The international competition My Start BCN, promoted by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Barcelona in collaboration with the Innovative Companies Incubator of Politecnico di Torino (I3P), is a programme designed to support the international growth path of high-potential Italian companies wishing to expand their presence in the Spanish market.
The initiative
The competition, now in its ninth edition, is open to founders who are Italian citizens and have established new companies developing an innovative product or service. Registration in the Italian Register of Innovative Start-ups is not a mandatory requirement.
The competition is open to young companies that meet the following requirements:
- start-ups founded by shareholders offering innovative products or services;
- the company must have been established no more than 60 months before the submission of the application;
- Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 or higher.
The companies admitted to the competition will then be evaluated by a jury composed of Italian and Spanish experts from the sector, who will assess the applications according to the following criteria:
- the level of innovation offered to the market;
- the start-up's demonstrated competitive advantage and its potential for scalability;
- the attractiveness of the target market and the consistency between the market and the proposed product/service;
- the quality of the entrepreneurial team;
- the results already achieved by the start-up (for companies with at least 2–3 years of operation).
The prizes
Among the applications received, five start-ups will be selected and offered the opportunity to travel to Barcelona to present their project before a qualified jury composed of innovation managers, industry professionals, mentors and venture capitalists.
At the end of the presentations, the winning start-up will be announced and will gain access to a range of benefits designed to facilitate its entry into and consolidation within the Spanish market.
The winning start-up will receive:
- an exhibition stand at the event 4YFN in Barcelona, from 1 to 4 March 2027;
- B2B meetings with key players in Barcelona's innovation ecosystem;
- free coworking space for six months;
- mentoring aimed at accelerating the project;
- consultancy services for the management of administrative procedures;
- networking opportunities and contacts within the venture capital ecosystem;
- one-year membership of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Barcelona.
How to apply
Applicants must submit the following documents via WeTransfer, or another similar service, to the dedicated e-mail address comunicacion@camaraitaliana.com :
- the application form, available on the competition's official webpage, completed with the start-up's data and information;
- the business plan of the company and and a financial statement for the most recent financial year;
- the pitch deck in English or Spanish language;
- a short video pitch of the entrepreneurial project.
The deadline for submitting applications is October 8, 2026. The presentation of the selected projects to the evaluation jury and the final awards ceremony - which will take place during the 2026 "Faro del Mediterraneo" Award ceremony - will be held in November.
