Frequently Asked Questions

• Before I send you my business plan/executive summary/documentation, will you sign an NDA?
• Will I be asked any money in order to take part in the Start-Up Initiative?
• If I take part in the Start-Up Initiative, will I be guaranteed some amount of equity funding?
• If I take part in the Start-Up Initiative, will Intesa Sanpaolo grant me a loan for my start-up?
• Is the Start-Up Initiative the same thing as Atlante Ventures?
• Ok, I have submitted my business documentation: now what?

Answers

Q: Before I send you my business plan/executive summary/documentation, will you sign an NDA?

A:  No. We cannot sign Non Disclosure Agreements, so if you don’t feel comfortable sharing some details about your idea, just leave them out. We only need to know enough to properly evaluate and classify your project. If you are selected for one of our events, you will have many face-to-face chances to discuss the details with us or with our training partners.

Q: Will I be asked any money in order to take part in the Start-Up Initiative?

A:  No. If you are selected to take part in one of our editions, all the training and networking connected to the main event will be on us. The only expenses you will be required to cover directly are the transfer and accomodation costs (if the relevant events are not in your area). Any additional services you may access from our partner network will be regularly charged to you by their providers (although reduced rates are available for many of them).

Q: If I take part in the Start-Up Initiative, will I be guaranteed some amount of equity funding?

A:  No. Unlike other incubation programs, we don’t provide any seed money for our start-ups. Instead, we focus on coaching, networking, and bringing together the most engaged investors on the market. Also, being selected for one of our editions is no guarantee that the investors you meet will give you funding: it’s still your job to convince them, we are only here to help.

Q: If I take part in the Start-Up Initiative, will Intesa Sanpaolo grant me a loan for my start-up?

A:  No. For the purposes of this program, Intesa Sanpaolo acts as a facilitator, bringing together all the relevant players (including investors). Our aim is not to provide debt funding directly, but to give access to the widest possible network of equity investors.

Q: Is the Start-Up Initiative the same thing as Atlante Ventures?

A:  No: despite being part of the same Group, we are entirely distinct entities. Intesa Sanpaolo Start-Up Initiative is managed by the Corporate & Investment Banking Division, R&D Fostering Office. Atlante Ventures is the venture capital arm of Intesa Sanpaolo, and is one of the many investors we involve in our program.

Q: Ok, I have submitted my business documentation: now what?

A: Sit back, relax, and wait for the checks to roll in! Kidding aside, in the weeks following your application we process and screen your documentation, and classify it based on its core technology. A couple of months before each event we collect the applications pertaining to the relevant technology, and we inform the relative applicants that a relevant event is upcoming. Those who wish to participate then receive all the necessary logistic details. Please be aware that it can take a while for a relevant event to come up (e.g. if you are a Solar Power company and the Cleantech Arena Meeting was last week, many months may pass before another Cleantech event). Refer to the updates page for the schedule of upcoming events.

If your question is not on this list, feel free to contact us.