Innovation. Impact. Together.
Start Attractor is an international innovation catalyst based in Pisa that connects companies, startups and research groups
to co-design solutions in Deep Tech, AI and Data, Health Tech, paper & manufacturing, fintech, agritech, digital and ICT and beyond.
📍 Pisa, Italy – with a global network
Focus areas
4+
Open Innovation
Venture building
Upskilling
Networking
Venture programs
3
Pre-incubation
Pre-acceleration
Acceleration
DeepTech
Paper & Manufacturing
Agri & Food Tech
Health Tech
Fintech
AI & Data
Digital & ICT
Founding partners & ecosystem
Built by leading academic and industrial players.
Start Attractor is promoted by the University of Pisa together with Sofidel SPA, Todisco Group and Banco Fiorentino, and supported by key organizations in the Tuscany innovation ecosystem.
Venture building
Venture programs for startups at every stage.
From idea validation to international scale-up, our staged venture programs help teams de-risk technology, validate markets
and build investable companies – with access to mentors, labs, testbeds and industrial partners.
Venture Leavening
Pre-incubation (TRL 2–4)
Leavening runs from February/March to May.
Mentorship is essential to personalize support.
Focus
4modules
Delivery-ready toolkit
Support
+mentors
Personalized guidance
Research spin-outs
Early founders
- Public Speaking: storytelling, presence, and clear messaging
- Pitching: narrative, deck structure, and rehearsals
- Pretotyping & market signals: lightweight experiments to validate assumptions
- Business model: ICP, value proposition, and a first model draft + Demo Day pitch
Venture Kneading
Pre-acceleration (TRL 5–7)
Kneading runs from May to October.
July and August are dedicated to personal work and mentoring only.
Cycle
5months
PMF → seed readiness
Summer
2months
Mentoring only
Seed-stage startups
Corporate spinoffs
- Design Thinking & Product Development: product direction + prototype plan
- Market analysis: market map + ICP refinement + positioning
- Team building & recruitment: role map + hiring plan + advisor network
- Valuation & investments: investment readiness + Demo Day pitch
Venture Seasoning
Acceleration (TRL 7–9)
Seasoning runs from June to October.
July and August are dedicated to personal work and mentoring only.
Go-to-market
+channels
Positioning + KPI plan
Readiness
âś“finance
Reporting + Demo Day
Growth-stage startups
Scale-ups
- Market strategy: positioning + channel choices + KPI plan
- Business development: sales narrative + customer acquisition and test
- Leadership: operating cadence + team rituals + decision-making framework
- Corporate finance & accounting: P&L/cashflow basics + reporting readiness + Demo Day pitch
Depending on the venture program, stage and potential of the startup, we can operate through equity investments, success‑fee agreements or participation fees – always aligned with long‑term value creation.
- Selection criteria based on merit and potential
- Option to invest in selected cases
- Success‑based fees on external funding raised (within agreed caps)
- Discounted participation for teams joining via competitions
Founders are paired with experts from industry, VC, academia and entrepreneurship, based on their specific needs and stage.
- International domain experts in AI, health tech, deep tech, manufacturing, fintech, agri & food tech, legal and more
- International serial entrepreneurs, operators & investors
- Corporate leaders from our partner companies and beyond
- Professors and practitioners
Companies
A front‑door for open innovation with the University of Pisa and beyond.
Start Attractor makes it easier for innovation‑driven companies to work with research, startups and talent through structured projects, clear governance and measurable impact.
Open Innovation
From innovation to pilot project
We translate your strategic challenges into concrete innovation path by merging your efforts with expertise from our ecosystem and orchestrate the right mix of research groups, startups and internal teams.
Focus
+NDA ready
Collaboration
Way of working
+competences
Deadline defined
External reasearch
Internal team expansion
- Challenge definition and trend scouting
- Project team building
- Co‑designed pilots and POCs
- Innovation diagnostics
- Project team building
Become a partner
Join Start Club
Start Club is our community of corporate members, startups, investors and institutions that share the
ambition to turn knowledge into impact.
