Propose your startup
Are you a startup? Send in your application to access PoliHub’s incubation and advisory services
Incubation paths
PoliHub has all the ingredients for entrepreneurs to grow fast: a phygital environment where they can measure themselves against people facing the same challenges, mentorship and personalised meetings to set out their business and go-to-market strategies, to weigh up competitive and strategic situations, to prepare their business pitches and story-telling presentations, to develop their organisational side and their fundraising ideas. The pace is regulated through regular meetings to monitor and discuss progress and results achieved in the 6 to 12 months of incubation.
Go to the FAQ section to see the criteria we use to assess projects.
Apply to join PoliHub
How to apply
We are looking for technologies that can save the world
Startups with a clear focus on deep tech or high tech, with a significant level of innovation.
Teams that can assemble a strong set of technical and highly specialised skills, and which are determined to make an impact on the world.
The must-haves for your entrepreneurial project
You must have (be) a team of at least two people working full-time on your project, driven by awareness and determination.
You must have an innovative and highly technical solution that can respond to a real and deeply felt need, in a market in rapid growth.
Application tips
We see thousands of applications that cross our desks, which is why we would like to share some tips with you.
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Write clearly and come straight to the point: doing a startup means, first and foremost, knowing how to communicate effectively.
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Tell us about a specific problem your project can solve, and which unique and innovative means you use to do so.
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Have you any competitors? Find them wherever they are, and tell us about the unique selling points of your solution.
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List all the people in your team, those working 24/7 on your project, including advisors and external collaborators.
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Identify potential early adopters or describe customers who are already using your solution.
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When telling us about market validation, concentrate on metrics showing that your product or service is used by a public that cannot do without it.
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When talking about the market, give us your TAM, SAM and SOM.
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We need extraordinary people with us to achieve our vision and travel in time and space. Update your LinkedIn profile to show us that you have what it takes to do great things.
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Write clearly and come straight to the point: doing a startup means, first and foremost, knowing how to communicate effectively.
-
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Tell us about a specific problem your project can solve, and which unique and innovative means you use to do so.
-
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Have you any competitors? Find them wherever they are, and tell us about the unique selling points of your solution.
-
-
List all the people in your team, those working 24/7 on your project, including advisors and external collaborators.
-
-
Identify potential early adopters or describe customers who are already using your solution.
-
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When telling us about market validation, concentrate on metrics showing that your product or service is used by a public that cannot do without it.
-
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When talking about the market, give us your TAM, SAM and SOM.
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We need extraordinary people with us to achieve our vision and travel in time and space. Update your LinkedIn profile to show us that you have what it takes to do great things.
What happens on PoliHub’s incubation path?
Full membership to PoliHub
– Access to Kleos, a social media platform for all members of the community.
– Entrance to all events organised by PoliHub.
– Full access to all Edu-Bricks learning services.
Smart Working Services
– 2 reserved places in the co-working area for the duration of the programme.
– Access to all basic services included in the standard package.
– Access to additional services listed in the catalogue.
Startup Booster Box
Access to mentorship and consultancy services, which can be programmed specifically to the startup’s needs.
Venture Consultancy
We offer the services of a venture consultant, who will work alongside the startups to smoothen coordination of work, facilitate meetings and suggest initiatives or improvements.
Steps
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Download the SuperSpace one pager in the application form, and be inspired!
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Tell us about your project, fill in all the boxes in the form and send in your application.
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Download the one pager about your startup, you can refer to it and share it at the next calls
01
Download the SuperSpace one pager in the application form, and be inspired!
02
Tell us about your project, fill in all the boxes in the form and send in your application.
03
Download the one pager about your startup, you can refer to it and share it at the next calls
The most frequent questions about the selection process
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1. Does PoliHub have equity in the startups?
PoliHub’s business model states that all incubation services are provided without exchange of equity (equity-free).
For projects with a high potential, PoliHub can sometimes purchase equity when the company is established in exchange for its incubation services.
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2. I have an idea, but I need developers. Can PoliHub help?
PoliHub does not carry out recruiting services directly. However, by joining the PoliHub community, you enter a breeding ground of cross-fertilisation opportunities and new collaborations between startups. The PoliHub community includes startups and companies with digital and software development skills, collectively providing a pool of digital expertise and specialisation.
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3. I have an idea, but I need funds. Can PoliHub help?
By joining the PoliHub community, you can access our network of investors, companies and partners, which can generate new financing and business opportunities for startups. Furthermore, PoliHub’s premium service Access to Funding gives incubated startups a formal programme to set up a financing strategy to obtain funding in line with their level of maturity and type of project. As part of the service, we help startups determine how much funding they need and provide support in seeking out investors, in the negotiation process and in closing the deal. You can find more information on our Access to Funding service in our brochure, together with details on the other services offered by PoliHub.
