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New Made in B4i Entrepreneurs

, by Ezio Renda, translated by Jenna Walker
Drype, Hotiday, Holyfia, Keikibu, Proteso and TerraViva are the new startups that will join the acceleration program. 15 startups were selected for the preacceleration program. Applications open until 8 January 2023 for the new Bocconi for Innovation Startup Call

B4i - Bocconi for Innovation's programs dedicated to startups are back. In less than three years, Bocconi University's pre-acceleration, acceleration and corporate entrepreneurship platform has supported 133 startups, engaged more than 400 entrepreneurs, raised a total of €9.5 million and contributed to the creation of more than 70 new jobs.
Drype, Hotiday, Holyfia, Keikibu, Proteso and TerraViva are the six startups that have been selected for the acceleration program, now in its sixth edition. The six startups will receive an investment of €30,000 each and will have access to a co-working space on the university campus where they will begin a four-month path of operational coaching. Entrepreneurs will work on a variety of topics, including business development, project management, legal aspects (with the Legal Clinics program), digital marketing and fundraising. In addition, at the end of the acceleration program, they will have the chance to meet investors to finance the next phase of their business.
Since the launch of the acceleration program in 2020, the goal of B4i - Bocconi for Innovation has been to select startups with the greatest potential to help them grow by investing the Bocconi community's experience, knowledge and resources.
The only requirement to participate is the concrete desire to put all your energy into the startup, because, "To be a good entrepreneur, you need to be obsessed with performance and be motivated by tasks and completing them. Also, you have to be good at 'selling' your business – getting the right people on board, getting them on your team, and getting people to invest." This is the startupper identikit, as stated by B4i's Operating Director, Nico Valenti Gatto.
The startups selected in the last batch operate in different sectors, ranging from hospitality to sustainability applied in the beverage sector, architecture and logistics. Here they are in detail:

  • Drype is the smallest and most sustainable soluble cocktail in the world. It reduces the environmental impact and costs deriving from the production, transport and disposal of traditional alcohol bottles.
  • Holifya is the first scientific wellness platform that offers personalized nutrition and prevention solutions based on genetic data analysis.
  • Hotiday is an instant buyer of hotel rooms that buys unsold rooms in various locations and resells them online under the same brand. In fact, it is the first completely decentralized chain.
  • Keikibu is the one-stop digital platform that helps parents easily find all the products and services they need for parenting and provides vendors with innovative tools to develop their business.
  • Proteso produces collaborative exoskeletons that solve the problem of back pain at work, making handling heavy goods less strenuous.
  • TerraViva is dedicated to the organization of international architectural competitions focused on sustainable urban regeneration projects. It is a multidisciplinary hub supported by a solid network of investors, institutions and professional firms.

B4i - Bocconi for Innovation also selects aspiring entrepreneurs to participate in its pre-acceleration program, a three-month training course designed for entrepreneurs who have not yet founded a startup, but are working on a business idea. The program welcomes projects still in the embryonic phase, to support them until the creation of an MVP (minimum viable product). Sessions include a tight schedule of practical training and lectures covering different aspects of starting a business: from customer research and market assessment, to business model development and financial planning.
The pre-acceleration program for B4i - Bocconi for Innovation's sixth batch began in September and welcomed 15 startups operating in sectors ranging from industry 4.0 and the future of work, to health tech: adam.IP, AraBat, Baze, Ebe Collective, Gluco-Live, GreenBoost, LexHero, Lit, MEEVA, Menabòh, MIND AID, NFolio, NUBO, Robotizr and Workeytion.
Applications to the seventh Bocconi for Innovation Startup Call can already be submitted on this page until 8 January 2023.
"We are always looking for ambitious entrepreneurs who have found innovative solutions to emerging needs in new markets. We work together for four months, side by side with the startups, with a challenging and demanding program. There are different checkpoints that mark the various stages of the program, supporting them from various points of view in terms of networking, legal support and financial support. We actively assist them in creating valid opportunities that can also make a difference in the search for potential investors," explains Nico Valenti Gatto, Operating Director of B4i - Bocconi for Innovation.

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