In 2024 I3P, the Innovative Companies Incubator of the Politecnico di Torino, celebrated its 25th anniversary and confirmed itself as a pillar in the Italian innovation ecosystem. The numbers speak for themselves: in the past five years alone, I3P has launched 576 new business projects and incubated 107 start-ups, which together have raised more than 161 million euros in private investment.
Founded in 1999, I3P is recognized as one of the best and longest-running university incubators, with a mission to support the entrepreneurship ecosystem, generating economic development and employment in innovation-intensive areas and industrial supply chains.
Innovation in key sectors and international projects
As the technology market has evolved, I3P has expanded its reach, taking a leading role in developing initiatives dedicated to innovative entrepreneurship and Open Innovation.
As part of its support for new start-ups, I3P analyzes and evaluates more than 1,000 business proposals a year and selects about 150, which are admitted to a pre-incubation track. The most promising projects gain access to the actual incubation program, where they receive ongoing support for up to three years through strategic advisory services that prepare them to design technological development, face the market, and raise the capital needed for growth.
In particular, I3P stands out for its ability to focus on technology-intensive projects, operating in sectors such as energy, mobility, aerospace, medical technology and fintech. An approach made possible thanks to the synergy with Politecnico di Torino, the Polytechnic University of Turin, which guarantees direct access to an ecosystem of advanced research, technology transfer and training excellence.
Among the most significant initiatives is ESA BIC Turin, launched in 2021 in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), the Italian Space Agency (ASI), Politecnico di Torino and LINKS Foundation, with financial support from the Piedmont Region, Compagnia di San Paolo and the Turin Chamber of Commerce. The program highlighted the attractiveness of the local industrial system for start-ups operating in the new space economy, with about 40 percent of the supported companies coming from outside the region or abroad. Another example is PLAI, Mondadori's acceleration track dedicated to artificial intelligence and media in which I3P is a partner for training and mentorship activities.
I3P has also expanded its network of national collaborations, forging agreements with new venture capital funds and the national Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) technology transfer hubs, such as the Galaxia hub, which focuses on the space economy.
With the aim of strengthening its Open Innovation activities, the incubator has joined major industrial groups - including CA Auto Bank, Italgas and Edison - in finding and integrating innovative solutions developed by Italian and European start-ups. I3P has also launched an innovative Open Innovation path focused on the Italian wine supply chain with the Terra & Tech project, carried out in collaboration with the association Filiera Futura and several banking foundations operating throughout Italy, with the aim of introducing innovation and new technologies in a key sector for the Italian economy.
Toward the future: an ecosystem for hi-tech entrepreneurship
Looking ahead, the opportunities provided by the resources of the Italian PNRR (Piano nazionale di ripresa e resilienza: National Recovery and Resilience Plan) for applied research, higher education and innovation activities represent a strategic lever to foster the emergence of new hi-tech companies, particularly along the trajectories of digitalization and sustainability.
In this context, I3P intends to contribute to the process of exploiting research results on the market. Examples of this are the NODES (Nord Ovest Digitale e Sostenibile) project and its Spoke 1 dedicated to Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility, which is coordinated by Politecnico di Torino and in which I3P is a partner, which has already given rise to numerous patents and innovative start-ups, laying the groundwork for further successes until its conclusion, scheduled for 2025.
Among its planned new and returning initiatives, the incubator will launch the I3P Startup Academy 2025, an exclusive course that enhances 25 years of experience and an established network of entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and managers. The Academy will offer free, experiential-based training to a select set of young aspiring entrepreneurs, professionals looking for a breakthrough, and companies interested in integrating start-up culture, focusing on the pre-establishment phase and on hi-tech projects.
I3P also intends to expand its Open Innovation activities, strengthening the synergy between start-ups and established companies, and promote public engagement initiatives to raise awareness of innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2024, I3P carried out "Scintille" (Sparks), a series of meetings with brilliant minds and leading personalities from a wide range of sectors, while outreach initiatives to help build an open and inclusive culture of innovation and entrepreneurship will continue in the future.
“With a vision oriented toward new technologies and strategic markets, I3P continues to grow, consolidating its role as a reference hub for innovation in Piedmont and in Italy,” said Giuseppe Scellato, President of I3P. “Our goal remains the same: to transform brilliant ideas into successful entrepreneurial realities, fostering the birth of start-ups that contribute to the economic and technological development of the country and to the innovative capacity of the reference sectors through Open Innovation initiatives.”
I3P's commitment will therefore be aimed at further strengthening its impact on the innovation ecosystem, exploring new technological areas and fostering collaboration between start-ups, institutions and large companies. By continuing to enhance the skills and resources of the area, the goal is to consolidate a dynamic and competitive business community, capable of generating economic and social value and responding to global challenges with innovative and sustainable solutions.
