How to create an innovative startup

The company was established following a merger, split-up, or transfer of business.

A fundamental requirement to become an innovative startup is missing.

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Innovative startup.
The benefits.

The necessary requirements for the startup

I don't have a business but I have an idea. How do I create my
startup?

I already have a business
and I want to verify if I meet the requirements to transform it into a startup

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Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

Starting from July 20, 2016, to incorporate an innovative startup in the form of an S.R.L., in addition to the public deed, it is possible to use the standard typed model signed with a digital signature by the contracting parties.

The standard typed model can be prepared through software available on the market, or with the "base" service
Startup Deeds created by InfoCamere.
The service allows you to prepare online a startup articles of association in the form of an S.R.L. in a simple and guided way, according to the provisions of current legislation.

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

1 of 7 | Innovative startup. The law

On December 19, 2012,
Law No. 221/2012 converting Decree Law 179/2012, known as the "Growth Decree 2.0", entered into force, amended by L. 193/2024, through which the Government adopted legislation for the development and growth of the Country.

In particular, Section IX is dedicated to a new type of business:
the innovative startup.

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

2 of 7 | Innovative startup. The law

They are capital companies, also constituted in cooperative form, resident in Italy or in another EU member country provided they have a production site or a branch in Italy, that meet specific requirements and have as their exclusive or prevailing business purpose:

the development, production, and marketing of innovative products or services with high technological value and do not carry out a prevailing activity of agency and consultancy.

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

3 of 7 | Innovative startup. The law

To promote sustainable growth, technological development, and employment, particularly youth employment.

To contribute to the development of a new entrepreneurial culture, to the creation of a context more favorable to innovation.

To promote greater social mobility and attract talents, innovative businesses, and capital from abroad to Italy.

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

4 of 7 | Innovative startup. The law

In favor of the innovative startup, a wide range of incentives is provided, which includes: bureaucratic and tax reliefs for all operations related to the business register; flexible company management; tailored labor regulations; equity incentive plans; equity crowdfunding; facilitated access to bank credit; tax incentives for investment; fail-fast.

The fundamental condition to benefit from such advantages is that the businesses are registered in the special section of the Register reserved for innovative startups. The maximum duration of the incentive regime is 9 years.

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

5 of 7 | Innovative startup. The law

1. Reduction of startup costs: unlike other companies, the startup will be exempt from paying stamp duty and secretarial fees due for any fulfillment to be made at the Business Register, as well as from paying the annual fee due to the Chambers of Commerce.

2. Tailored labor regulations: the startup will be able to hire staff with fixed-term contracts with a minimum duration of 6 months and a maximum of 36 months. Within this time frame, contracts can also be short-term and renewed multiple times. After 36 months, the contract can be renewed only once, for a maximum of another 12 months, thus reaching a total of 48 months.

After this period, the collaborator can continue to work in the startup only with a permanent contract.

3. Equity incentive plans: the startup will be able to remunerate its collaborators with stock options, and external service providers – such as lawyers and accountants – through work for equity schemes. For the recipients, the tax and social security irrelevance of such assignments applies.

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

6 of 7 | Innovative startup. The law

4. Introduction of tax incentives for investments in startups from individuals (19% IRPEF deduction) and legal entities (20% deduction from IRES taxable income) for the years 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The incentives apply both in case of direct investments in startups, and in case of indirect investments through other companies that invest mainly in startups. The tax benefit is greater if the investment concerns startups with a social vocation and those operating in the energy sector (the rates increase to 25% and 27% respectively).

5. Introduction of crowdfunding, which allows raising capital through online platforms authorized by Consob.

6. Simplified, free and direct access for startups to the Central Guarantee Fund, a government fund that facilitates access to credit through the provision of guarantees on bank loans. The guarantee covers up to 80% of the credit granted by the bank to innovative startups and certified incubators, up to a maximum of 2.5 million euros, and is granted based on extremely simplified access criteria, with a process that benefits from a priority channel.

7. Specific support in the internationalization process of startups by the ICE Agency. The support includes assistance in regulatory, corporate, tax, real estate, contractual, and credit matters, free hospitality at major international fairs and events, and activities aimed at facilitating meetings between innovative startups and potential investors for early-stage capital and expansion capital phases. To learn more about the Ministry of Economic Development's policy read the Summary Sheet of the policy supporting Startups.

7 of 7 | Innovative startup. The law

All capital companies meeting the requirements can become innovative startups and therefore be registered in the special section of the Business Register.

To become a startup, it is necessary to submit the appropriate application to the Register, attaching a declaration signed exclusively with a digital signature by the legal representative attesting to the possession of the requirements provided by law.