Events
5networking
matching -> collaboration
Learning
4conferences/talks
Stay up to date
Innovation executive
Startup
- Priority access to startup dealflow and pilot opportunities
- Reserved seats in events, demo days and venture reviews
- Discounts on selected Start Attractor services
- Direct connection to researchers and PhD talent
Talent & corporate learning
Customized upskilling and reskilling paths
Tailor‑made learning paths co‑designed with HR and business leaders for specific transformation needs in your organization. We help you stay ahead in AI, digital transformation and tech challenges.
Courses
4AI
How to integrate AI
On demand
âś“design
you design, we deliver
Corporate
Reskilling personnel
- Course definition: we project together on your needs
- Flexible delivery: on line, at your premises
About Start Attractor
An agile foundation with a long‑term mission.
Start Attractor is a non‑profit foundation that combines academic excellence, industrial
experience and territorial institutions to accelerate innovation with tangible impact.
We bridge research, entrepreneurship and industry to:
- Support high‑potential startups and venture projects
- Help companies navigate technological and organizational change
- Develop the skills needed for the green and digital transitions
The Foundation is governed by an Assembly of Members, a Board of Directors and an independent statutory
auditor, as well as an Advisory Board that provides strategic guidance.
- Non‑profit status, with reinvestment of surpluses in mission activities
- Public–private governance with clear responsibilities
- Ethics, compliance and risk management frameworks aligned with Italian law
Board of Directors
Corrado Priami
President
University of Pisa
Chiara Galletti
Vice President
University of Pisa
Gianluca Perini
Board Member
Sofidel SPA
Anna Maria Tentindo
Board Member
Todisco Group
Marco Talluri
Observer
Banco Fiorentino
News & updates
Latest from Start Attractor.
Discover what is happening across our venture programs, partnerships and community – from new corporate collaborations and startup milestones to events and thought‑leadership.
02 February 2026 - Pisa, Italy
Alberto Savoia will join our Executive Master for a special Q&A session focused on pretotyping — a practical approach to testing ideas and assumptions before building. Founders, venture builders, and corporate innovation managers will have the opportunity to engage directly with Alberto, ask questions, and connect the method to their real product and innovation challenges.
Master details
Deadline: 16 February 2026, 12pm CET · Starts: 2 March 2026 · Pisa (hybrid)
Venture Leavening (Pre-incubation) is designed to help Founders and early teams who want to validate the problem, sharpen positioning, test assumptions, and build a credible path to traction with structured support and hands-on work. Selected teams will participate in a Demo Day at the end of the program.
Get more and apply now
Deadline: 24 February 2026, 8pm CET · Starts: 2 March 2026 · Pisa + online
Applications are open for our modular Executive Master designed for aspiring founders, innovation leaders, and intrapreneurs. Who wants to master innovation and build for the better will get a set of mandatory tools from this master.
Get more and apply now
All news
Careers
Join the team building bridges between research and industry.
We are assembling a small, high‑impact team that thrives at the intersection of technology, business and ecosystem building. Positions will be published on our website and shared via our LinkedIn page.
Apply for a position
Build and manage relationships with companies, identify innovation opportunities, structure collaboration
projects and support startups in validating their markets.
- Background in innovation, consulting or business development
- Fluent in English and Italian
- Comfortable working with both startups and corporates
Connect industrial R&D in paper, packaging and advanced materials with academic research, helping translate
models into applied innovation projects.
- Background in engineering or related fields
- Experience with industrial R&D and/or applied research
- Strong communication skills and curiosity for new technologies
Support the day‑to‑day operations of Start Attractor across administration, HR support, basic accounting
coordination, and program logistics.
- Structured, reliable and comfortable with multi‑tasking
- Previous experience in administrative roles is a plus
We are always looking for mentors and faculty members to support founders and corporate teams through office hours, clinics, and feedback sessions.
- AI & Data (ML, GenAI, data engineering, MLOps)
- Deep Tech (robotics, photonics, advanced materials, space)
- Health Tech (medical devices, digital health, biotech)
- Paper & Manufacturing (process innovation, Industry 4.0, supply chain)
- Agri & Food Tech (precision agriculture, food processing, traceability)
- Fintech (payments, risk, regtech)
- Digital & ICT (product, growth, cybersecurity, cloud)
- Legal / IP, Fundraising / VC, Go‑to‑market, Operations
Apply as Mentor / Faculty member
