Startup. A term born in services industry, and suddenly became of public domain. A small organization, designed to intercept a precise need, new and to be fulfilled, or already present, but to be fulfilled in an innovative way. In a market like ours, where things like creativity, speed and the ability to think outside the box are gaining more and more weight, the startup phenomenon is getting so common that it is now recognized even at the government level. Once upon a time, there was the only 18th October 2012 no.179 decree, which however only covered "innovative" startups (as if there were no other kinds of them). This May, again, the signing of a new decree advocated tax incentives for investments in startups and SMEs, with deductions of up to 30% for those who invest in this business.
And the Country didn't stand by and watch. 397million euros took this route in the first six months of 2019 alone. 43 rounds and crowdfunding operations for 24million. Compared to the same period last year, estimates are up to 70%. If we add the government's 1billion euros maxi-fund allocated in February, everything suggests that 2019 will end with substantial funding to say the least. Italy, therefore, in addition to its poets, artists, heroes, etcetera, can also count on a people of creatives. But how do you create a startup? Where to start imagining it? Of course, from instinct. Intercepting a need, as said above. And then, developing an organization that, unlike other more "heavy" entrepreneurial activities, is scalable, that is, able to progressively increase customers (and, consequently, the business volume) without a proportional use of resources.
Again: a respected startup must be based on a repeatable model. In other words, it must be able to "clone", adapting to different places and conditions while remaining identical or, at most, making minimal changes. Word of the "guru" Steve Blank, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and promoter, along with Eric Ries, of the Lean Startup method. We remain in California with the classification that Mind the Bridge, foundation, accelerator and investment fund at the same time, proposed after observing the creative state-of-the-art in our Country. According to MtB, Italy's innovators usually give birth to three specific types of startups. First, techno startup (or first-generation startups): 20% of the total, designed by young graduates or even students without business experience, but with excellent technical and computer skills. A way to enter the world of work for the professionals of tomorrow.
The largest slice (50%) of Italian creatives resort to post-crisis startups, populated by former company employees with good experience in the labour market, but not as good a dose of entrepreneurship. A way to put yourself back on the line, giving a boost to your employability. Finally, the residual 30% of the total belongs to the so-called scalable startups, which are instead promoted by entrepreneurs with more solid backgrounds, as such able to raise funds and join them as equals, co-founders with complementary skills that better manage to need managerial expertise, on the one hand, and technical on the other. For this reason, in MtB's view, they are more likely to succeed. And you, what kind of startupper are you?