With the aim of supporting the growth trend of innovative start-ups in Italy, UniCredit has decided to intensify its commitment that for years has seen it working alongside the main players in the innovation ecosystem: the bank has recently opened registrations for the ninth edition of UniCredit Start Lab, the business and innovation platform dedicated to high-potential Italian tech start-ups and SMEs, and for the second edition of StartUp Plus, an initiative that in 2021, at its debut, involved over 1,300 innovators from all over Italy.
"In Italy we have an 18 percent market share of innovative start-ups and SMEs, an important segment of our economy that UniCredit has never failed to support," said Massimiliano Mastalia, Head of Corporate at UniCredit Italia. "Now the challenge is to help the protagonists of the Italian innovation ecosystem to expand their sphere of action, promoting projects and collaborations in new production sectors and intercepting development trajectories that are as virtuous as they are essential, such as those concerning sustainability and female entrepreneurship."
UniCredit Start Lab: the 2022 call
Evolution of the acceleration program "Il Talento delle Idee" born in 2009, UniCredit Start Lab is the initiative promoted to support young entrepreneurs, innovation and new technologies. Its business platform is aimed at innovative start-ups from all sectors with a program that consists of numerous actions to give strength to business ideas, including cash prizes, mentoring activities, network development, advanced managerial training and ad hoc banking services.
The UniCredit Start Lab call is aimed at innovative start-ups and SMEs established no more than 5 years ago and belonging to one of five sectors:
- Innovative Made in Italy (agrifood, fashion, design, tourism, mechanics, robotics, nanotechnology and Industry 4.0);
- Digital (mobile apps, Internet of Things, B2B services and platforms, cloud systems, hardware and artificial intelligence);
- Life Science (biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, digital healthcare and assistive technologies);
- Clean Tech (energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste treatment and sustainable mobility);
- Impact Innovation (services and products capable of generating a social or environmental benefit).
The best proposals will have the opportunity to:
- carry out business matching meetings with national and international entrepreneurs and investors, for commercial or investment purposes;
- participate in the Startup Academy, a path of advanced managerial training;
- take part in a personalized mentorship program;
- have a UniCredit Relationship Manager for their banking needs;
- for the 1st classified of each of the 5 sectors, receive a cash prize of € 10,000.
To apply for the UniCredit Start Lab selection, participation in which is free of charge, it is necessary to develop and present an entrepreneurial project involving original and highly innovative initiatives by the deadline of April 28, 2022. The complete regulations and the application form are available on the initiative's website.
In July 2021, among the four young companies in the Digital sector awarded for their level of technological innovation at the end of the last edition of UniCredit Start Lab, two came from I3P: Toothpic, a spinoff of the Politecnico di Torino that has developed and patented a unique solution for cybersecurity, and Alba Robot, a start-up that has developed an augmented mobility platform with autonomous and intelligent vehicles.
The second edition of StartUp Plus
On February 15 and 16, 2022 will be kicked off the second edition of Startup Plus, the program of digital meetings conceived by UniCredit Start Lab to support start-ups in getting to know the main players and the most relevant dynamics of the Italian and international innovation ecosystem, in order to foster the growth of the best new-generation entrepreneurial projects.
During the two days, young companies will have the opportunity to meet professionals, opinion leaders and exponents of the world of innovation who will make available to the public their knowledge, useful to give greater solidity to innovative business projects. On the first day, the steps to follow to build and launch a business project will be presented, while on the second day the issues related to the financing of start-ups will be explained in detail.
On the official website of the initiative it will be possible to attend the two digital meetings of StartUp Plus, both with free participation: the connection link will be available, for both days of Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 February, starting at 9:30 am. To receive more information you can contact the organizers at the email address unicreditstartlab@unicredit.eu.