Qonto, one of Europe's leading business finance solutions for SMEs and freelancers with more than 500,000 customers, announces a renewed 2025 edition of PowerUp, the initiative aimed at Italian start-ups to support the development of the local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The call for start-ups
The PowerUp call for start-ups, open to pre-seed and post-seed young companies (between €500,000 and €3 million), will allow for the selection of the excellences that will compete for the prizes up for grabs during the final Pitch Night: this year's winning start-ups will have the opportunity to receive mentorships with Qonto executives: Alex Prot (CEO) and Heidrun Luyt (Chief Growth Officer). Also planned are additional prizes for the finalists offered by the initiative's partners, and, for all participants, access to exclusive training programs, mentorships and workshops organized by international VCs, scale-ups and other partners, key allies in growing their businesses.
More than 600 start-ups were involved in the first three editions of PowerUp, as part of a journey that saw fast-growing companies such as Cylock, This Unique, TrueScreen and, in the 2024 edition, Lit and Crono triumph in the competition.
The Pitch Night jury will be composed of representatives of leading VCs, accelerators and stakeholders of the Italian start-up ecosystem, as well as several founders of some of Italy's leading scale-ups. The 2025 edition of the initiative has the support of Ventive as Main Partner, as well as numerous partners such as Arcadia, B Heroes, B4i - Bocconi for Innovation, baby VC, Bridge for Billions, Dock3, F6S, Fintech District, GRLS, Herizon, H! Founders, I3P, InnovUp, ITAdvisors, Latuta, Magnisi Studio, Nana Bianca, Over Ventures, OVHcloud, Plannix, Seedble, SeedUp, SheTech, Silicon Drinkabout Italy, Slush'D Bolzano, SocialFare, Startup Geeks, Talent Garden, Techstars, The Net Value, Vento, Viceversa, Vittoria Hub, and Zest.
To participate in the PowerUp call, one must submit an application by filling out the appropriate form by September 25. At the end of the application phase, the jury will select the finalist start-ups that will participate in the Pitch Night in October in Milan. Full details of the project, how to participate in the call and events are available on the dedicated webpage.
The events of PowerUp 2025
In addition to the well-established annual competition for start-ups, the project's new format includes an ongoing series of online events where Italian founders can connect with European colleagues and investors to share tips and strategies for growing and scaling a business. The first event on the calendar was held on June 12 in Turin and online, with the first PowerUp Masterclass dedicated to how to transform sales processes thanks to automations.
A major networking event, Founders Night, is scheduled for September 18 in Milan, with more than 200 participants including start-up founders, venture capitalists and partners, to give visibility to the call for start-ups and foster ecosystem engagement.
A final Pitch Night will be held at the close of the project, scheduled to take place in Milan on October 16, where the finalist projects selected by a panel of experts will be presented, and the 2025 winners declared by a jury composed of representatives of Italy's leading venture capitalists and accelerators, scale-up founders, and leading innovation stakeholders.