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

1 of 1 | Innovative startup. How do I create it

The first thing to do is to verify the requirements to be a startup, possibly with the help of a professional.

Then you must:

1. Incorporate a capital company, also in cooperative form
2. Declare the start of business activity
3. Request registration in the special section for innovative startups of the Business Register.

These three fulfillments, to be carried out exclusively online, can be submitted to the Business Register at separate times or simultaneously.

To incorporate the company, the intervention of a notary is required. The notary who draws up the articles of incorporation is responsible for its registration with the Business Register.

The remaining fulfillments can be carried out by the legal representative of the company or by a professional, a trade association, or another delegated subject.

1 of 9 | Innovative startup. Verification of requirements

It is resident in Italy or in one of the member states of the European Union or in states adhering to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, provided it has a production site or a branch in Italy.

I DON'T KNOW

YES

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

2 of 9 | Innovative startup. Verification of requirements

It was incorporated no more than 60 months from the date of application submission and carries out business activity.

I DON'T KNOW

YES

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

3 of 9 | Innovative startup. Verification of requirements

It does not distribute and has
not distributed profits.

I DON'T KNOW

YES

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

4 of 9 | Innovative startup. Verification of requirements

Starting from the second year of activity of the innovative startup, the total annual production value, as resulting from the last approved financial statement within six months from the end of the fiscal year, is not greater than 5 million euros.

I DON'T KNOW

YES

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

5 of 9 | Innovative startup. Verification of requirements

It was not incorporated from a merger, corporate split-up, or following the transfer of a business or a branch of a business.

I DON'T KNOW

YES

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

6 of 9 | Innovative startup. Verification of requirements

Its exclusive or prevailing business purpose is the development, production, and marketing of innovative products or services with high technological value and it does not carry out a prevailing activity of agency and consultancy.

I DON'T KNOW

YES

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

7 of 9 | Innovative startup. Verification of requirements

At least one of these three requirements:

Requirement 1
Requirement 2
Requirement 3

Research and development expenses are equal to or greater than 15% of the higher value between cost and total production value of the innovative startup. Expenses for the purchase and rental of real estate are excluded from the computation for research and development expenses. In addition to what is provided by accounting principles, the following are also to be included among research and development expenses: expenses related to pre-competitive and competitive development, such as experimentation, prototyping, and business plan development, expenses related to incubation services provided by certified incubators, gross costs of internal personnel and external consultants employed in research and development activities, including partners and administrators, legal expenses for the registration and protection of intellectual property, terms, and usage licenses. The expenses result from the last approved financial statement and are described in the notes. In the absence of a financial statement in the first year of life, their incurrence is assumed through a declaration signed by the legal representative of the innovative startup.

I DON'T KNOW

YES

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

Employment, as employees or collaborators in any capacity, in a percentage equal to or greater than one third of the total workforce, of personnel holding a research doctorate degree, or who are pursuing a research doctorate at an Italian or foreign university, or holding a degree and who have carried out, for at least three years, certified research activity at public or private research institutes, in Italy or abroad, or, in a percentage equal to or greater than two thirds of the total workforce, of personnel holding a master's degree pursuant to Article 3 of Ministerial Decree October 22, 2004, No. 270.

I DON'T KNOW

YES

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

It is the owner, depositary, or licensee of at least one industrial patent relating to an industrial invention, biotechnological invention, to a semiconductor product topography, or to a new plant variety, or it is the owner of the rights relating to an original computer program registered at the Special Public Register for Computer Programs, provided that such patents are directly related to the business purpose and business activity.

I DON'T KNOW

YES

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

8 of 9 | Innovative startup. Verification of requirements

The company has communicated the start of activity to the Business Register.

I DON'T KNOW

YES

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

9 of 9 | Innovative startup. Verification of requirements

You have requirements not met, and requirements to be verified.

At the moment, your company cannot become an innovative startup. Select the highlighted items in the checklist for further suggestions.

You meet all requirements.

Good, you meet all the requirements to transform your company into an Innovative Startup, which will be registered in a special section of the Business Register, maintained by the Chamber of Commerce.

