Innovative start-ups, Trentino Alto Adige on the podium

In the North-East at the end of June 2024 there were 1,291 innovative start-ups, or 10% of the Peninsula's total, with a presence in line with the national average, which sees 6.8 innovative start-ups for every 1,000 capital companies. In the macro-division, however, Trentino Alto-Adige stands out, with 9.4 start-ups for every 1,000 joint-stock companies, home to the highest number of innovative start-ups in Italy, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (8.9), which ranks third after Lombardy (9.1). This concentration rises in highly urbanised municipalities, taking Friuli-Venezia Giulia to first place in the national ranking for innovative start-ups (15.1 per 1,000 companies), followed by Trentino Alto-Adige (14.6), compared to an Italian average in highly urbanised municipalities of 9.0 start-ups per 1,000 companies. At the provincial level, the cities in the North-East with the highest number of innovative start-ups are Trieste, which with 14.5 of these enterprises per 1,000 joint-stock companies takes first place in the national ranking, Trento (with 11.3 in third place in Italy) and Pordenone (9.0).

With respect to the anagraphic characteristics of innovative start-ups, in the North East, there is a higher presence of young people than the national average (22.5 per 1,000 young capital companies compared to 19.9), with Trentino Alto-Adige topping the Italian ranking for the number of young innovative start-ups (40.7), followed by Piedmont (37.9) and Lombardy (35.9). On the other hand, the Northeast has lower figures than the national average for the number of female and foreign start-ups. In the macro-division, in fact, there are 4.9 female innovative start-ups for every 1,000 capital companies led by women (5.1 national average), albeit with some regional differences. Looking at the individual regions, Trentino Alto-Adige stands out, with 7.5 female innovative start-ups for every 1,000 'pink' capital companies, and Friuli Venezia-Giulia (5.6), which is above the Italian average. With respect to foreign innovative start-ups, measured per 1,000 foreign capital companies, the Northeast has, on the other hand, the lowest number in the Peninsula (3.1 vs. 3.6 on average), with Veneto second to last in the national ranking for this type of enterprise (2.9 per 1,000 foreign companies), surpassing only Sardinia (0.6). Finally, it is interesting to note how, at the sector level, innovative start-ups in the Northeast are not very active in information and communication services, with the percentage of innovative start-ups belonging to this sector lower than the national average (48.0% compared to 52.8% nationally). The only Region in the macro-division that is in line with the Italian average is, once again, Trentino Alto-Adige (52.8%), while Friuli Venezia-Giulia has the lowest incidence in Italy (42.9%).