino) offered by the Contamination Lab of Torino.
Are also confirmed two special mentions for the best project of "Equal Opportunities", aimed at promoting the principle of equal opportunities and female entrepreneurship, and the best project of "Social Innovation".
This year Start Cup Piemonte Valle d'Aosta is also supported by LINKS Foundation, which aims to increase the competitiveness of the ecosystem and enhance the value of intellectual property, Fondazione Michelin Sviluppo, which intends to promote the socio-economic development of the territory and the creation of jobs, and UniCredit, attentive to cooperation relationships to support innovative startups.
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