Launched in 2024 by the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) and the Incubator of Politecnico di Torino (I3P), the Cybersecurity Incubation Program is a path of entrepreneurial accompaniment entirely dedicated to supporting young innovative companies which are active in the field of cybersecurity.
The initiative, created in collaboration with partners Leonardo S.p.A. and C*Sparks, has already selected four young companies to enter the program, but applications will remain open until the next cut-off date of July 7, 2025, to join the second batch of supported start-ups.
The first selected companies
The initiative is aimed at companies that have been established for less than 5 years, are registered in the Italian Business Register, are based in Italy and have one or more projects in the field of cybersecurity in line with the priorities identified by ACN's Research & Innovation Agenda, particularly those using technologies such as data science, artificial intelligence, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, quantum computing or cryptography. Included in this framework are the first four young companies admitted into the program: LevelQuantum, Mulini, Osmium Italy and Synchropal.
LevelQuantum offers cybersecurity solutions based on quantum technology. The start-up, founded in 2022 in Milan, Italy, develops encryption technologies that exploit the laws of quantum physics to make communications resistant to cyber attacks, whether by wire or through satellites. Due to the innovative value of its project, the company has already been selected in the ESA BIC Turin incubation program, also run by I3P, and in the Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), managed by NATO.
Young Turin-based company Mulini develops solutions for security and cyber attack prevention of IoT devices, combining real-world device testbeds with artificial intelligence (AI) models that can detect threats in real time to protect devices and ensure high security standards. Mulini's solutions are based on years of extensive research and contributions to open source products in security, privacy and auditing tools for the consumer, industrial and medical sectors.
Born in 2020 in Spain and incorporated in Italy in 2023, Osmium Italy offers cybersecurity solutions for the aerospace industry: it develops systems and services to secure communications and critical infrastructure for space missions and make satellite communications more secure and independent. An alumni of ESA BIC Turin, the start-up plays an important role in international projects and participates in European-level initiatives such as the EU Space Information Sharing Analysis Centre (ISAC), of which it is one of the founding companies.
Piedmont-based start-up Synchropal develops devices to detect and prevent drone cyber attack threats, such as spoofing and jamming. Specifically, the solution developed by the young company offers accurate and attack-resistant drone tracking and timing by combining independent sources of positioning, such as GNSS signals and ADS-B messages, with proprietary data processing algorithms. Synchropal has also successfully completed its growth path in ESA BIC Turin.
The call for start-ups
I3P is among the official operators of the Cyber Innovation Network, designed by ACN and aimed at supporting the development of start-ups and facilitating the transfer and exploitation of applied research results, according to the goals of the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2022-2026.
The Cybersecurity Incubation Program offers a 12-month incubation path, tailor-made for start-ups operating in the cybersecurity sector, which includes entrepreneurial development activities - among which: customer discovery, business planning, support for team growth, IP protection strategies, assistance in the search for investors - and the possibility of receiving a non-repayable financial contribution of €50,000 from ACN.
In addition, the Leonardo group, through its Cyber & Security Solutions division, offers technical training, mentoring and the opportunity to evaluate the realisation of a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) with its experts, while C*Sparks offers support in the strategic and operational orientation of projects to increase fundraising opportunities.
The program's call for start-ups is permanently open, but has periodic cut-off dates, such as the next one of Monday, July 7, 2025, after which applications received will be reviewed and processed. In order to apply to join the Cybersecurity Incubation Program, start-ups have to write an e-mail to the dedicated address cybersecurity@i3p.it. The application documents for the call are available for download from the incubation path's page on the I3P website for preliminary consultation by interested parties: fillable versions of the forms will be provided via email to the young companies interested to apply their project.
