Table of contents
The call for startups interested in joining the Lake Como Venture Lab project is open until 30 June. The programme is organised by Confindustria Lecco and Sondrio, in partnership with the Lecco Campus of the Politecnico di Milano and with the support of the Como-Lecco Chamber of Commerce, which we have previously reported on and for which Startupbusiness is a media partner, to create, in the heart of one of Italy’s leading manufacturing districts, the leading ecosystem for deep-tech start-ups in the mechatronics and medtech sectors.
Whilst the programme’s positioning is unique within the Italian landscape, given its aim of fostering industrial deep-tech start-ups in the mechatronics and medtech sectors that demonstrate strong potential for scalability and growth right from the outset, the benefits available to the start-ups selected to join the programme are equally compelling; in this article, we will explore these various aspects in greater detail.
Confindustria Lecco and Sondrio is leading the project as coordinator, overseeing the design and implementation of the ecosystem, its day-to-day management, and the establishment of strategic links with investors, businesses and key players in the public and private sectors.
The Lecco Campus of the Politecnico di Milano offers a stimulating and innovative environment and acts as a scientific partner within the programme, contributing to awareness-raising and selection activities, ensuring the availability of incubation spaces for start-ups, scientific mentoring, and access to laboratories and facilities for the creation of prototypes and proofs of concept, whilst helping to organise training initiatives, start-up boot camps and workshops designed to engage students and thereby contribute to the growth of an entrepreneurial culture.
Another partner in the project is the Como-Lecco Chamber of Commerce, which provides tangible financial support by awarding an annual grant to cover the costs of incubation, scientific mentoring, specialist services and access to the research facilities at the Politecnico di Milano.
No financial investment is required from the start-up: the programme is free of charge and does not involve any equity.
Housing
The selected start-ups will have an operational base for 12 months on the campus of the Lecco Regional Centre of the Politecnico di Milano: dedicated incubation spaces and direct access to all the facilities of a technical university campus. The cost of accommodation is fully covered; the start-ups will not incur any costs for desks, laboratories or scientific mentorship.
Labs
In addition to the incubation spaces, the start-ups will have direct access to the laboratories at the Politecnico di Milano’s Lecco campus, with active support from the researchers based there, as well as hands-on scientific mentoring to assist with the development and validation of their technologies.
Mentoring and training
Each start-up receives structured scientific mentorship from the Politecnico, covering everything from defining the technological architecture to experimental validation. In parallel, the programme includes training on go-to-market (positioning, commercial strategy, identifying early customers, pricing and validating the value proposition in the market) and investor relations (building the pitch deck, preparing for due diligence, structuring the funding round and direct access to a network of national and international investors). The programme is supported by an international advisory board to assist the founders.
Market access
Direct exposure to the local industrial fabric: industrial partners, early customers and co-developers from companies in one of Europe’s most advanced manufacturing clusters.
Start-ups applying to join the programme will be assessed by a selection panel comprising: Marco Campanari, President of Confindustria Lecco and Sondrio; Ezio Vergani, President of the Como-Lecco Chamber of Commerce; Marco Santambrogio, Politecnico di Milano, Rector’s delegate for student entrepreneurship programmes and head of NECSTLab; Federica Biancon, COO and co-founder of PhotonPath, former investment manager at PoliHub; Ivan Quadrio, Global VP at Baxter International; Alessia Cerbone, founder, former investment associate at LVenture and Forbes Under 30; Emil Abirascid, founder and director of Startupbusiness.
All the information and the application procedure are available on the website www.lakecomoventurelab.com
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©
