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Multi-corporate pilot-driven acceleration program for international start-ups and scale-ups in the healthcare and biotech space.

Country of Origin: Italy
Reference Number: TRIT20220113001
Publication Date: 14 January 2022

Summary

An Italian healthcare accelerator center launched the second edition of Italy’s largest acceleration program in Life Sciences and Healthcare, together with leading industrial companies, to recruit and run pilot projects with promising start-ups and scale-ups responding to the latest trends in healthcare and biotech. Financial, licence, commercial, services and/or technical agreements are envisaged, but the exact form of cooperation will be defined between the potential partners.

Description

The initiative is a multi-corporate, pilot-driven, business-oriented program targeted at growing and market-ready start-ups and scale-ups and it is the largest such program in Italy. Its first edition has seen 350+ applicants from 36 countries and has launched 5 joint pilot projects between start-ups and large corporations such as private hospital groups, big pharma companies and large insurance companies. The program’s goal is to select a group of international start-ups and scale-ups, and run tailored pilot projects between the start-ups/scale-ups and the program’s corporate partners in order to bring innovative technologies to the market and to scale in the Italian healthcare and biotech market.

The main features of the Scale-up program are the following: 

• The program is targeted at start-ups or scale-ups that have already consolidated their structure and are either at growth stage or close to market. Many of the applicants are already on the market in several countries and are generating substantial traction. Some of them are in their pre-seed/seed stage, others have already successfully closed their series A, B or even C rounds.

• The program is sponsored by a diverse group of large corporates across the healthcare value-chain, from hospitals to research centers to pharma companies to insurance players to international VCs. The goal is to match a selected group of start-ups with one or more of these partners in order to work together on building actual industrial/clinical/commercial pilot actions that will last a minimum of 4 months.

• The program’s ultimate goal is to create concrete market value by actually working on real pilot roll outs and while the program does not entail a direct investment in the selected start-ups or scale-ups, the goal of the Corporate Partners that will choose to work with each start-up for a 4 months program, is to use the pilot action as the stepping stone of a lasting business collaboration with the start-up (that may be an investment, an acquisition, a licensing deal, a co-development agreement, a distribution agreement, etc.).

• At the end of the program there will be a dedicated Summit event in which the winning start-ups and scale-ups will present the results of their pilot projects.

The program’s second edition went live on December 14th 2021 and the call to apply is open until February 28th 2022. 

Interested start-ups and scale-ups will be guided to the Program and website. 

Applicants will receive a link to submit their proposal after creating an Expression of Interest.

Expertise sought

International start-ups and scale-up operating in one of the following fields: 

-	New Drugs & Therapies

-	Biomarkers & Diagnostic Tools

-	Biocarriers & Delivery Systems

-	Digital & Advanced Diagnostics

-	Prevention

-	Telehealth

-	Healthcare Robotics & Smart Prosthetics

-	Corporate Welfare

-	Healthy Lifestyle

-	Digital Patient Journey

-	ESG (Environmental, social and governance) in Healthcare

Stage Of Development

Already on the market

Stage Of Development Comment

Eligible startups must be legally established, have finished or are up to finish their technological development and be ready to launch their product/service on the market or have already entered the marketplace.

Requested partner

Global start-ups and scale-ups, developing solutions in the healthcare and biotechnologies areas, that are willing to develop pilot projects with the initiative’s Corporate Partners.

Financial, licence, commercial, services and/or technical agreement is envisaged. The corporate partner companies are open to discuss the exact type of cooperation with the potential start-up partners.