Start Cup Padua
Applications are open from 28 April 2026 for the Start Cup Padova 2026 call, now in its 25th edition.
Start Cup Padova is a competition for people developing innovative entrepreneurial ideas, funded and organised by the University of Padua, also thanks to all the partner organisations that, in various ways, believe in the value of the initiative and support it, and it is coordinated by the Office for Knowledge Valorisation and Academic Entrepreneurship.
The Business Plan Competition is aimed at teams of at least two members, including those not affiliated with the University of Padua, with innovative entrepreneurial ideas and aspiring to establish a company with its registered and operational headquarters in the Veneto Region, or groups that have already recently established a company. Categories: ICT, Industrial, Cleantech&Energy, Life Science, Culture, Creative and Inclusive Society
Start Cup Padova aims to support and encourage entrepreneurship based on research and innovation and aimed at the economic development of the local area. In particular, SCP seeks to promote entrepreneurial culture as a tool for enhancing the value of knowledge generated by academic research and as a vehicle for expressing the talent and creativity of the human capital trained in Universities.
Call closing date: 9 June, 1 p.m.
Date of the Start Cup Padova 2026 final: 1 October 2026
The following prizes are awarded at the Start Cup Padova 2026 final:
- 1st prize: EUR 6,000
- 2nd prize: EUR 5,000
- 3rd prize: EUR 4,000
Additional cash prizes will also be awarded for the following special mentions:
- Social Innovation
- Women’s Entrepreneurship
- Climate Change
Depending on the availability of the bodies involved, additional cash prizes or services may be awarded.
Participation in PNI 2026 is reserved for the three winning teams, while it will be at the discretion of the CTS to assess the possibility of allowing the teams winning the special mentions to participate, depending on the type of project submitted.
The final of the PNI will be held in Bari on 3-4 December 2026.
Start Cup Padua, the final on 1 October
Thursday 1 October 2026 from 14:30 to 18:30, in the Hall of the Giants at Palazzo Liviano in Padua, the final of the Business Plan Competition of the University of Padua will take place.
For researchers, it is an opportunity to discover the advantages of Start Cup Padova and prepare for the next edition.
Companies and innovators can connect with the Unipd innovation ecosystem, identify ideas, skills and potential collaborations before they reach the market, and scout for new talent.
Participation is free of charge, with registration.
The final saw team Alpi rank first with a project on off-grid solar cold rooms with ice-based thermal storage and intelligent control to make the food cold chain more accessible; in second place was team Mynerva with the Mynerva project, a digital agent that integrates intraoperative data to support care, forecasting, research and clinical innovation in neurosurgery.
Joint third place went to teams Tauer and Rhytaen, with a project by the former team that simulates the energy performance of buildings and assesses the cost-effectiveness of refurbishment in just a few minutes, without experts, and a project by the latter team on automated generative design for high-performance 3D fluidic architectures.
The following advance to the 2026 National Innovation Award: Alpi, Mynerva, Tauer, Rhytaen, Aura.
Start Cup Padua offers not only financial support, but also training and consultancy on the most important aspects of business management.
The selected teams have the opportunity to take part in the Acceleration Programme, three days of intensive training on 2, 6 and 14 July 2026 in Padua. Supported by expert consultants, they will acquire and develop skills useful for drafting the Business Plan, the pitch and the presentation.
During these days, participants attend lessons and take part in workshops and laboratories aimed at refining the business model and the business plan of the initiative submitted.
In October, the Pitch day is scheduled, dedicated to perfecting the project presentation.
At the final of Start Cup Padova 2026, the following prizes will be awarded:
- 1st prize: Euro 6,000
- 2nd prize: Euro 5,000
- 3rd prize: Euro 4,000
Additional cash prizes will also be awarded for the following special mentions:
- Social Innovation: best ‘Social Innovation’ project, proposing innovative solutions in one of the fields provided for by Article 2, paragraph 1, of Legislative Decree 155/2006 on social enterprise;
- Women’s Entrepreneurship: best women-led business project with a majority-female team (more than 50%);
- Climate Change: best business project with an impact on climate change, capable of integrating innovation, technology, protection and enhancement of natural resources, in order to generate economic growth and environmental protection.
Depending on the availability of the organisations involved, additional cash prizes or services may be awarded.
Participation in PNI 2026 is reserved for the 3 winning teams, while it will be at the discretion of the CTS to assess the possibility of allowing the teams winning the special mentions to participate, depending on the type of project submitted.
The final of the PNI will take place in Bari on 3-4 December 2026.
Knowledge valorisation and academic entrepreneurship
Technology Transfer Sector
via Martiri della Libertà 8, 35137 Padua
Roberta Rosa - tel. 049 827 1825
email: startcup.padova@unipd.it
Instagram: www.instagram.com/start_cup_padova