The Pre-Acceleration program is one of the best opportunities for young startups in Italy. Thanks to B4i, we understood how you can shift from Idea to Startup in the right way.
Alessandro Puppo, Green GamesOur Pre-Accelerator is a 3-month training program designed for aspiring entrepreneurs who are working on early stage business ideas. It aims at helping them develop an MVP (minimum viable product) and validate their business ideas.
Sessions, in the format of practical training and lectures, will cover different aspects of starting up a business, from customer discovery and market assessment to business model and MVP design, operations and financial planning. While attending the program, entrepreneurs will be supported by a dedicated mentor and have access to legal, marketing and financial planning counselling services.
The program is held twice a year and welcomes up to 20 teams per batch. It is completely free and organized in a blended format: there will be sessions to attend at Bocconi University on Saturday mornings and remote evening workshops during the week. This will also allow entrepreneurs who work or study full-time to participate. If carrying out face-to-face lessons will not be viable, the entire program will run online.
Some highlights from our 2nd batch
230+
applications
15
selected teams made of 3 members on average
55
hours of training
16
speakers
1
mentor assigned to each team
60+
mentorship sessions
The second batch of the Pre-Acceleration program ended in Decembre 2020, after 3 months full of learning, iteration and knowledge sharing.
The group of participants brought together people with very different ages and educational and professional backgrounds. During the program, several topics have been covered and insights have been shared by entrepreneurs and professionals with consolidated experience in varied entrepreneurial ecosystems.
To mark the end of the program, in February, selected teams will participate in a Demo Day pitching their ideas in front of a panel of evaluators.
Applications deadline
The application period closes and our team begins the process of candidates selection
Start of the program
The selected candidates begin their 3-month program
End of the program
The initial ideas of entrepreneurs have now taken the form of a minimum viable product
Demo day
Participants will pitch their ideas in front of a panel of evaluators including potential investors, customers and advisors
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, we provide free legal counseling to the startups participating in the Pre-Acceleration and Acceleration programs.
Piero Almiento
Professor of Marketing Management, SDA Bocconi
Fabio Azzolina
Founding Partner, LA&P
Luca Barboni
Independent Consultant, Peekabo
Carlotta Cattaneo
Co-founder, Codemotion
Rossano Gagliardi
Independent Consultant
Andrea Giannangelo
Co-founder, Iubenda
Francesco Inguscio
CEO, Nuvolab
Jegor Levkovskiy
Independent Consultant
Paolo Lombardi
Independent Consultant
Guido Magrin
CEO & Co-founder, teiacare
Marco Morelli
Professor of Management Accounting and Control Systems, SDA Bocconi
Cinzia Parolini
Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, SDA Bocconi
Mauro Pretolani
Senior Advisor, Fondo Italiano
Filippo Satolli
Co-founder, Instal
Silvia Zamboni
Professor of Operations and Technology Management, SDA Bocconi
Duccio Alberti
Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, SDA Bocconi
Piero Almiento
Professor of Marketing Management, SDA Bocconi
Paolo Barbanti
Chief Executive Officer, Pharma & Biotech Advisor
Giovanni Berti
Partner Corporate Hangar, SDA Bocconi
Paola Roberta Boscolo
Account Management, B4i
Antonello Carlucci
Partner, Innovative-RFK
Sabino Costanza
Risk & Strategy Officer - Co-founder, Credimi
Anna De Stefano
Independent Consultant, Italian Angels for Growth
Mikkel Draebye
Professor - Strategy & Entrepreneurship, SDA Bocconi
Vitaliano Fiorillo
Professor of Operations & Supply Chain Management, SDA Bocconi
Antonello Garzoni
Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, SDA Bocconi
Marianna Lo Zoppo
Junior Fellow, Operations & Technology Management, SDA Bocconi
Marco Mottolese
Co-founder, Foorban Srl
Cinzia Parolini
Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, SDA Bocconi
Paolo Pascarelli
Banker, Corporate & Investment Banking, UniCredit
Riadi Piacentini
Lawyer, Thinklegal
Guia Pirotti
Professor - Strategy & Entrepreneurship, SDA Bocconi
Stefano Pogutz
Head of Sustainability Vertical, B4i
Jody Saglia
CTO, Movendo
Filippo Satolli
Co-founder, Instal
Alessandro Tanno
Managing Associate, Linklaters, Angels 4 innovation
Silvia Wang
President & Co-founder, Prontopro
Silvia Zamboni
Professor of Operations and Technology Management, SDA Bocconi
If you are a skilled and motivated professional, our Mentorship program is a great opportunity to join a dynamic environment where to share your experience and skills to support our startups and expand your business network.