B4i Startup Call
is open

Submit your application to the Acceleration and Pre-Acceleration programs.

Applications are open to anyone (it is not necessary to be a Bocconi student or alumnus/a) anywhere.

Deadline: January 8th, 2025.

Apply now

Acceleration program
Enabling your startup to reach product-market fit

"As a founder you need to juggle between fundraising, hiring top talents, growing your revenues and developing your product. The B4i team and entrepreneurs are the sparring partners who help us master the mad art of startup every day."

Alessandra Cestaro, Holifya

"What founders of early-stage startups need the most is trust: it takes visionaries to see what’s not there yet, but can be. B4i believed in Heloola before anyone else, they trusted our vision and helped us to turn our dream into reality."

Giada Cancellario, Heloola

"Every day you have to deal with clients’ demands, product development, market tests, and several other obstacles. B4i was fundamental to identify the best stairs and tools to overcome the impressive wall that everyone has to face sooner than later."

Giacomo Salvanelli, Mine Crime

"Building a startup is an incredibly challenging journey, and without proper planning, working structure, and tracking system, you are likely to get lost quite easily. B4i gave us the tools to make sure we did not fall into this trap."

Daniele Calvo Pollino, Mapo Tapo

"B4i helped us transform an idea into a structured organization with ambitious targets. Together, we undertook a journey aimed at developing entrepreneurship at its best."

Lorenzo Cinelli, Conviv

"All sessions, speakers and topics were carefully chosen. Having the opportunity to listen and interact with top entrepreneurs and brilliant minds is incredibly valuable."

Francesco Maria Serino, Doctors in Italy

The Acceleration program in brief

The B4i Accelerator is a 4-month structured program to bring your startup from prototype stage to product-market fit.

Open to innovators from any location or sector, this program requires entrepreneurs to fully commit and be present in our Milan office. Here, you will have a dedicated workspace and receive daily support from the B4i team.

Through a variety of activities - including legal guidance, marketing strategies, business development, and UX/UI support - B4i will help you refine your product, connect with industry experts and advisors, and ultimately fundraise.

Plus, we invest €50,000 in startups through a convertible note to kickstart your journey.

What is included

  • Business development and sales coaching via dedicated workshops and one-on-one meetings with mentors
  • Daily support from the B4i team on workflows, pitch refinement, fundraising strategies, and everything else to help you effectively manage your company
  • Networking events and community-building activities to connect with innovation experts, investors, and exceptional founders
  • Growth & digital marketing support (analytics, user research, lead generation) and UX/UI assistance (landing page, dashboards) from dedicated professionals
  • Access to a network of expertise and mentors connected to Bocconi professors, students, and alumni
  • A final event (Demo Day) to present your startup to a audience of experts and potential investors
  • Pro bono legal consulting support for six months, assisting you in areas such as IP strategy, term sheet negotiation, contracts, GDPR
  • A modern office space in the heart of Milan, shared with other startups
  • Free and discounted services from Bocconi and over 50 affiliated service providers (databases, payment systems, CRM, and more)

Investment Deal

Through B4i Fund, B4i invests €50.000 in startups via a convertible note.
The option converts after six months and takes up to 5%.

The terms are fair and balanced for the founders; that’s why the termsheet is publicly available on B4i’s website. No repayment is asked for the acceleration services, which are freely provided throughout the program.

Legal Clinics

The Legal Clinics are a special program of Bocconi University offering professional legal assistance to support your business. In collaboration with established Italian law firms and notary offices, B4i provides free legal counseling to the startups participating in the Pre-Acceleration and Acceleration programs.

Learn more

Highlights
since the first batch

62startups accelerated
7startups (average batch size)
160+jobs created
150speakers involved
KEY DATES
Jan 82025

Applications deadline
The application period closes and our team begins the process of candidates selection

Mar 242025

Start of the program
The selected candidates begin their 4-month program

Jul 18
2025

End of the program
The teams end the 18-week program

Jul2025

Demo day
Selected startups present their pitch in front of a community of angels and VC funds to fundraise for their company’s next stage

Our application calls open twice a year in May and November.
The program is held twice a year and welcomes up to 8 teams per batch.

Is it for you?

The program is open to anyone (it is not necessary to be a Bocconi student or alumnus/a) anywhere, but to be eligible you must:

  • Be a team of at least 2 people who have taken a full-time commitment to their startup.
  • Be constituted as a limited company before the program starts.
  • Propose an innovative solution to a real need in a growing market that falls into at least one of the three verticals.
  • Have some measurable indicators of market validation, such as users/paying customers, pipeline of potential users/paying customers, revenues, etc.

Affiliated service providers

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Grow your Startup

If you have an innovative startup or idea that can solve real market problems, then we’re ready to invest the experience, knowledge, time and resources of the wider Bocconi community in you and your team.

Apply now