Start Cup Puglia, starting the 2026 edition
The business plan competition dedicated to new innovative business initiatives
is promoted by ARTI in collaboration with Regione Puglia, Promotor Committee and PNI
The nineteenth edition of the Start Cup Puglia, the Regional Innovation Award. With the publication of the regulation and with the opening of online bookings to the planning accompaniment sessions, the 2026 season of the business plan competition that since 2008 puts in competition and rewards the new innovative Apulian companies with high content of knowledge.
The initiative, organised by ARTI – Regional Agency for Technology, Technology Transfer and Innovation, in collaboration with Puglia Region, Promotor Committee and PNI – National Innovation Award, rewards best ideas and team of aspiring entrepreneurs that intend to start an innovative company in Puglia with technical assistance routes and cash prizes up to 10 thousand euros.
To compete, you need to prepare a business plan (in one of the four categories, identified by the PNI: Life science – MEDTech; ICT; Cleantech & Energy; Industrial industry), which will be submitted to the evaluation of experts in the field in view of the final scheduled between the end of September and the beginning of October.
“Start Cup Puglia – explains the President of ARTI Luisa Torsi – as every year, since 2008 the year of its debut, it is part of a path of growth and development of our regional ecosystem, in order to stimulate the creation of new enterprises with high content of knowledge, accelerate that positive change of our economy, now in place for several years, creating employment, advanced technological solutions and an inclusive and dynamic entrepreneurial community. Choosing Start Cup Puglia, taking part in the accompanying sessions before and the business plan race then, means giving the opportunity to their ideas to emerge and turn into reality thanks to the support of ARTI and Regione Puglia. This year we are proud to receive here in Bari all the other regional Start Cups during the two days of the PNI, the National Innovation Award. It will be a unique opportunity to make known our territory, our ideas and all the actors of Apulian innovation”.
“Start Cup Puglia is an economic policy tool that relates innovation and work. – explains Eugenio Di Sciascio, Regional Councillor for Economic Development and Labour – Supporting the birth of new high-knowledge companies means creating qualified occupation, retaining skills on the territory and offering concrete opportunities to young people, researchers and professionals. The Region invests on these paths because development passes from the ability to transform ideas and research into stable and competitive productive activities.”
The competition is divided into two stages: Training of Idea Entrepreneurship from 30 January to 30 June and "Gara dei Business Plan" from 15 May to the 04 September.
In the first phase it is possible to request participation in design accompanying services regarding the business plan, directly on the competition website at the following link https://www.startcup.puglia.it/registration-accompanying-sessions/.
Sessions take place in synchronous FAD mode, or possibly in the presence, from 15 February to the 01 July.
The accompaniment sessions, guided by ARTI Coaches and modulated according to the level of maturity of business ideas presented by Teams, adopt an entrepreneurial training approach and focus on the main critical issues of the projects: technologies, products or services to enter into the market, possible competitive advantage, business model, marketing strategies, economic-financial planning, protection, evaluation or management of the Intellectual Property possible.
In the second phase it is possible to apply the business plan to the real competition (who intends to participate is not obliged to take part in the first phase).
From 15 May will be operational online application platform where competitors will have to load Business Plan, Executive Summary and possibly an Endorsement Letter, signed by Universities or other Scientific and Research Institutes, where support is highlighted.
It will then turn to a jury, composed of representatives of the entrepreneurial world, scientific and expert in business creation, assess the business plan and define a short list of finalists.
The frequency of a Boot Camp is reserved to them to prepare for the presentation of their project in view of the final scheduled between the end of September and the beginning of October.
The best proposals will compete during a five-minute pitch session each, to win the following prizes: 10,000 euros for the 1st classified; 7.000 euros for the 2nd grade; 5.000 euro for the 3rd grade; 3.000 euro for the 4th grade.
The Jury will also proclaim the absolute winner Start Cup Puglia 2026 will receive the special mention of "Regional Award for Innovation". Other three special mentions, always assigned during the final are: "Social Innovation" for the best social innovation project; "Female Entrepreneurship", for the best female enterprise project; "Design", for the best project able to combine aesthetics, functionality, sustainability, intuitive and comfortable use experience, elegance in forms.
It will also be awarded the special mention for "University and/or EPR more entrepreneurial", destined to that University and/or EPR that has undersigned the largest number of Letters of Endorsement (in which it is evidenced the support to the candidacy of the candidate projects by scientific structures).
The Jury will finally award a special prize of 2.000 euro called "Green and Blue climate change" for the best enterprise project able to counter climate change. There are also several cash prizes or real services made available by the Entities that make up the Promoter Committee of Start Cup Puglia.
The top four ranked and the Team winner of the Prize "Green and Blue climate change"They will participate in the final of the PNI 2026, planned, this year in Puglia, in the city of Bari, the first of December.
Further information on competition and regulation is available on the initiative website: http://www.startcup.puglia.it.
