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Italy has a dynamic, young, and growing innovation ecosystem, which counts approximately 14,000 startups. In 2022, Venture Capital investments reached €1.85Bn, marking a 48% growth compared to 2021 and bucking the European trend of an average decline of -16%.
But what are the main hubs of innovation in the country?
At the forefront is Milan, the capital of Italian innovation, which raised over €950M in 2022 and is home to both of the country's unicorns: fintech companies Scalapay and Satispay. Another main innovation hub is Turin, a city housing major companies and banks (such as Fiat, Intesa Sanpaolo), important universities (ESCP, Politecnico di Torino), and prominent centers of innovation (OGR-Officine Grandi Riparazioni, Talent Garden). Turin boasts 27 accelerators and 25 private or institutional investors, including the Club degli Investitori, the largest network of Italian business angels in the world. To better understand the characteristics and evolution of the city's innovation community, the Club degli Investitori conducts the "Turin Startup Ecosystem" research, now in its third edition. The aim is to gather elements that promote the birth and development of startups in Turin.
“Turin is quickly becoming one of the most active entrepreneurial hotbeds in Italy.”
Research reveals that in 2022, investments in Turin-based startups doubled. Innovative companies raised €400M, which accounted for 22% of Venture Capital investments in Italy. Many of these investments were made in 'hi-tech' companies, including DeepTech, Energy & CleanTech, Life Sciences, Software & Cybersecurity, Mobility & Automotive, which represented 68% of the total innovative companies in Turin, again reinforcing Turin’s leadership in "hi-tech" investments.
Furthermore, the analysis of investment rounds showed that 81% of startups that raised capital in 2022 have a predominantly international focus. Among the top 10 companies in terms of round size, 100% are active in foreign markets or declare that they will use the raised capital to expand internationally.
We asked Andrea Rota, Managing Director of the Club degli Investitori, for a comment on the evolution of Turin: "Turin is quickly becoming one of the most active entrepreneurial hotbeds in Italy. Iconic location (OGR), Ambitious Scale-ups (Newcleo), Great Events (Italian Tech Week), top-notch technical universities (Politecnico di Torino) and great investors (Club degli Investitori, among others) are all part of the mix fueling this growth. Furthermore, Milan and Turin are connected by a 45’ high-speed rail train, and–when taken together–they form a super-ecosystem which can rival some of Europe’s largest innovation hubs”.
