Startups on the rise, but with few women in charge
The MISE has published a report on the situation of innovative startups, in Italy, as of october 2021. There is a growth, but also few women in charge
The Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) has published the report produced together with Unioncamere, InfoCamere and the Report of the Guarantee Fund, drawn up in collaboration with Mediocredito Centrale, on the situation of innovative startups and SMEs in the third quarter of 2021.
From the data of the report, it appears that as of 1 October 2021 the startups registered in the register of companies are 14,032, an increase of 540 units compared to the previous quarter (+ 3.3%), and the majority of them (75.2% ), provides services to businesses in the digital sectors (of which 37.9% in the production of software and IT consultancy, 14.2% in R&D activities, 8.6% in information services activities), while only 16.4% work in the manufacturing sector and even 3.1% in commerce.
The youth, female and foreign component in startups
Furthermore, it is important to note that 2,600 innovative startups (18.5% of the total) are mainly made up of entrepreneurs under the age of 35 and the number is more comforting than that found in new non-innovative companies (15.1 %).
On the other hand, the number of startups with a prevalent female presence – that is, with ownership shares and administrative offices held mostly by women – is 1,810, 12.9% of the total; while those in which there is at least one woman in society are 5,989, 42.7% of the total.
Finally, there are 501 innovative startups with a foreign-dominated shareholder structure, 3.6% of the total; while those in which at least one non-Italian citizen is present are 14.4% (2,017).
Support from the Guarantee Fund for SMEs
As known, since 2013 innovative startups can count on the Guarantee Fund for SMEs, managed by the MISE, to obtain the financing they need to support their business (https://www.fondidigaranzia.it/).
Over the past eight years, the Fund has authorized 11,788 financing operations in favor of 6,074 innovative startups, for approximately two billion euros; while for innovative SMEs 4,539 transactions, with values increasing compared to the second quarter of this year, for a total of approximately 3.4 billion euros overall.
The geography of startups
A last important data is that relating to the number of startups present in the Italian regions. From the analysis of the data, a constant and balanced growth emerges throughout the national territory: in Lombardy the largest number of innovative startups are registered (3,755, 26.8% of the national total), with particular location in Milan (18.8% ).
Lazio followed in second place with 1,633 startups (11.6% of the total), Campania in third with 1,245 (8.9%), Veneto in fourth with 1,112 (7.9%), Emilia in fifth. Romagna with 1,094 (7.8%) and Piedmont in sixth with 780 (5.6%).
At the bottom, however, are Basilicata with 138 (1.0%), Molise with 79 (0.6%) and Valle d’Aosta with 19 (0.1%); while the percentage with the highest density of innovative companies is in Trentino-Alto Adige, where approximately 5.9% of all companies established in the last 5 years are startups.
