As we mentioned a few days ago, the Lake Como Venture Lab project was launched on 1 April. This programme has been set up 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, to create, at the heart of one of Italy’s leading manufacturing districts, the leading ecosystem for deep-tech start-ups in the mechatronics and medtech sectors.
The challenge is to create an environment designed to transform cutting-edge research into businesses capable of competing in global markets, with a focus that lies at the heart of the programme’s philosophy and defines its unique position within the Italian landscape. The aim is to foster the creation of industrial deep-tech start-ups that demonstrate strong potential for scalability and growth right from the outset.
The success of the initiative is part of a broader strategy, shared by the partners, designed to institutionalise measures supporting innovative entrepreneurship and a business culture, with the aim of establishing a stable ecosystem in the region that is effective in fostering companies of significant industrial and innovative importance.
The launch event for the project – of which Startupbusiness is a partner – took place in the Aula Magna of the Lecco Campus of the Politecnico di Milano and was opened by Alessandro Fermi, the Lombardy Regional Councillor for Universities, Research and Innovation: ‘The Lecco Campus of the Politecnico, where we are now, came into being thanks in part to local partnerships; it is not only a source of pride for everyone, but also enables the creation of initiatives such as Lake Como Venture Lab. This is a project with great merit, moving in the same direction as the Lombardy Region, with the aim of bridging the gap between what is produced by research centres and universities and the creation of innovative start-ups and their ability to engage with the market. In Lombardy, we have in fact chosen to implement innovative measures that take into account, on the one hand, the need for SMEs to have investment to facilitate technology transfer and, on the other, the creation of market access opportunities for start-ups. I therefore congratulate those who have sought to create and support this project.”
Marco Campanari, President of Confindustria Lecco and Sondrio, highlights the key features of the project: ‘This marks the culmination of a process of growing awareness that, for the region, it is necessary on the one hand to plan for the future and invest in the “champions of tomorrow”, and, on the other, it is strategic to combine the prestigious presence of the Politecnico di Milano with the exceptional expertise of the industrial system specialising in advanced manufacturing sectors that have established its global excellence, helping to build a start-up-oriented ecosystem strongly geared towards the creation and growth of innovative start-ups. Indeed, in a complex and rapidly changing landscape, even a region with a strong manufacturing base and top national rankings, such as that represented by the provinces in the area, is called upon not only to support the ‘champions of today’ but also to launch key projects to encourage the creation of new, highly innovative and high-performing businesses, thereby contributing to the maintenance of a competitive and excellent ecosystem in specific fields.
Confindustria Lecco e 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 selected start-ups will also have free access for one year to the services and opportunities offered by the Association, including direct visibility within its network of businesses.
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. It also helps organise training initiatives, start-up boot camps and workshops designed to engage students and thereby contribute to the growth of an entrepreneurial culture.
“The Lake Como Venture Lab represents a crucial step towards strengthening the link between research and new entrepreneurship,” says Marco Tarabini, Vice-Rector for the Lecco Campus of the Politecnico di Milano. “Today more than ever, it is essential that academic research also finds concrete avenues for application, transforming itself into innovation capable of generating value for the productive system and for society. In this process, the laboratories and expertise of the Politecnico di Milano can play an enabling role, supporting start-ups from the technological development phase right through to validation.”
Another partner in the project is the Como-Lecco Chamber of Commerce, which provides tangible financial support by offering an annual pre-seed grant to selected start-ups to cover the costs of incubation, scientific mentoring and access to the research facilities at the Politecnico di Milano. It should be noted that the selected start-ups participate in the programme on an equity-free basis and can count on logistical support, including assistance with organising their time in Lecco.
“I am happy to draw on a concept widely used in the United States, that of ‘collective wisdom’, to explain the Chamber’s involvement. The Como-Lecco Chamber of Commerce is committed to promoting innovation and ideas, particularly amongst small and medium-sized enterprises, but first new ideas must emerge, and this is why we have strongly supported this initiative, in addition to the fact that the other two partners, Confindustria Lecco and Sondrio and the Lecco Campus of the Politecnico di Milano, are a guarantee for the project. We also believe this is a wonderful idea, which will contribute to the development of the entire region,” emphasises Ezio Vergani, president of the Como-Lecco Chamber of Commerce.
