Start-up Geeks, the benefit company that helps aspiring entrepreneurs find their way

The story of Startup Geeks, a company active in entrepreneurial training and startup incubation, was born during the honeymoon of the co-founders, Giulia D'Amato and Alessio Boceda. At the time, the two were living in Germany and were looking for ideas to return to Italy. The cue came from reading the Desi report, the EU index on the digitisation of European states, where Italy ranks very low. "Initially we thought of proposing ourselves as digital marketing managers on demand for SMEs, but an initial analysis convinced us that it would be very difficult to penetrate the market," says Boceda. The two were not discouraged and adjusted course, following a common passion: the world of start-ups. "We started interviewing the founders of many new companies and realised that there was a great need for training. Whoever has an entrepreneurial idea needs to understand whether it is valid well before quitting their job, setting up a company, preparing the product," adds the co-founder.

In 2020, D'Amato and Boceda established Startup Geeks as a benefit company. Between 2021 and 2024, the company's revenues grew from around 700,000 to more than 2.2 million, with a CAGR of 47.7 per cent. The company is thus included in the 2026 Sole 24 Ore-Statista Growth Leader ranking, at position 108.

Since its foundation, the company has supported around 1,500 entrepreneurial projects, helping aspiring entrepreneurs find their way. Of these, only 10 per cent have actually reached the market. 'It is absolutely normal,' he says, 'that the gap is so large. Our job is to help clients understand whether it makes sense to go ahead with a project, or to abandon it before it is too late,' Boceda says. "What counts is the satisfaction of the participants in finishing the journey with Startup Geeks, and that they can move on with a wealth of knowledge that will in any case be useful in facing the world of work." The business is constantly expanding, and the co-founder expects turnover to reach 3 million by the end of the year.

The decision to set up as SB is linked to the desire to create educational and popular content. 'The topics we touch on,' he explains, 'have a strong social impact. Entrepreneurial education is important to create value, jobs, and products that improve lives'. The company also aims to create a positive working environment, completely remotely and with a reinvestment of 1 per cent of the annual profit in internal training for employees and collaborators.