Resources · Capital Map
Who funds and supports startups in North-East Italy, in 2026.
Angels, funds, incubators, grants and tax incentives: one map, checked against official sources and kept up to date. Free, no sign-up.
How to use it
- 01. Start from your stage: idea, MVP or first revenue completely change who the right counterpart is.
- 02. Before writing to an investor, read what they fund and how they want to be approached: each link goes to the official page.
- 03. Grants and incentives change often: always check the deadline on the official page before applying.
Last updated
25 October 2026
Business angels and investor clubs
Private investor networks active in 2025-2026 that review Italian startups through a public application channel.
| Name | Type | Area | In short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Angels for Growth (IAG) | Business angel network | Italy, operating office in Udine | 300+ members; rounds from €200k to €1.5M. Expects a prototype and first traction metrics. |
| Club degli Investitori | Business angel network | Italy | Invests from pre-seed to Series A; online application on the website. |
| Angels4Women | Angel network for female-led startups | Italy | Applications open all year, four pitch sessions a year. |
| VeNetWork | Entrepreneurs' holding | Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige | About 80 North-East entrepreneurs. Reviews projects with local impact; portfolio mostly of operating companies. |
Funds and institutional investors
Funds and investor-accelerators with a North-East presence or programmes, or open to startups from all of Italy.
| Name | Type | Area | In short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrio Ventures | Hardware accelerator and investor | Rovereto, HAC Nordest programme in Vicenza | Early-stage hardware and deep tech. The 2026 HAC Nordest cohort is running, demo day in January 2027. |
| CDP Venture Capital | National public investor | Italy, with network accelerators in the North-East | Acceleration programmes and pre-seed and seed investments through the National Accelerator Network. |
| Zest | Early-stage VC and accelerator | Italy (Rome, Milan, Turin) | Born from Digital Magics and LVenture; several vertical acceleration programmes. |
| Euregio+ SGR | Regional VC vehicle | Trentino-Alto Adige | Euregio Alpine Venture Capital: mainly aimed at startups in expansion stage. |
Incubators and accelerators in the North-East
Where to find space, structured programmes and first contacts with mentors and investors.
| Name | Type | Area | In short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start Cube | University incubator | Padua | UniPD and Galileo Visionary District incubator, with vertical tracks including aerospace and cybersecurity. |
| Galileo Visionary District | Science park | Padua | Acceleration services, investor and marketing kits, growth support. |
| Le Village by CA Triveneto | Corporate accelerator | Padua | Business matching with companies and fundraising support with no equity required. |
| VeniSIA | Deep tech venture studio | Venice | Ca' Foscari spin-off: co-innovation programmes with large companies and venture building. |
| Area Science Park | National science park | Trieste | Calls for deep tech projects and startup programmes; check the calls page for new editions. |
| TEC4I FVG | Innovation hub | Udine and Amaro | Services for new companies, coworking and Start Cup Udine partner. |
| Trentino Startup Valley | Pre-acceleration | Trentino | Trentino Sviluppo and HIT Foundation programme, €110k in prizes in 2026. Demo day on 9 November 2026 in Trento. |
| NOI Techpark | Incubator and accelerator | Bolzano | Pre-incubation, incubation and acceleration; Future Founder Days on 5-6 November 2026. |
| gBETA Friuli Venezia Giulia | Free pre-accelerator | Friuli Venezia Giulia | Eight sessions for innovative startups and SMEs based in FVG. |
Founder perks
Credits and discounts an Italian startup can apply for directly, without going through an accelerator. Amounts as stated on official pages in October 2026: always check the current terms.
| Name | Category | How to get it | In short |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Activate Founders | Cloud | Direct application | From $1,000 in credits, up to $5,000 for some participants. For startups without institutional investors, pre-Series B. |
| Google for Startups Cloud Program | Cloud and AI | Direct application | $2,000 if you have not raised yet; up to $200k ($350k if AI-first) for startups with a seed or Series A round from institutional investors. |
| Microsoft for Startups | Cloud | Direct application | Up to $5,000 in Azure credits, open to all startups; larger credits with an investor from the network. |
| OVHcloud Startup Program | European cloud | Direct application | €10,000 in credits for 12 months plus hours with an engineer; you need at least an MVP. |
| Scaleway Startup Program | European cloud | Direct application | Tiered credits for startups under 5 years old and with fewer than 50 employees. |
| Cloudflare for Startups | Infrastructure and security | Direct application | $10k in credits for startups that raised under $1M, with a live website and company email. |
| ElevenLabs Startup Grants | Voice AI | Direct application | 12 free months with a large character allowance for early-stage startups. |
| JetBrains Startup Program | Developer tools | Direct application | 50% off IDEs and tools for 5 years, for companies under 5 years old. No funding requirement. |
| PostHog for Startups | Product analytics | Direct application | $50k in credits for 12 months, for startups under 2 years old with less than $5M raised. |
| Notion for Startups | Productivity | Direct application | Free months of the Business plan with AI if you have a website and company email. |
| Iscrizione come startup innovativa | Public service | Companies Register | Exemption from annual chamber fee, stamp duty and filing fees, plus access to Smart&Start and the 65% deduction for your investors. |
| Carta (tramite PATAVIUM) | Cap table | PATAVIUM introduction | Useful if you have or plan a foreign holding or US investors. First-year discount, free implementation and free Launch plan below $1M raised and 25 stakeholders. |
Grants and public funding
Measures to watch in 2026. Many have short windows: Dispatch tells you when they reopen.
| Name | Type | Area | In short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart&Start Italia | Subsidised loan | Italy | Rolling, no deadline: projects from €100k to €1.5M, zero-interest loan up to 80% (90% for female or under-36 teams). For innovative startups under 60 months old. |
| EIC Accelerator | EU grant and equity | Europe | Short proposals any time; last 2026 full-proposal cut-off: 4 November 2026. |
| Regione Veneto · Bando Start-up innovative 2026 | Non-repayable grant | Veneto | 2026 edition closed in May: 50% grant, 60% with an external investor. Useful to prepare for the next one. |
| Fondo Veneto Competitività · Sezione Start Up | Subsidised loan | Veneto | Zero-interest loan with a portion convertible into a grant. Access suspended since August 2026, funds exhausted. |
| Start Cup e Premio Nazionale per l'Innovazione | Competition | Padua, Udine, national final in Bari | University business plan competitions; PNI national final on 3-4 December 2026. |
Tax incentives for investors in 2026
The picture changed on 1 January 2026. If you are raising from angels or private investors, explain it clearly: it is one of the first questions they will ask.
- • The ordinary 30% deduction cannot be used from 1 January 2026: the EU authorisation expired without renewal. The Government has notified a new scheme aiming to cover 2026 as well, but as of late October it is not yet approved.
- • The 65% de minimis personal income tax deduction remains available, only for innovative startups registered for no more than three years.
- • Eligible investment up to €100k per year, so a maximum deduction of €65k; the stake must be held for at least three years.
- • The request must be filed on the Ministry (MIMIT) platform before investing. Any unused portion converts into a tax credit.
- • It does not apply to innovative SMEs or to indirect investments through vehicles.
Information is collected from official pages as of the update date shown. It is not tax or legal advice: for investment decisions, talk to a professional.
Report a correction or a missing entry →PATAVIUM Dispatch
Get the next articles in your inbox.
Dispatch goes out every week with practical articles, grants and market news.