Federica Pasini, a professional with experience in the start-up ecosystem and technological innovation, has been appointed to lead Lake Como Venture Lab. Over the years, Pasini has held a range of complementary roles of increasing responsibility: from direct involvement in innovation projects and start-up scouting within leading corporate environments, to her experience as a founder, which has allowed her to experience first-hand the challenges of launching and developing an innovative business. “Italy,” she says, “does not have a problem with talent or research; it has a problem with its ecosystem. Start-ups need space to explore and make mistakes, dialogue with industry, access to capital, and a structured pathway that takes them from proof of concept to market validation. Without an ecosystem that brings all these elements together with expertise and awareness, the success of a few start-ups remains a statistical anomaly. Now that the battle for competitiveness is being fought on the field of technology, it is in deep tech that, through this programme, we are committed to providing scientific and industrial support. The Lake Como Venture Lab was created to build that ecosystem, here, in a region that has the academic expertise, the industrial strength, and now also the commitment to make it truly work.”
To conclude the proceedings, Mauro Piazza, the Lombardy Regional Government’s Undersecretary for Autonomy and Relations with the Regional Council, took the floor: ‘The President of the Lombardy Region, Fontana – to whom I convey his regards – often cites this place and the ecosystem that has developed around it as an example. A region that has weathered many crises, that has faced the challenges of emerging markets and globalisation, but has overcome them all. And in this regard, I refer to the concept of the ‘genius loci’, a guardian spirit that here represents the business world, the economic world, which has always been able to reinvent itself, to regenerate, to renew itself and to provide ever-new responses to all challenges. And today we are doing something entirely new; we are building a bridge to the future, which essentially involves the construction of a tangible and intangible structure where this genius loci, where this ingenuity, can be exercised to the full in the light of the new challenges before us and a landscape that has changed completely.”
Lake Como Venture Lab is characterised by its strong sector-specific focus, concentrating on areas in which the Lecco region excels. This element is central to the programme’s philosophy, clearly defining its positioning and uniqueness compared to similar programmes that drive the ecosystem, thereby aiming to foster the creation of highly innovative start-ups operating in the industrial deep-tech sector within the two verticals of mechatronics and medtech, which demonstrate from the outset the potential for scalability and, consequently, growth over time, a key factor in the creation of value, innovation and economic growth, as well as the ability to establish industrial partnerships and create jobs.
The mechatronics deep-tech sector encompasses high-tech mechatronic systems, next-generation robotics, advanced enabling technologies for the modernisation of industrial processes, predictive maintenance systems, mechatronic innovation in complex industrial processes, and intelligent mechatronic systems for heavy industry.
The medtech sector encompasses the development of innovative medical devices, related biotechnology, medical robotics, advanced rehabilitation techniques, diagnostic technologies, and the use of AI in healthcare systems.
Lake Como Venture Lab involves a substantial investment of resources designed to facilitate access to world-class infrastructure and expertise, including dedicated spaces, laboratories, specialist know-how, mentorship, and technical, practical and scientific support – all the tools needed to take an idea from the proof-of-concept stage to market validation. The initiative is structured as a multi-year programme and designed to create and implement a stable and efficient ecosystem; it is based on incubation cycles lasting up to 12 months each, with a maximum of three start-ups involved per cycle, hosted at the Lecco Campus of the Politecnico di Milano in the incubator’s dedicated facilities.
Start-ups will be selected through a dedicated annual call for applications and a subsequent start-up pitch competition.
The call for applications will lead to a pitch competition to select and establish the first cohort of start-ups, which will begin the incubation programme immediately after the summer of 2026. Full details on how to apply by 30 June 2026 can be found on the programme’s website.
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