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4. How long does the evaluation process take once I have applied?
The average assessment time is about 1 month. If your project gets through the first selection stage, we will contact you to say what happens next.
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5. Does my startup have to be established to be incubated?
No, a startup does not have to be formally established to join PoliHub. PoliHub supports companies at the project stage, startups at any stage in their life cycle and businesses operating out of the innovation district.
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6. What do you assess my project on?
Our assessment uses a series of criteria and analyses to examine two main aspects: potential of the technology and the entrepreneurial strength in the team. We look for technologies that can change the world and teams with an engrained startup mentality and the determination to get there.
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7. When will I know the outcome of my application?
We will contact you within 1 month after you send us your application, whether or not you get through the first selection stage. If you are successful, we will suggest some dates for an exploratory meeting with the selection team.
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8. I did not get past the first assessment step. Can I find out why?
PoliHub receives about 1,000 applications every year, and we are unable to provide formal feedback to those who do not get past the first selection step. We suggest that you check out the variables we take into account when assessing a project, as you can get a better picture of our assessment methods and be able to analyse potential problematic elements in your project (See the question “What do you assess my project on?”). We also encourage you to follow us on our various channels to stay up to date with what we are doing and not miss any of the opportunities offered by PoliHub.
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9. Can I try again in future?
Of course you can! If you don’t get past the first stage once, there is nothing to stop you applying another time. We suggest you check out the variables we consider during the assessment stage (see the question “What do you assess my project on?), and use them as the basis to identify where you can improve your project and how you can develop your startup. We would encourage you to stay up to date with all PoliHub’s new opportunities and apply again when you have developed your project further.
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10. What consultancy services are in the “Startup Booster Box”?
Our Startup Booster Box offers you these services:
– Presentation design services
– Legal assistance
– Assistance in accounting and corporate matters
– IP strategy, including the protection and exploitation of patents, trademarks and industrial secrets
– Market research and competitive analysis
– Product development and product management fundamentals
– Strategy consultancy
– Business planning
– Business model review and go to market strategy
– Strategic selling
– Talent management and organisational development
– Fundraising strategy
– Brand and communication strategies
– Social media management
– Growth hacking
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11. Do I have to pay for my incubation path?
Yes, we prepare quotes for PoliHub’s incubation programmes on a case-by-case basis, depending on what is needed in each startup, offering a 6- or 12-month customised programme.
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12. How does PoliHub deliver its incubation services?
Every startup needs a venture consultant. Your startup will be given its own venture consultant on the day you start on your incubation programme, who will work alongside your team of entrepreneurs in defining your work plan and the business objectives you expect to achieve by the end of the incubation programme, as well as selecting and organising mentorship and training meetings, and conducting periodical reviews to check your progress against your goals.
PoliHub uses a network of people to deliver the various mentorship modules, bringing in PoliHub professionals together with mentors, in-residence experts, teachers, consultants and experts in the various technological fields or in business areas that need sorting out.
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13. What information must I include in my application form?
We ask you to give us typical business plan information in your application form, so that we can understand the project’s potential. More specifically, we ask about the problem, solution, reference market, competition, business model, team and roadmap. We also ask you to give a pitch presentation on your startup, as well as data on financial performance, funding received and information on the team members.
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14. How do I design the pitch desk you ask for in my application? What essential information should go into a good pitch?
A pitch deck is a brief presentation of your startup and its business model summarised into a few slides, giving the reader a quick overview of the essential elements of your project.
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15. What are the incubation conditions concerning intellectual property? Does PoliHub have IP rights in the startups after their incubation?
PoliHub does not ask you to share or relinquish the IP of your project. During and after the incubation programme, your team and startup will own both patent and intellectual property according to the ownership terms as they were before the incubation period itself.
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16. Is my idea safe? If I apply, how do you handle confidential information about my idea? Can I ask you to sign an NDA before I disclose my project?
In keeping with its policies and standards of ethical conduct, PoliHub will never disclose to third parties sensitive information linked to the ideas it receives and assesses.
In PoliHub, we assess a product’s level of uniqueness, which will be protected by potential patents or proprietary know-how, and its relative impact on the market.
The assessment does not go into a level that could undermine the more sensitive details in the working mechanisms of a given product or service.
Accordingly, we do not ask for a level of disclosure such that could put the intellectual property of a startup at risk either in the online application in our website or in the application i-form for our Call4Ideas.
Lastly, we do not sign non-disclosure agreements with the startups we meet because we are convinced that it is the execution rather than the idea that determines the success of a startup. For this reason, beyond the intellectual property for an idea, we attach significant importance to the team working on the project and their skills.