The propensity of European VCs to invest in Italian startups, amidst the search for interesting opportunities and bureaucratic obstacles

(28-09-2022)Milano - TechChill surveyed the sentiment of various investors, VCs and Business Angels active in Europe regarding the Italian startup ecosystem, with the aim of knowing their opinion on the current state and potential future of the Italian technology scene.

non-profit organization born in Latvia, will be in Italy for the first time with an event, TechChill Milan, on 28 and 29 September 2022 at the Bocconi University of the Lombard capital. According to the TechChill survey, originally published in the international newspaper Tech.eu, for more than half of the interviewees, getting in touch with educated and motivated talents is one of the main advantages of betting on an Italian startup. The major obstacle, on the other hand, is the bureaucratic aspect, but a disconnection from foreign ecosystems is also underlined as a brake on the development of the tech landscape of our country. Events such as TechChill Milano aim to make the Italian startup ecosystem strategic at an international level.

According to what emerges from the survey carried out by TechChill, most of the interviewees are open to investing in Italian startups if an opportunity suitable for their portfolio presents itself, and a third of them have already supported the growth of at least one Italian startup. More than half, 52,4%, indicated they are very likely to do so, while 38,1% say they are likely to invest.

So what is holding back the investments of foreign Venture Capital in Italy? Definitely the bureaucracy, which appears in almost half of the answers as the biggest obstacle, but also an underdeveloped ecosystem, with investors highlighting the disconnection from the ecosystems of other countries and the relative lack of recognition and reputation as a brake on the development of the tech sector in Italy.

Dwelling on the sectors in which startups operate, they emerge as the most interesting ClimateTech (47,6%) e SaaS Software as a Service (47,6%), indicated as the verticals with the greatest potential in Italy by half of the investors, with deep tech (33,3%) and Fintech (28,6%) to follow.

But the aspect that most distinguishes Italian startups in the eyes of investors from all over Europe is the talent. In more than half of the answers, getting in touch with well-trained, motivated and competent talents was indicated as one of the main advantages of investing in an Italian startup. Even the low costs, the experience with high-end products and the culture of Italian SMEs have been indicated as pluses in betting on an Italian reality.

Investors also believe that the Italian startup scene will remain stable until the end of 2022, with 38,1% expecting a moderate rise in valuations, 42,9% expecting to remain stable, while 19% expecting a moderate decline. . A generally positive outlook in the current global volatility situation.

"Our survey highlights the willingness of foreign investors to invest in Italy, but also the appreciation for local talent. It is also emphasized that VCs and Business Angels are disenchanted by the current state of the Italian ecosystem and awaiting success stories that can also become a driving force in other countries, as well as not being willing to commit to the laborious task of developing startups from zero. Firstly, it is an activity that they have already carried out elsewhere and, secondly, because they would fight against the tide in a socio-economic context that they perceive as not very structured and often too bureaucratic. To best support local talents with TechChill Milano we want to create a strong and concrete connection between the Italian startup ecosystem and the rest of the world to make Italy strategic on the global startup map."

TechChill is a non-profit startup community hosting the largest technology event in Latvia and is now expanding to Italy as well. Born as a spontaneous movement of technology enthusiasts, TechChill celebrates the best of startup communities by bringing together thousands of participants every year, including fast-growing startups, the most innovative companies and speakers, active investors in the territory and talented technology enthusiasts.

For more information: TechChill.co

TechChill Milano is created with the support of B4i - Bocconi for innovation, Startup Wise Guys, BAT Italia, Pi Campus, F6S, Fondazione CARIPLO, Lutech, W Executive, Swan, PRESSToday, Withersworldswide, Boom, Republic of Estonia E-Residency, DeQou Action Beer, Ai Startup Incubator, Ventive, AEHRA, FoolFarm, Viceversa, Scaleway, Soldo, Touch Revolution, Personio, Edison, Uizard, PoliHub, Miro, Draper University, LCA, Fideuram, The Humble AI, # walk15 and more, We Make Future, Wda, Baltic Sandbox, Italian Tech Alliance, Talen Garden, Torino Cities of the Future techstars Accelerator, Qonto, Kiuas, Founders Factory, Digital Magics, InnovUp, Sesamers, Business Angels Golf Association, Bologna Startup Network, Redstone, Trentino Sviluppo, Angels for Women, Huky Change to Change, Plug and Play, Sunryse, Katalista Ventures, Infoshare, TNW, BAJ Accelerator, sTARTUp Day, NTT Data, StartUp, Social Innovation Monitor, Hi! Founders, Social Innovation Teams, Startup Checklist, Dock3 - The Startup La b, SocialFare, EU for Innovation, Alchimia Investments, Antler, Founder Institute, Elis Innovation Hub, Impact Hub, Sparring Startups, Scai Human Digital Agency, SpeedUp, Seedble, Angels for Impact Italia, Platform6, TechBricks, italDesk, Open Seed, Startacrowd , Over Ventures, Startupbootcamp. 

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