The third edition of the Startup Ecosystem Stars (SES) Awards, held in December 2025 at the headquarters of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, France, concluded with the awarding of 54 global winners, selected from among the world's leading organizations promoting innovative entrepreneurial ecosystems at the local, regional, or national level. Among the organizations that won the award was I3P, the Incubator of Politecnico di Torino, included among the 36 “Stars” of 2025 and one of the only three from Italy.
Awarded by the ICC and Mind the Bridge, in collaboration with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission, the SES Awards recognize leadership and best practices adopted by institutions, associations, and industry clusters in supporting the development and internationalization of start-ups operating in their regions, with a particular focus on public sector efforts to foster dynamic, competitive, and high-impact start-up ecosystems.
The award is divided into two categories: “Stars”, given to leading organizations that have demonstrated lasting impact and all-around excellence in supporting their entrepreneurial network, and “Rising Stars”, aimed at those who are on a promising path to becoming leaders in the creation of innovative ecosystems.
The support for innovative entrepreneurship
The business incubator I3P, founded in 1999 and already recognized as one of the best and longest-running university incubators even outside Italy, has been selected as Startup Ecosystem Star 2025 due to the scope and quality of its portfolio of innovative companies, which now includes nearly 400 start-ups that have gone through the standard incubation process, as well as for its overall ecosystem size and ability to create networks of leading players capable of offering concrete support to new entrepreneurship.
In particular, the award to I3P was recognized for excellence in the “Talent & Research” category, in relation to its support for the enhancement of scientific skills and technology transfer.
The selection of the most deserving candidates for the award was carried out by two international organizations with extensive experience in innovative entrepreneurship. The International Chamber of Commerce - also present in Italy with ICC Italia - is the body that institutionally represents over 45 million companies in more than 170 countries: its main mission is to make international trade more effective and inclusive for everyone, every day, everywhere. Its members include many of the world's leading companies, SMEs, business associations, and local chambers of commerce, including the Torino Chamber of Commerce, one of I3P's partners alongside Politecnico di Torino, the polytechnic university of Turin.
Mind the Bridge is a global consulting firm that promotes economic development and connects the corporate world with the world's leading start-up ecosystems. Founded in 2007 by Italian entrepreneur and business angel Marco Marinucci, Mind the Bridge is now based in Silicon Valley and has offices on three continents. The company works with over 10,000 start-ups per year, supporting large companies with open innovation initiatives and benchmarking services.
The growth of Turin's ecosystem
Giuseppe Scellato, President of I3P, said: "We are honored to have received the Startup Ecosystem Star 2025 award from the International Chamber of Commerce and Mind the Bridge: we are delighted that the ecosystem of innovative companies developed and supported every day by the Incubator of Politecnico di Torino for more than 25 years is now the focus of international recognition and acclaim. This result will spur us on to grow further and intensify our internationalization activities in order to achieve even higher goals in the coming years, always to the benefit of our start-ups."
Giuliana Mattiazzo, Vice Rector for Scientific and Technological Innovation at Politecnico di Torino, commented: "We are proud of this recognition, which reflects the Polytechnic University of Turin's commitment to technology transfer and innovation, including through the creation of new startups, to increase the industrial impact of research activities. The award confirms the growth of the ecosystem for innovative entrepreneurship in the region, thanks in part to the contribution of our University."
Massimiliano Cipolletta, President of the Torino Chamber of Commerce, emphasized: “This award confirms the positive value of collaboration between businesses and academic institutions for the development of innovative, high-quality solutions. The Chamber of Commerce promotes this synergy by playing an active role in a network that supports start-ups, from their inception - with a dedicated registry and search for funding - to their development through services designed to increase their innovative capacity.”