Skip the verification of requirements and
go to the registration tutorial

1 of 1 | Lists

The lists of startups and incubators
distributed across the national territory

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

Region	Number of Companies
Abruzzo	172
Basilicata	68
Calabria	265
Campania	1490
Emilia-Romagna	836
Friuli-Venezia Giulia	207
Lazio	1347
Liguria	253
Lombardy	3455
Marche	275
Molise	42
Piedmont	654
Apulia	499
Sardinia	174
Sicily	622
Tuscany	491
Trentino-Alto Adige	183
Umbria	134
Aosta Valley	14
Veneto	640

ITALY

11821

Weekly list

Navigable quarterly report (Dashboard)

Monitoring Report (ICT Sector)
demographic trends 2023
demographic trends 2022

Statistical indicators report
2nd quarter 2025
1st quarter 2025
4th quarter 2024
3rd quarter 2024

Historical weekly lists

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

Region	Number of Companies
Abruzzo	1
Basilicata	1
Calabria	1
Campania	10
Emilia-Romagna	3
Friuli-Venezia Giulia	3
Lazio	6
Liguria	3
Lombardy	16
Marche	4
Piedmont	4
Apulia	4
Sardinia	3
Sicily	1
Tuscany	2
Trentino-Alto Adige	2
Umbria	1
Veneto	5

ITALY

Weekly list

Historical weekly lists

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

Web access

The legal representative of an innovative company can provide us with additional data on its structure, its product, its team and the innovative skills it has developed.

You can freely access the data filled in and digitally signed by the legal representative from the homepage of this site.

Using the advanced search, you can look for the company you want more information about by territory, production value or ATECO code.

API access

To obtain the same data in bulk and via API, fill in and digitally sign:

the service terms of use
the requester's data

Then send the files from your PEC to the service's PEC address: startup@pec.infocamere.it

Here is an example of the data available in xml and json formats and the User Manual for implementation.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

1 of 2 | Innovative startups. Tutorial

To register the company in the special section for Innovative startups, a specific application must be submitted online through a Single Communication to the Business Register.

The application must be accompanied by a declaration signed exclusively with a digital signature by the legal representative attesting to the possession of the requirements provided by law.

Download the declaration model from here.

This same declaration must be renewed periodically, by depositing it at the Business Register office within 30 days from the approval of the financial statement and in any case within six months from the end of each fiscal year, in order to attest the maintenance of the requirements provided by law.

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The total exemption from the payment of secretarial fees and stamp duty, for registrations in the Business Register, operates from the moment of insertion in the special section.

The exemption also applies to the submission of the registration application and for all deeds deposited at the chamber of commerce.

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

2 of 2 | Innovative startups. Tutorial

The registration application in the special section is produced by indicating the following information in the new "START-UPS AND INCUBATORS" section, present in the Business Register forms:

brief description of the activity carried out and research and development expenses;
educational qualifications and professional experiences of the partners and personnel working in the innovative startup, excluding any sensitive data;
list of rights on industrial and intellectual property patents;
existence of professional, collaboration or commercial relationships with certified incubators, institutional and professional investors, universities and research centers;
list of participated companies.

The information reported in the following table, concerning current fulfillments for the company, must be communicated to the Business Register in the specific standard methods provided.

Note: in case of change of the above information, there is an obligation to update them with a frequency not exceeding six months.

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Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

1 of 7 | Innovative startup. The necessary requirements

It was incorporated no more than 60 months from the date of application submission and carries out business activity.

2 of 7 | Innovative startup. The necessary requirements

It has the main seat of its business and interests in Italy.
Legal seat in Italy or in another EU member state; in the latter case, it must have a branch or a production site in Italy.

3 of 7 | Innovative startup. The necessary requirements

4 of 7 | Innovative startup. The necessary requirements

It does not distribute and has
not distributed profits.

5 of 7 | Innovative startup. The necessary requirements

Legal Notes and Privacy Policy

6 of 7 | Innovative startup. The necessary requirements

It was not incorporated from a merger, corporate split-up, or following the transfer of a business or a branch of a business.

7 of 7 | Innovative startup. The necessary requirements

Here we talk about innovative startup.
The necessary requirements

At least one of these three requirements:

Requirement 1
Requirement 2
Requirement 3

Research and development expenses are equal to or greater than 15 percent of the higher value between cost and total production value of the innovative startup. Expenses for the purchase and rental of real estate are excluded from the computation for research and development expenses. In addition to what is provided by accounting principles, the following are also to be included among research and development expenses: expenses related to pre-competitive and competitive development, such as experimentation, prototyping, and business plan development, expenses related to incubation services provided by certified incubators, gross costs of internal personnel and external consultants employed in research and development activities, including partners and administrators, legal expenses for the registration and protection of intellectual property, terms, and usage licenses. The expenses result from the last approved financial statement and are described in the notes. In the absence of a financial statement in the first year of life, their incurrence is assumed through a declaration signed by the legal representative of the innovative startup.

It is the owner or depositary or licensee of at least one industrial patent relating to an industrial invention, biotechnological invention, to a semiconductor product topography or to a new plant variety, or it is the owner of the rights relating to an original computer program registered at the Special Public Register for Computer Programs, provided that such patents are directly related to the business purpose and business activity.

CHECK LIST

Italy
– 60 months
No profits
– 5 million
No Merger
Innovation
Technological innovation
Activity