Start-ups, how the Lombardy Region promotes youth self-entrepreneurship
Since 2016, the creation of 46 companies has been facilitated. Economic Development Councillor Guido Guidesi: 'To increase employment, we must help companies'
(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Incentivising new businesses with high innovative potential to promote youthful self-entrepreneurship. The occasion was the new edition of the StartCup Competition, a sort of "Champion's League" for start-ups, promoted by the Lombardy Region, in collaboration with MUSA Scarl and Federated Innovation @MIND, aimed at strengthening the Lombardy ecosystem of innovation and generating added value also from an employment point of view.
Over 230 start-up candidates
The prize-winners were chosen by selecting over 230 proposals submitted by start-ups and university spin-offs from all over the region. The StartCup Lombardia awards, presented on the final day at Palazzo Lombardia on Wednesday 12 November, strengthen Lombardy's leadership in the national innovation ecosystem.
Startups, 46 companies were born since 2016
Projects range from ICT & Services, Life Sciences & MedTech, Cleantech & Energy and Industrial Technologies, with an increasing focus on digitisation of production processes, new materials, efficient water management and industrial decarbonisation. From 2016 to date, Regione Lombardia has fostered the birth of 46 innovative companies. Thanks to a contribution of €1.2 million, the Region's commitment has enabled the startups to raise investments of €53 million and turnover €5.7 million.
Promoting self-entrepreneurship
The challenge is to promote youth self-entrepreneurship through a series of tools. "Above all, with the culture of enterprise, our attempt is to open up completely to the new generations so that they can take up the challenge in our territory, both on a personal and economic level," commented Guido Guidesi, Lombardy Region's councillor for Economic Development. 'Our goal is to generate a new class of entrepreneurs, convinced that they can achieve the same results in economic development in Lombardy as previous generations,' he added.
Creating added value in employment
For young people in Lombardy, salary is at the top of the list of priorities when it comes to work. According to data from recent research by the Piepoli Institute, on the state of the art of youth entrepreneurship in Lombardy, on a sample of one thousand young people aged between 16 and 30, 31% of young people put salary first. This is, however, a necessary but not sufficient condition when considering their career choice. Young people also attach great importance to the quality of the working environment, the prospects offered and the opportunities to grow as a professional. In this aspect, the Lombardy Region can play a strategic role.
