Start Cup Padua 2025

Deadline for Start Cup Padova 2025 applications: 16 June 2025, 1:00 p.m.

• Start Cup Padua 2025 regulations
• Start Cup Padua 2025 registration - instructions
• Project presentation

PRIZES

Start Cup Padua prizes:

• 1st prize: euro 6,000
• 2nd prize: 5,000 euros
• 3rd prize: € 4,000 

Additional cash prizes will also be awarded for the following special mentions

• Social Innovation
• Women Entrepreneurship
• Climate Change 

SECTORS

• ICT - innovative products and/or services in the information technology, new media, for cybersecurity and cloud computing (e.g. e-commerce, social media, mobile, gaming) and innovative hardware and software technologies (e.g. microelectronics and photonics devices, advanced materials for ICT, new computational architectures, AI/LLM technologies, imaging)
• INDUSTRIAL - innovative products and/or services for industrial production, innovative in terms of market or technology;
• CLEANTECH&ENERGY - innovative products and/or services aimed at improving environmental and energy sustainability, agricultural production, environmental protection, efficient energy management;
• LIFE SCIENCE innovative products and/or services to improve people's health, well-being and quality of life;
• CULTURE, CREATIVE AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETY- innovative products and/or services for the cultural and creative industries, circular economy, social innovation and inclusion. 

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE

Groups of people (with a minimum of 2 members), even those not formally belonging to the University of Padua 

HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be submitted by 16 June at 1pm according to the procedures set out in the Regulations document.
Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

CALENDAR 

16 June 2025 at 13.00 - Registration deadline

14-21-23 July 2025 - Acceleration Program
The 12 finalists (including 2 reserves) attend the Accelerator Program. On these days, participants participate at workshops and laboratories aimed at understanding “Start-up” world, developing the “killer idea” and refining the business model. Mentored by start-up specialists, they acquire and deepen skills useful for the Unique Selling Proposition identification, Business Plan preparation and Pitch setting.

October 2025 - Pitch Day
Teams participate in a day dedicated to the presentation of their pitch in view of the finals, where they test and improve their presentation with the supervision of trainers 

October 2025 - Business Plan Delivery
The teams must send their business plan, as communicated, which is then forwarded to the technical-scientific committee for evaluation 

22 October 2025 - The Final
During the final event, the 10 teams give a brief presentation of their business idea.
The Scientific Technical Committee evaluates the business plans, video pitches and presentations and awards the prizes. 

4-5 December 2025 - Beyond Start Cup: the National Innovation Award 2025
The National Innovation Award is the national prize among the regional Start Cup winners.

  Start Cup Padua 2024

The Start Cup Padua 2024 Prize (SCP) aims to stimulate the research and the technological innovation to support the economic development of the territory, making the participants' ideas concrete and putting them in a position to appropriately face the start-up phase of a new business. The participants will receive not only cash support, but training and advice on the most important aspects of the business management and the winners will take part to the national final "National Award for Innovation- PNI 2024" organised by PNICube. 

12 best projects (including 2 reserves) are identified among the received proposals through the evaluation of the submitted business ideas. The winners thus have the opportunity to participate in the Acceleration Programme a three day in depth training event on economic-managerial aspects.

During the Acceleration Programme, participants will attend lectures and take part in workshops and laboratories aimed at refining the business model and business plan of the submitted ideas. Supported by professional trainers and expert consultants, they will acquire and deepen skills useful for drafting the business plan, the video pitch and the presentation. 

Finally, at the 'Start Cup Padua 2024 Final', the three winners of the competition are identified and the special mention prizes (Social Innovation, Women's Entrepreneurship, Climate Change) are awarded.

The projects are selected on the basis of the value of the innovative content and/or the knowledge of the idea, its feasibility and the presentation quality of the plan. All the participants of the Start Cup Padua can participate in a series of events to help them transform their idea into an industrial project and establish a privileged contact with the industrial and financial world.

The registration deadline for Start Cup Padua 2024 is on June 12, 2024, at 1.00 p.m.