When we talk about innovation, we tend to look at start-ups, technologies and capital, which are indeed the pillars of the ecosystem. Without entrepreneurs, skills and capital, little can be achieved. However, even in the case of the start-up world, it is important to broaden our view and look at all the other players who contribute to the development of the ecosystem: incubators, accelerators, universities, media, events, local ecosystem support systems, organisations that work to build contexts, relationships, opportunities, visibility, networking, and national and international connections. <\/p>\n\n
How many innovations, for example, are born in laboratories and universities? And how many of these actually become accessible? The answer lies in teams and their ability to accelerate not only technology and innovation, but also transformation into business or adoption by businesses and markets. <\/p>\n\n
One such local context that we take as an example is NaStartup, a project founded and directed by Antonio Prigiobbo, who is also a contributor to Startupbusiness, based on a format that is halfway between an event and an acceleration initiative.<\/p>\n\n
Since its inception, NaStartup has sought to break with the logic of annual, sporadic, replicable events, often focused on whichever innovation or technology was most in vogue at the time. No single format, no serial model to be reproduced automatically, but a participatory engine built from its players, with acceleration based on openness, contamination and dissemination. <\/p>\n\n
Over the last twelve years, a modular format system has been developed that can be adapted to different audiences, contexts and stages of innovation. This approach has made it possible to act not only on start-ups, but also on ecosystems, from Italian cities to a European dimension, using information and sharing as the cornerstone of development. <\/p>\n\n
This leads to a clear conviction: evolving is not an option, but a skill. And mistakes are not detours, but a form of learning, as startups and entrepreneurs who innovate teach us every day. <\/p>\n\n
This philosophy takes shape in NaStartup’s core formats. The first is StartupDay, active since 2014: a monthly, free and open event where startups, projects and ideas are not simply presented, but discussed through direct dialogue with entrepreneurs, investors, professionals and the media. The audience is not a spectator, but an active part of the acceleration process. <\/p>\n\n
Shortly afterwards, StartupPlay was born, a more agile and experimental format developed during the pandemic, when people from all over Europe wanted to participate in the monthly events in Naples but were unable to travel. Over time, StartupPlay has become a channel for other formats and content such as ReadYnnovation, StartupExplore and other short, horizontal podcasts, designed to give more space to cross-fertilisation and focus on the themes of social innovation, innovators, impact and new languages. <\/p>\n\n
These two formats, together with UpSchool, UpUniversity, UpStudio and StartupLab, have marked NaStartup’s twelve years. They have been joined by special formats such as Versus (meetings between start-ups and other productive ecosystems), StarSupper (the dinner of start-ups and ideas), Investor Coffee (onsite calls for start-ups with international investors in Naples) and StartUp Sospesa, a kitchen-forge-lab to support start-ups. Different formulas, designed to serve the entire ecosystem and form its backbone. <\/p>\n\n
Another new feature was the introduction of live events in the form of Startup Gym + Tech Cocktail. The Gym is the moment for presenting the project, the work and the projections; the Tech Cocktail is the informal and relational part. NaStartup has always had a physical and digital structure that breaks the rigidity of traditional panels, shortens the distance between speakers and listeners, and systematically introduces the sharing economy applied to innovation, which has also been recognised by the press. <\/p>\n\n
Over time, educational and talent acceleration formats have been added to the event formats: workshops for students, courses for young innovators, guidance sessions on entrepreneurship, AI, design and new working models. NaStartup has never set itself the goal of ‘teaching’, but rather of showing: not abstract theory, but a permanent training ground where even mistakes become learning opportunities. Thanks to the support of entrepreneurs and patrons of the future, free access, absence of barriers and a focus on merit have been maintained. <\/p>\n\n
Another key step was the evolution towards the network as a format. With the European Network already active since 2016 and the Innovation Lab of the Ambassador & Advisor Network launched in 2018, the format becomes a relational infrastructure: international connections, exchange of opportunities, European visibility for start-ups and talents, including numerous European and African entities. <\/p>\n\n
Alongside established formats, NAStartup has developed vertical and experimental events on AI, design, smart cities, food tech and social impact, as well as promoting club deals and selective matching opportunities. The aim is to accelerate not only individual start-ups, but entire parts of the ecosystem. <\/p>\n\n
The numbers speak for themselves: over 120 main events, more than 80 extra events in Italy and Europe, over 550 accelerated start-ups, more than 600 promoted projects, a community with over 20,000 active monthly contacts and a pan-European network of 8,000 operators. Added to this are European awards, international rankings and constant media coverage. The heart of the project remains the centrality of people, ahead of KPIs, graphs and return on investment. All participants are accelerated into the world of work: this is the real return on collective social investment. Because it is relationships, shared ideas and continuity over time that constitute the real capital. <\/p>\n\n
NaStartup is a cloud of innovation that contracts, expands and spreads. Some see it as an event, but it is not an event; it is an open model, a daily practice of innovation, constant training, because innovation is not just about start-ups, but about the future of local areas. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NaStartup’s experience as a model for the evolution of a territorial ecosystem that connects people and international entities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":150002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2373],"tags":[1378,1331,1137,1136],"companies":[1622],"journalist":[1518],"class_list":["post-150010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ecosystem","tag-ecosystem-en","tag-innovation-en","tag-italy-en","tag-startup-en-2","companies-nastartup-en","journalist-editorial-staff-en"],"featured_sizes_urls":{"thumbnail":{"src":"https:\/\/www.startupbusiness.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/NAStartUp-Scuola.webp","width":150,"height":100,"crop":false,"srcset":false,"alt":"napoli startup"},"large":{"src":"https:\/\/www.startupbusiness.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/NAStartUp-Scuola.webp","width":1024,"height":683,"crop":false,"srcset":false,"alt":"napoli startup"},"2048x2048":{"src":"https:\/\/www.startupbusiness.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/NAStartUp-Scuola.webp","width":1080,"height":720,"crop":false,"srcset":false,"alt":"napoli startup"}},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n