Economic Policy

Invitalia, 15 thousand start-ups financed with 1.5 billion in three years

by Sara Monaci

22 November 2025

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Over the past three years, Invitalia has financed over 15 thousand new enterprises with 1.5 billion in facilities, granted by Mimit. The cascading investments amounted to more than 1.9 billion.

Of these, 1,000 were innovative enterprises supported with dedicated incentives; 5,500 were women's enterprises and 5,700 were led by under 36s. These are the main data from the Invitalia observatory.

The data show that innovative companies have received over 250 million euros in subsidies. Lombardy is the region with the highest number of start-ups financed (24%) through the Smart&Start Italia measure. It is followed by Apulia (11%), Campania (10%) and Lazio (9%).

Milan alone is home to 76 funded start-ups, which corresponds to 82% of the initiatives in the region, confirming how the Lombardy ecosystem - by fostering the encounter between universities, incubators, accelerators and companies - is a driving force for the whole of Italy.

Invitalia CEO Bernardo Mattarella recalled how Invitalia represents 'an important institutional lever, a partner that, from the initial idea to the path of realisation and growth, provides real services with high added value for entrepreneurial initiatives that can contribute to the competitiveness of the country with projects with a high content of innovation, technology and creativity'. Lombardy Regional Councillor for Economic Development Guido Guidesi said that Invitala's presence 'is beneficial for Lombardy' because it 'automatically turns into growth and development for the whole country'.

The areas on which the investments of innovative start-ups financed with Smart&Start Italia, the incentive promoted by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy and managed by Invitalia, focused in the three-year period are: Web Technology, with Cloud computing, IoT, e-commerce, Social networks (40%), High Tech Industry (18%) and Life Science (16%). This is followed by Environment and Energy (10%), Smart Cities (7%), IT and Infrastructure (6%), and Tourism and Cultural Heritage (3%).

The numbers tell how the public incentives managed by Invitalia dedicated to the birth of start-ups and SMEs can be transformed into a strengthening of investments in the territory. Invitalia, in addition to providing incentives, offers guidance and accompaniment services: from the definition of the project, to the submission of the application, to support in the growth phase of the company. More than 6,000 entrepreneurial teams have benefited from the services provided by the network, generating a total of 8,600 one-to-one meetings in the places where business and innovation are created.

In this regard, the Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, recalls that the Small and Medium Enterprises Bill, which will become law by the end of the year, also includes a delegation to the government 'on the reorganisation of the discipline' to make the start-up and innovative SME system more competitive, which are also capable of creating new business models.

In Europe, 36% of venture capital funds were invested in deep tech companies in 2025, compared to 19% in 2021. Despite the great 'vibrancy' that the sector is experiencing, Urso nevertheless points out that the overall size of investments in the EU, although on the rise, 'remains far lower than in the US'

Sara Monaci
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Invitalia, 15 thousand start-ups financed with 1.5 billion in three years

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