What SerenDPT does

SerenDPT SBRL is an Italian Società Benefit (Benefit Corporation) headquartered at Fabbrica H3, a restored 16th-century ex-church and former textile factory on Giudecca Island in Venice. Founded in 2017/2018 after winning the public tender to manage Fabbrica H3, the company operates as a pre-seed startup incubator and accelerator whose stated mission is to repopulate Venice's historic center by creating high-quality employment through entrepreneurship. It does not take equity from supported startups and reinvests all proceeds into its mission under a circular economy model.

The company's core offering is MITdesignX Venice, co-created in 2022 with MITdesignX (Boston) and Fondazione di Venezia, which admits up to 10 startup teams annually to a free 3-month acceleration program conducted by MIT faculty. The broader portfolio spans the Fabbrica H3 innovation hub (coworking, meeting rooms, event facilities for startups, researchers, and artists), the Venice Project Center (a 35-year collaboration with Worcester Polytechnic Institute), and EU-funded research projects including SMARTDEST (Horizon 2020 on overtourism), BLUNEW (Interreg IPA Adrion on Blue Economy), and ITALIS (urban agriculture and foodtech). Its first incubated product, DaAaB, a Mobility-as-a-Service application built on Google Transit GTFS feeds, was exited via business sale in 2024.

SerenDPT's revenue derives from Fabbrica H3 coworking and event-space rental, European and regional research grants, and corporate/municipal sponsorships (Fondazione di Venezia, Banca della Marca, Invitalia, Comune di Venezia patronage). The organization serves a single primary customer segment of early-stage startups and entrepreneur teams targeting Venice and similar depopulating historic cities, and it has supported 39 startups and 159 founders to date with over 14,000 research hours and more than €100,000 in prizes distributed.

Name

SerenDPT

Legal name

SerenDPT SBRL

Website

https://serendpt.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SerenDPT is a Venice-based Benefit Corporation that operates Fabbrica H3 as a startup incubator and accelerator, running the MITdesignX Venice program and EU research projects to support early-stage founders repopulating the historic city.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Incubation and Acceleration Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Startup incubation services
• Venture acceleration programs
• Coworking space rental
• Research project management
• Entrepreneurship support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Venice

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Incubator and Acceleration Services: SerenDPT operates as a Società Benefit (Benefit Corporation) providing incubator services for startups. The organization does not take equity from supported startups and reinvests resources into the mission of repopulating Venice.
2. Coworking and Space Rental: Fabbrica H3 provides coworking spaces, private meeting rooms, and event facilities for rent to startups and professionals, generating rental income while fostering the innovation ecosystem.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SerenDPT is a Venice-based Benefit Corporation operating as a startup incubator and accelerator at Fabbrica H3 on Giudecca Island. It runs the MITdesignX Venice equity-free acceleration program that admits top startup teams annually for a 3-month curriculum delivered with MIT faculty, and it operates the Fabbrica H3 innovation hub providing coworking, event, and artistic-residency spaces. The organization also hosts research collaborations (notably the Venice Project Center with WPI) and coordinates EU-funded research projects focused on Venice-centric topics.

Product overview

SerenDPT is a Benefit Company and startup incubator/accelerator based at Fabbrica H3 on Giudecca Island in Venice. The core offering is MITdesignX Venice, a co-created acceleration program with MITdesignX (Boston) that admits 10 startup teams annually to a free 3-month program conducted by MIT faculty, hosted at Fabbrica H3. The portfolio also includes the Fabbrica H3 innovation hub providing coworking spaces and artistic residencies in a restored 16th-century church; the MaaS application daAaB (exited in 2024); and research programs including Venice Project Center (35+ year collaboration with WPI), BLUNEW (European Blue Economy), SMARTDEST (Horizon 2020 on overtourism), and ITALIS (urban agriculture and foodtech). SerenDPT does not retain equity from supported startups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MITdesignX Venice Acceleration Program Equity-free, 3-month startup acceleration program in Venice delivered with MIT faculty mentorship, targeting early-stage founders with high-social-impact ventures and offering workspace at Fabbrica H3 as part of the cohort experience.
• Fabbrica H3 Innovation Hub Innovation hub and coworking/event venue located in a restored 16th-century church on Giudecca Island, Venice, providing workspaces, event hosting, and artistic residencies to tenants, partner teams, and visiting founders.
• daAaB Mobility-as-a-Service Application Mobility-as-a-Service application developed in-house that integrated GTFS public-transport data to support multimodal trip planning in Venice; exited from the SerenDPT portfolio in 2024.
• Venice Project Center (with Worcester Polytechnic Institute) Research collaboration between SerenDPT and Worcester Polytechnic Institute that hosts WPI student and faculty projects in Venice, producing Venice-focused research outputs under a 35-year partnership.
• BLUNEW (EU research project) EU-funded research project in which SerenDPT participates as a partner, contributing Venice-focused expertise and pilot activity to the consortium.
• SMARTDEST (EU research project) EU-funded research project in which SerenDPT participates as a partner, contributing Venice-specific research and pilot contributions to the consortium.
• ITALIS (EU research project) EU-funded research project in which SerenDPT participates as a consortium partner, contributing Venice-focused research and stakeholder engagement.

