LUISS ENLABS: the startup factory

LUISS ENLABS helps the growth of startups and supports them into successful enterprises. This is our mission, which is why we founded EnLabs in 2010, now LUISS ENLABS. Research and our own experience has showed that startups are a development and growth engine for the economy. Over the years we have contributed to the success of numerous startups and the creation of over 100 jobs. Now, we created LUISS ENLABS by Wind: the roman University, always devoted to innovation, together with the entrepreneurial world and a big telecommunications company for a great project. We want to offer to the students of LUISS and all universities a real opportunity in the job market and concrete possibilities of stages. We choose Rome for our project: the home to the largest university community in Europe, with its’ 22 universities and a huge talent pool of 290.000 students.

How does our accelerating program work?

Twice a year we have a call for innovative projects. The selected startups enter in our accelerator program which consists of an initial investment, 6 intensive months in our headquarter, training seminars, mentoring, advisors, various facilities and exposure to the LUISS and ENLABS network. The acceleration program terminates with an “Investor Day” event, in which all the startups pitch their ideas to investors. Three are the foundations of our program: location and facilities, competences and financial resources.

• ? LOCATION: we offer the opportunity to work in a 1500 sqm dynamic space inside Termini railway station, a strategic location right in the heart of the city, equipped with 120 work stations, easily and rapidly reachable from all Italy: a dynamic motivating and highly charged environment where more than 40 startups can experience the benefits and the synergies that are created by working together.

• ? COMPETENCES: the startups selected will participate in an entrepreneurship class where we will teach investing strategies business models, how to leverage social media business plans and how to pitch.  Moreover, during the acceleration they will be followed by our advisors and mentors with entrepreneurial, startup and management experience, to ensure all the necessary experience to become a successful entrepreneur.

• ? FINANCIAL RESOURCES : the projects selected will receive an equity financing to start the business and speed up the time to market.  A true “booster” for the development of projects, made ??available by LVenture Group, the first venture capital company listed on the Milan stock exchange. 

Finally, during the  incubation program, the startups will be part of the LUISS ENLABS system and have the possibility to interact with investors, industrial and financial partners. They will get access to the mentors’ networks and they will meet the most important actors in the innovation and financial markets. They will learn on the job  the importance of networking: LUISS ENLABS is the hub able to connect the stakeholders of the startup ecosystem, from academia to university to corporate and enablers.

Moreover, we are establishing strategic partnerships with leading technology stakeholders such as Microsoft YouthSpark and BizSpark, Amazon, Kaspersky and others. We are already planning further growth for 2013, larger spaces and more capital to support more startups.