Equity crowdfunding remains a vital pillar for democratizing access to capital for startups and SMEs. In 2025, the sector moved deeper into a phase of maturity, fully under the framework of the European Crowdfunding Service Providers (ECSP) Regulation. While this regulation has...

Italian venture capital investments reached €1.74 billion in 2025, up 18% from 2024, with funding rounds rising to 436 from 405. These figures are based on estimates from the Observatory on Venture Capital in Italy, conducted by Growth Capital, a tech investment...

The year 2025 has seen continued momentum in the launch of venture capital funds and investment initiatives targeting Italy. These new initiatives reflect a growing interest in supporting Italian startups across diverse sectors, from deeptech to AI, but also foodtech and education....

According to the Social Innovation Monitor (SIM),  as of December 2024, Italy has 711 certified startups delivering significant social impact. These operate at the intersection of nonprofit organisations and for-profit enterprises, falling into three main categories: Innovative Startups with a Social Vocation, Benefit Companies,...

According to the Crowdinvesting Observatory at MIP, the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano, the overall capital raised by Italian companies through crowdfunding platforms from 2014 to June 2024 was € 1.57 billion. In particular, € 793 million was the capital...

According to the report produced by the Directorate-General for Industrial Policy, Competitiveness and SMEs of MISE, in collaboration with MedioCredito Centrale, since inception the Guarantee Fund for SMEs has managed 28,368 financing operations, providing guarantees on € 6.8 billion of granted loans to innovative...

In 2025, Italy introduced significant reforms through Law No. 193/2024, impacting both innovative startups and innovative SMEs (PMI innovative). These changes update the registration and eligibility criteria, aligning them more closely with EU definitions and addressing evolving market needs. Below are the...

According to IBAN (Italian Business Angels Network Association), Italian Business Angels (BAs) participated – both independently and alongside venture capital funds – in 201 transactions involving Italian startups or foreign startups founded by Italians in 2024. The total capital invested exceeded €751...

Giorgio Pagliara is the Co-Founder and CEO of Spoki, a conversational marketing platform that empowers brands to communicate with their customers through WhatsApp, enhancing both customer experience and brand loyalty. With over a decade of experience as an entrepreneur, mentor, and investor,...

Davide Labolani is the Co-Founder and CEO of HIRO Robotics, a deep-tech startup revolutionising waste treatment by integrating robotics with advanced machine vision systems. Davide’s career began as a Robotics R&D Engineer at IRT Jules Verne, where he gained hands-on experience in...