4
Oct
Innovative Italian startups increasingly oriented toward manufacturing, a pillar of the national economy.
At MECSPE 2025 even more space for Start Up Factory
Of the nearly 13,000 innovative startups in Italy, 14 percent are active in manufacturing, playing an increasingly central role as enablers of innovation;
For this reason, the fifth edition of Startup Factory, the initiative that aims to foster the dialogue between startups and businesses, will be held next March 5–7 in the setting of MECSPE 2025;
The themes of the area, coordinated again this year by Industrio Ventures, are aimed at those who wish to strengthen their competitiveness through innovation activities in a highly specialized context.
Milan, Sept. 3, 2024 – Manufacturing is a vital priority sector for start-ups. While nearly eight out of ten innovative start-ups operate in the business services sector (primarily software production and IT consulting, but not only), nearly 14 percent of them are active in manufacturing[1]. As of last July, the number of innovative start-ups registered in the special section of the Business Registry approached 13,000. Despite the complexity of the European and global context, this figure demonstrates the strength of the Italian innovation ecosystem. What’s more, it is accompanied by another encouraging statistic: the number of innovative SMEs has grown by 2,000 since the last survey in the second quarter of 2024.[2]
MECSPE, the largest manufacturing industry show organized by Senaf and scheduled to take place in Bologna, Italy, from March 5–7, 2025, will be giving creative start-ups more and more space. The 23rd edition of the fair will stage for the fifth time the Start Up Factory initiative, with its rich event program coordinated by Industrio Ventures, which in 2025 will play an even more central and prominent role within the event. MECSPE, an organization that has consistently supported SMEs and microenterprises, is relaunching an initiative that gives high-tech B2B entrepreneurs the chance to showcase themselves to a large audience in the manufacturing sector through a packed program of events.
The Start Up Factory thus reconfirms itself as a tailor-made area for fostering dialog between start-ups and small, medium, and large enterprises that wish to strengthen their competitiveness through innovation activities in a highly specialized setting. Of the 14 percent of innovative start-ups in manufacturing, most are active in the machinery and nca equipment manufacturing segment[3] and the computer, electronics and optical products manufacturing segment[4]. Moreover, more and more digital and phygital (both physical and digital) start-ups are turning precisely to manufacturing. For example, start-ups specializing in cybersecurity technologies for industrial networks, or in software for automation: it is evident how the sector, a historical pillar of the national economy and the engine of our exports, is now strategic for Italian startups (and investors).
“We are proud to host the fifth edition of Start Up Factory, an initiative that immediately proved to be a great success for the fair and that attracted the interest of all manufacturing players because of the varied proposal of innovations and cutting-edge ideas,” says Maruska Sabato, Project Manager of MECSPE . “Innovative startups are the future of industry and it is right to give them as much space as possible to make the leap toward Transition 5.0, a decisive step for the future of the industry.”
On the other hand, for a country that as a whole qualifies as a “moderate innovator,” compared to “strong innovators” like Germany and France[5], it is crucial to continue devoting resources and attention to start-ups, which are important drivers of technological and cultural transformation, and can play a decisive role in making our manufacturing even more dynamic, innovative, and resilient.
In fact, this year Start Up Factory will be located in the central area of the fair, and will welcome an important representation of innovative start-ups from all over Italy. Coordinating the prestigious initiative, which has become a strategic event for Italian companies innovating in manufacturing, will once again be Industrio Ventures, an accelerator and investor in industrial start-ups headquartered in Rovereto and active in the Northeast, the rest of the country, and Boston.
“We are delighted to return to MECSPE, a unique trade show, because in addition to being a showcase of Italian manufacturing excellence, it also represents a forum, an annual assembly for this sector, which is so important for the entire country-system. Start Up Factory, in turn, is an initiative that grows from year after year, able to bring together high-level start-uppers, European-caliber speakers and strong partners, and to generate new ideas, food for thought and opportunities, ” says Gabriele Paglialonga, managing director of Industrio Ventures . ” Last year’s fourth edition of Start Up Factory was a success. This year we are counting on doing the same, making the best use of the spaces offered by our Senaf colleagues”
The next edition of MECSPE will be held March 5–7, 2025, in conjunction with METEF.
Facts and figures of MECSPE BOLOGNA 2024
66,906 trade professional visitors, 92,000 square meters of exhibition space, 2,000 companies, 2,000 square meters of MECSPE LAB – Spazio Innovazione along with 18 special initiatives and 72 conferences.
MECSPE Exhibitions
Machines and Tools – Machine tools, Equipment, Tools and Design Software; Sheet Metal Working Machines – Bending, Stamping, Cutting, Assembly, Welding, Materials and Software; Digital Factory – Industrial Informatics, IoT, Industrial Sensing, Cloud-manufacturing, Automatic Identification Technologies, Applications, Devices, Instrumentation and Intelligent Components for Process Interpretation and Interconnection; Logistics – Packaging, Packaging, Handling, Material handling, Lean manufacturing, Warehouse management software, Supply chain management, Security Systems, PPE, Third party; Mechanical Subcontracting – Precision Machining, Metal Carpentry, Mechanical Constructions, Fasteners, Foundries, Minuteries, Wire Processing, Third Party Industrial Processing, Micromachining; Elettronica Italia – Cem (contract electronics manufacturer), Wiring harnesses, Ems (electronics manufacturing service), Pcb (printed circuit board manufacturers), Engineering and design studios; Eurostampi, plastics , rubber and composites – Plastics, rubber and composites processing, Machinery and equipment, Auxiliary equipment, Innovative materials, Molding, Extrusion, Packaging, Blowing, Molds, Models, Normalized mold components, Design, Simulation and design software, Micromachining; Additive Manufacturing – 3D Printing, Rapid Prototyping, Rapid Manufacturing, Systems and services for reverse engineering, Additive Technology, Materials, Services, Hardware: 3D printers and scanners, accessories, Simulation and design software; Treatments and Finishes – Surface treatment equipment, Furnaces, Electroplating, Chemical and electronic processes, Washing, Metallization, Enameling, Galvanizing, Products and accessories for treatments, Heat Treatments, Painting; Nonferrous Materials and Alloys – Nonferrous materials processing (Aluminum, Titanium, Magnesium, Light alloys), Die castings, Foundries, Contract industrial processing, Technologies, Design, Engineering; Automation and Robotics-Automation and Robotics, Assembly, Assembly and Handling; Control and Quality-Certification and Quality Control, Metrology, Measuring Instruments, Laboratory Testing, Calibration, Analytical Equipment, Vision; Power Drive-Mechanical Power Transmission Parts, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Mechatronics, Motion Control, Maintenance, Compressed Air.
For further information visit www.mecspe.com
For further information
Press Office
MY PR – www.mypr.it
Arianna Bonfioli – 335 6111390 – arianna.bonfioli@mypr.it
Stefania Bonetti – 340 2513708 – stefania.bonetti@mypr.it
Industrio Ventures:
It is Italy’s first industrial startup accelerator and investor, active in the fields of mechatronics, Industry 4.0 and 5.0, IoT, robotics, etc. It has managed nine startup acceleration programs in the provinces of Trento, Bolzano, Vicenza and Reggio Emilia. It has invested in 15 innovative start-ups and made six exits, and has worked with more than 35 Italian start-ups and companies on projects in new technology implementation, open innovation, and product development. Industrio Ventures has its headquarters in Rovereto at the Mechatronics Pole and secondary offices in Bolzano, Italy, at the NOI Tech Park. It operates throughout Italy, particularly in the Northeast, and in Boston.
