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MECSPE 2025: even more space for Start Up Factory

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mecspe 2025

From March 5-7, the fifth edition of Startup Factory, the initiative aimed at fostering dialogue between startups and companies, will be held 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.

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% 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.

Start Up Factory will be held in the central area of the fair

Of the 14% 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 2025. «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».

mecspe 2025

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».

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.


[1] Ibid p.3

[2] Ibidem

[3] Nca means activity/product not elsewhere classified

[4] Ibid p. 9

[5] European Innovation Scoreboard 2024

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