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Zeitgeist19majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Curatorial organization co-creating 'As Above, So Below' project, an Official Collateral Event of the 61st Venice Biennale of Art 2026, hosted at Fabbrica H3.
• One Ocean FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Ocean conservation organization collaborating on 'As Above, So Below' Biennale project exploring marine science, biodiversity, and ecosystem regeneration through art and research.
• Big OceansminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Art organization curating 'Uno Sguardo al Centro' audio/video installation at Fabbrica H3, exploring wellness and self-awareness.
• Spaceflux LtdminorOthers · 1 January 2025British space traffic management company establishing its first European office in Italy at Fabbrica H3 to support European space security.
• Comune di VeneziamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Municipality providing patronage for MITdesignX Venice program and supporting repopulation initiatives.
• Banca della MarcaminorOthers · 1 January 2025Regional bank providing sponsorship support for MITdesignX Venice program.
• BLUNEW (Interreg IPA Adrion)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024European funding project improving innovation capacity among Blue Economy entities in the Adriatic-Ionian region. SerenDPT participates with Regional Development Centre Koper as Lead Partner.
• RPLT RP LegalitaxminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Legal firm providing 10 hours of commercial, corporate, and contract legal consulting services as prize to winning startup.
• BizPlaceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Venture capital advisory providing ~€10,000 in-kind services for startup investment strategy and documentation.
• InvitaliaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Italian investment agency providing support and sponsorship for MITdesignX Venice program.
• Centro Progetti Venezia (CPV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Association hosting the Venice Project Center and promoting interaction between students, professionals, public authorities, and citizens on interdisciplinary research programs.
• MITdesignX (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-creation of MITdesignX Venice, an annual open call and acceleration program for startups. MITdesignX provides curriculum, faculty, and methodology while SerenDPT manages local operations and venue at Fabbrica H3. This is the only MIT-designated startup accelerator program in Italy.
• Fondazione di VeneziacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-creator of MITdesignX Venice program and primary sponsor providing €10,000 in cash prizes annually to winning startups.
• SMARTDEST (Horizon 2020)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020EU-funded research project developing solutions to overtourism conflicts and externalities in Venice and other cities. Led by Università Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona (2020-2023).
• ITALIS (INN Veneto / POR FSE)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Urban agriculture and foodtech project exploring circular economy models for shared value chains and quality employment. Partners included Coldiretti Veneto, Entropia, The Circle, Onde Alte, and others.
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 198835-year collaboration hosting the Venice Project Center at Fabbrica H3. WPI students conduct annual research projects on Venice's environmental, cultural, and urban challenges. All research data is publicly available in open format.
• Cohort 2025 Startups (9 startups)coreOthersBi-Harvest, BrailleFly, eMomentum, Lizard, Marea, Play2match, Purifas, SenseAble Wood, TUNICA - current cohort in acceleration program at Fabbrica H3.
• Cohort 2024 Startups (10 startups)coreOthersAgri-E, Anguana, Anomaly, ArtCentrica, Lagom, LoceM Solutions, PALOMAR, Preinvel, SiWeGO, ZAC! - completed 2024 acceleration program.
• Marea, Purifas, Rubynetti, HCOMM, School for Curatorial StudiescoreOthersStartups and organizations currently operating from Fabbrica H3, forming the innovation ecosystem with shared workspace and collaboration opportunities.
• Algae Scope, Venice Lagoon Plastic Free, PesCo, Sea the Change, Crafted, SmartVenice, Emanuele Wiltsch Barberio/Cosmogram, VULKAN Italia, Swampgod, SRL/esserrelle, Palomar, VER-V, Paul Rosenberg/YtaliGlobal, Fabrizio Tamburini/Rotonium, Venice Calls, DaRente, UptetoearthminorOthersPrevious guests and startups that have operated or been accelerated at Fabbrica H3, some of which have exited or relocated.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka: Global network supporting leading social entrepreneurs through fellowships and ecosystem support. Shares SerenDPT's emphasis on social impact and repopulation/community development as primary success metrics rather than pure financial returns.
• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused innovation hubs and incubators operating in 100+ cities. Shares SerenDPT's mission-driven, community-oriented incubation model targeting social entrepreneurs.
• LUISS EnLabs: Rome-based Italian startup accelerator backed by LUISS University and venture partners, running cohort programs for early-stage Italian startups. Directly comparable in program structure and target founder profile.
• PoliHub: Startup incubator and accelerator operated by Politecnico di Milano, supporting Italian deep-tech and impact ventures. Comparable as an Italian university-affiliated accelerator with similar program structure.
• H-FARM: Italy's largest innovation campus and startup accelerator based in Roncade (Veneto region), just outside Venice. Operates a similar hybrid model combining coworking, acceleration, and venture support, and is the most direct geographic and functional comparable to SerenDPT.
• MITdesignX (Boston): The MIT-based accelerator program that co-created MITdesignX Venice with SerenDPT in 2022. Operates the same methodology and curriculum, making it the closest methodological peer.

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: The benchmark global startup accelerator. Comparable as a top-tier reference point for cohort-based acceleration, though vastly larger scale and equity-taking model compared to SerenDPT.
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Global innovation platform and accelerator operating corporate-partnered cohort programs across multiple verticals. Comparable as a large-scale accelerator infrastructure provider, though much broader in scope than SerenDPT's local focus.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network running mentorship-driven cohort programs in dozens of cities. Comparable as an established incubator/accelerator model, though with equity-taking standard practice versus SerenDPT's equity-free approach.

Others

• Fondazione di Venezia: Primary sponsor and co-creator of the MITdesignX Venice program. Functions as a Venetian institutional partner/funder rather than direct competitor, but relevant for understanding the local sponsor ecosystem that supports SerenDPT.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@serendpt_venezia
• Facebookfacebook.com/SerenDPT.Ve
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/serendpt
• Instagraminstagram.com/serendpt_venezia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SerenDPT