According to the 2021 report of Social Innovation Monitor (SIM), there are 229 incubators and accelerators in Italy (17 more than last year), of which 38 incubators certified by the relevant Chamber of Commerce (the list of accredited incubators is available at this link).
Approx. 57% of these companies are located in the north of Italy, mainly in Lombardy (25%) and Emilia Romagna (13%). 8% of them are located in Lazio.
Private sponsors own more than 60% of the Italian incubators and accelerators; 22% are public-private partnerships, while the remaining 14% are wholly owned and managed by public bodies.
In 2020, the overall turnover of Italian incubators and accelerators was € 348 million (-6.7% compared to 2019). The average turnover is € 1.52 million, and the median is much lower but in line with the previous year (€ 360 thousand).
72% of them were established in the last ten years. The slowdown in the number of new incubators and accelerators in recent years could be related to the launch of venture builders and startup studios.
Incubators and accelerators are generally small in terms of employees. Around 80% of the analysed sample have 8 or fewer employees, with an average of 7 employees.
The primary services provided by the Italian organisations are managerial support and training, support in search of funding programs, and networking.
If we look at the incubated/accelerated startups, the total number of incubated/accelerated companies were 2,253, selected out of 11,133 applications. These numbers are related to 85 incubators and accelerators that participated in the SIM survey (out of 229).
The average numbers of applications and incubated/accelerated companies are respectively 135.7 applications and 27.5 companies, whilst the median numbers are 38 applications and 12.5 companies.
Finally, SIM estimated that the total funding received by all incubated and accelerated companies in 2021 (considering equity investments, grants, public tenders, etc.) was € 538 million. Compared to the previous year, the average funding increased considerably, from € 1.99 million in 2020 to € 7.37 million in 2021. Also, the median increased from € 0.20 million to € 0.25 million.
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You can download the detailed public 2021 Social Innovation Monitor (SIM) report (in Italian) at the following link: https://socialinnovationmonitor.com/italy-incubators