Venture building program

Venture Kneading

Kneading runs from May to October and helps teams turn early progress into a stronger product and a fundable venture — with two dedicated months (July and August) reserved for personal work and mentoring (no lectures).

Apply now Deadline: 3 April 2026, 12pm CET Read call

📍 Pisa, Italy – hybrid cohorts 🤝 Mentors, labs, and corporate partners

MVP Market fit Fundraising

Venture Kneading

Pre‑acceleration (TRL 5–7)

A structured, hands-on journey with workshops, mentor office hours, and concrete deliverables — inspired by our bakery metaphor: the right ingredients, the right process, and the right timing to help your venture rise.

What you will do

Key outcomes & deliverables

Design Thinking & Product Development: product direction v0 + prototype plan
Market analysis: market map + ICP refinement + positioning v0
Team building & recruitment: role map + hiring plan + advisor network
Valuation & investments: investment readiness + Demo Day pitch

Note: terms, timing and selection criteria are defined per cohort. See Terms & open calls.

Who it’s for

Ideal participants

Ideal for:

Seed‑stage startups Corporate spinoffs Teams with pilots

Explore mentors Explore teachers

Curriculum

Venture Kneading (May → October)

Kneading is our hands‑on program to refine product, market understanding and investment readiness. July and August are dedicated to personal work and mentoring only (no lectures).

Monthly plan

Repeats yearly July & August mentoring only October Demo Day

Table
Month	Module	Key output
May	Design Thinking & Product Development Optional: Pitching	Product direction v0 + prototype plan; pitch storyline refresh (optional)
June	Market analysis	Market map + ICP refinement + positioning v0
July	Personal work & mentoring only (no lectures)	Execution sprint + mentor check-ins
August	Personal work & mentoring only (no lectures)	Evidence build + prototype iteration
September	Team building & recruitment	Role map + hiring plan + advisor network
October	Valuation & investments + Demo Day	Investment readiness + Demo Day pitch

Application

Apply to Venture Kneading

Complete the form below. When you click Submit, your email client will open with a pre-filled message addressed to info@startattractor.eu.

Application form

Team & project details

Team members

Add all team members (name, affiliation if any, short bio). At least two members are required.

Type of team *

Research team Spin-off / startup Company with a venture idea Other

Reference email *

Project title *

Project website (optional)

How did you hear about us? (optional)

Sector *

IRL/TRL level (1–9) * i

Problem or need addressed *

Proposed solution *

Value proposition *

Target customers *

Business model / pricing (optional)

Intellectual property totally owned? *

Yes No

Market size (short) *

Competitors / alternatives (short) *

Sustainability & social impact (short) *

Funding stage (funds / grants) *

Product stage (prototype?) *

Market stage (customers?) *

What do you need most from the program? (optional)

Pitch deck link *

Make sure the link is accessible to info@startattractor.eu.

I have read and accept the Privacy Policy. * I have read and accept the call regulations. *

After the email draft opens, review the message, attach your pitch deck file (if needed), and send.