Start-up studio, the Italian way marries innovation and territories

In the best of times, provisions must be made for the worst of times. In Florence, this common sense rule has marked the destiny of a granary anchored in the past and projected into the future, built back in 1695 by architect Giovan Battista Foggini for Grand Duke Cosimo III dei Medici as an enormous larder for the community. It is no coincidence that it was called Granaio dell'Abbondanza (Granary of Plenty): it was used to store grain for times of famine. We are in Piazza di Cestello, in the Oltrarno area, in that old working-class neighbourhood of San Frediano mentioned by Vasco Pratolini and which has become one of the coolest in the world according to the tourist bible Lonely Planet. Here is a 6,500 square metre building now devoted to innovation because it has been brought back to life thanks to the Fondazione Cr Firenze, which has transformed the granary into an Innovation Centre. Physical and virtual space. Because here one works with the head and the network thanks to a plurality of start-ups that are welcomed, incubated, accelerated and projected towards international markets. It is the new route to innovation that aggregates so as not to disperse business, ideas and talent. This is also where Nana Bianca is based, which intercepts realities linked to digital deep marketing, i.e. technologies that enable the relationship with the connected customer. Advanced technologies that are expressed in artificial intelligence and cyber security solutions.

"We represent a particular model of start-up studios because our activity moves on several fronts, multiplying the value of networking and the contamination of ideas. We do not limit ourselves to supporting start-ups individually, but generate a multiplier effect: each element of our ecosystem - from acceleration programmes to coworking - is mutually reinforcing, creating a fertile environment in which new ideas can not only be born, but also grow faster,' says Paolo Barberis, co-founder of Nana Bianca, a reality founded in 2012 and employing 30 people with a portfolio of around EUR 10 million of direct investment in start-ups in 12 years and with 8 exits including the unicorn Depop. In total, 140 realities have been supported and more than 60 within the scope of the start-up studio. Vertical technologies are developed: from online marketing to education, from agritech to fashion, from cybersecurity to fintech, from energy to gaming. One looks far, but one creates value in the community. Scalability for the territory emerges in the impact report.

"These start-ups have produced 582 million euro worth of total wealth, employing over 1,600 people. Of these, 63% chose to open their offices in Tuscany,' Barberis points out. What makes the difference is the start-up studio model, an entrepreneurial process that allows several start-ups to be created in parallel, providing support to companies from conception to exit. A long-term vision that focuses on team creation, product development and sales in the market, right up to the scaling phase. Thus, start-up studios invest and accompany start-ups during the time it takes to develop the model. "Start-up studios are a new asset that systematises the creation of start-ups, improving their success compared to traditional models. They can also significantly amplify the success rate and offer extraordinary opportunities,' says Farhad Alessandro Mohammadi, co-author of 'Startup Studio Manifesto' written with Manuela Maiocco. This is how start-ups work together. According to Enhance Ventures, a start-up studio based in Dubai, there are 903 start-ups worldwide, while according to the report 'The Rise of Startup Studios', companies created in these spaces obtain initial funding twice as fast, exit 33 per cent faster than conventional ones and 60 per cent of them are more likely to achieve a Band A capitalisation.

Those who first believed in this model were the big investors: Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson. But the start-up studio, imported from American markets, is customised in Italy. An integrated supply chain logic that recalls that of Italy's best-known district of knowledge and making. From Florence with Nana Bianca to Turin. This is where Mamazen was founded six years ago, creating start-ups to simplify the processes of micro-businesses by improving the customer experience and operational management. Over the years it has launched eight start-ups and aims to reach 15 by 2026. The team includes venture architects, strategists and product specialists and consists of 9 people. It works with the dual entity model: revenues are linked to the exits launched. Startup Bakery was founded in Milan in 2020 and is committed to creating sustainable SaaS B2B start-ups, with a revenue projection of more than five million euro already by 2025. It also operates in the markets on the basis of its proprietary software QuSeed, which identifies innovation trends in advance. Meanwhile, two exit agreements have been closed in just four years. Strength still comes from listening. "We think that our cities and our young people need places where they can discuss and understand where the future is going. In just over two years, also with the Fondazione Cr Firenze, we have organised 223 events on digital culture with over 11,000 attendees,' Barberis concludes. Looking far, but creating value for what is close, almost on our doorstep. In order to decode complexity, we need bifocal lenses that can best interpret the Italian entrepreneurial fabric.

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