# InnovUp

> InnovUp is the nonprofit, nonpartisan membership association connecting Italy’s startup and innovation ecosystem. It represents founders, scaleups, innovative SMEs, innovation hubs and corporate members through policy advocacy, introductions, research and education. Its present identity emerged from the 2020 merger of Italia Startup and APSTI.

- **Founded:** 2012
- **Headquarters:** Milan, Italy
- **Products:** Policy advocacy and working groups, Member networking and matching, Founders Academy, Research and observatories, Member portal and benefits
- **Notable:** Combined Italia Startup and APSTI in September 2020., Documented parliamentary participation includes a June 2023 submission on innovative startups and SMEs., Welcomed November 2024 amendments replacing the proposed €20,000 capital and employee requirement; the public record does not establish sole causation.

## Products & services

- **Policy advocacy and working groups** — Member working groups, position papers, parliamentary hearings and discussions with national and European institutions.
- **Member networking and matching** — Events, roadshows, scouting and introductions, plus Italian Scaleup Club and Italian Innovation Hubs WhatsApp groups.
- **Founders Academy** — Online founder education; the published 2024/2025 programme contains 14 virtual lessons of approximately two hours each.
- **Research and observatories** — Research collaborations on startup employment, high-tech investment, corporate venture capital, incubators and technology transfer.
- **Member portal and benefits** — Reserved resources, partner discounts, consultations, training opportunities and promotion of member initiatives.
- **Premio PMI Innovativa InnovUp** — Regional selections and a national award for registered innovative SMEs; second edition announced June 2026.

## Achievements

- Combined Italia Startup and APSTI in September 2020.
- Documented parliamentary participation includes a June 2023 submission on innovative startups and SMEs.
- Welcomed November 2024 amendments replacing the proposed €20,000 capital and employee requirement; the public record does not establish sole causation.
- Published the third joint startup-employment study with Assolombarda in October 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Published a joint report with Assolombarda on October 22, reporting 70,991 jobs in 2025 across 25,597 active innovative startups and former startups. These are ecosystem figures, not InnovUp employment.
- **2026-06** — Launched the second Premio PMI Innovativa edition with local selections.
- **2026-11** — Scheduled: members’ assembly and award final in Rome on November 30. This is a future event as of the research date.

## Links

- Website: https://innovup.net/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovupnet/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/innovupnet
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/innovupnet
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovupnet/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innovupnet

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/innovup
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24