ESA BIC Turin
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersTurin, Italy
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
ESA BIC Turin firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ESA BIC Turin
- Legal name
- I3P - Incubatore del Politecnico di Torino S.c.p.a.
- Website
- https://esabic-turin.it
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ESA BIC Turin industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Incubation Services
- NAICS
- Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
Keywords
Where ESA BIC Turin is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Turin
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
ESA BIC Turin business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Institutional Funding (ESA and ASI): Core funding from European Space Agency (ESA) and Italian Space Agency (ASI) for program operations and startup grants. ESA provides standard grants while ASI contributes institutional support.
- Regional Government Grants: Regione Piemonte provides grants for incubated startups as part of the institutional financing structure.
- Private Foundation Support: Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo provides recoverable grants to bridge the pre-seed phase for startups toward venture finance. Intesa Sanpaolo offers loan schemes for startups.
- Growth Capital (Finpiemonte Partecipazioni): Finpiemonte Partecipazioni SpA provides equity and quasi-equity instruments for the growth of incubated companies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Zero-equity grant for all incubated startups |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
ESA BIC Turin product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ESA BIC Turin is a zero-equity business incubation program for space-related startups, offering up to 24 months of support. It provides up to €60,000 in zero-equity grants (€50,000 standard, with additional partner contributions), up to 100 hours of business consulting, up to 80 hours of technical support from Politecnico di Torino and LINKS Foundation, up to 10 hours of IPR support, fundraising assistance, workspace facilities, and access to a network of mentors and industrial/financial partners including ESA and ASI.
Product overview
ESA BIC Turin is an incubation program managed by I3P (Innovative Companies Incubator of Politecnico di Torino) in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI), European Space Agency (ESA), Politecnico di Torino, and LINKS Foundation. The program offers a unified portfolio combining financial incentives (zero-equity grants up to €60,000), strategic business consulting services, scientific and technological support for product development, and direct access to an ecosystem of industrial, financial, and scientific partners. The program targets entrepreneurs and startups developing innovative products and services in upstream or downstream space fields, providing incubation services for up to 24 months including workspace, training, and business matchmaking support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ESA BIC Turin Incubation Program A tailored incubation program for space-related startups offering up to 24 months of support, combining zero-equity funding (up to €60,000), business consulting (up to 100 hours), technical support (up to 80 hours from Politecnico di Torino and LINKS Foundation), IPR support (up to 10 hours), fundraising assistance, workspace facilities, and access to a network of mentors, industrial partners, and research institutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30+ space start-ups supported in four years
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use ESA BIC Turin
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ESA BIC Turin technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ESA BIC Turin partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.
- Luxembourg Space AgencymajorVisited Turin to meet ESA BIC Turin startup ecosystem, fostering international collaboration between space ecosystems and business matching.
- DigiSkyminorAlumni company of I3P providing aeronautical engineering services and flight testing capabilities. Organized event with ESA BIC Turin on aerospace innovation and technology testing.
- European Space Agency (ESA)coreESA is the founding institutional partner of ESA BIC Turin, providing the core brand, standards, and funding framework for the incubation program. ESA provides standard grants for incubated startups and connects them to the wider European ESA BIC excellence network.
- Italian Space Agency (ASI)coreASI provides institutional support and coordination for ESA BIC Turin, contributing to the governance structure and connecting startups to national space initiatives and opportunities.
- Politecnico di TorinocoreOne of the most important universities in Europe for engineering and architecture studies, strongly committed to technology transfer. Provides laboratories, research groups, and technical support (up to 80 hours per startup) for aerospace applications.
- LINKS FoundationcoreCentral node in Turin's research and innovation ecosystem with strong expertise in technical domains related to space activities from science and technology to engineering and operations. Provides technical support coordination for incubated startups.
- I3P - Incubatore di Imprese Innovative del Politecnico di TorinocoreI3P is the managing entity of ESA BIC Turin, with more than 25 years of experience in supporting innovative deep-tech startups. Provides business consulting, coaching, mentoring, fundraising support, and workspace facilities.
- LeonardomajorLarge aerospace corporation involved in mentoring activities and providing support for integration of startups in the aerospace value chain.
- Thales Alenia SpacemajorSpace technology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration in the aerospace value chain.
- TelespaziomajorSpace services company involved in mentoring activities and supporting startup integration in the aerospace value chain.
- ArgotecmajorItalian aerospace company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration in the aerospace value chain.
- AIKOminorSpace technology company involved in mentoring activities and supporting startup integration.
- AviominorItalian aerospace company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
- DorbitminorSpace technology company involved in mentoring activities.
- Leaf SpaceminorItalian space technology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
- Planet LabsminorGlobal space technology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
- Space IndustriesminorItalian satellite manufacturer involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
- RINAminorItalian engineering and inspection company involved in mentoring activities.
- STAMminorTechnology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
- TyvakminorSpace technology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
- Voyager TechnologiesminorSpace technology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ESA BIC Turin competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Starburst Aerospace: Global space-focused accelerator and innovation hub with operations in multiple countries, supporting early-stage aerospace startups through cohort programs and corporate venture partnerships.
- Seraphim Space: Space-focused accelerator and venture studio in the UK running a cohort program for space startups with mentorship from major space corporates; comparable as a space-specific accelerator but takes equity unlike ESA BIC Turin.
Direct peers
- ESA BIC Netherlands: Direct peer in the same ESA BIC network, running a near-identical zero-equity space startup incubation program in the Netherlands with similar ESA co-funding and corporate partner network.
- ESA BIC Bavaria: Direct peer in the ESA BIC network, providing zero-equity incubation for space startups in Bavaria (Germany) with comparable ESA backing, corporate partners (e.g., Airbus, OHB), and grant structure.
- ESA BIC France: Direct peer operating the ESA BIC France program out of Aerospace Valley in Toulouse, supporting French space startups with the same grant structure and ESA institutional framework.
- Galaxia (CDP Venture Capital): Italian national technology transfer hub for aerospace created by CDP Venture Capital's Tech Transfer Fund; a directly comparable Italian space-tech accelerator identified as a financial partner of ESA BIC Turin portfolio companies.
- ESA BIC Switzerland: Direct peer in the ESA BIC network providing zero-equity incubation for Swiss space startups with comparable ESA funding, ETH/EPFL research access, and corporate mentor network.
- ESA BIC UK: Direct peer in the same ESA BIC network, incubating UK-based space startups with the same operating model, ESA/UKSA backing, and corporate partner ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- Techstars: Global accelerator operating multiple sector-specific and geography-specific cohorts with equity-taking model; comparable as a broad-scale startup accelerator but much larger and not space-specialized.
Others
- I3P (Incubatore Politecnico di Torino): Parent managing entity of ESA BIC Turin; a deep-tech incubator with 25+ years of experience supporting startups from Politecnico di Torino, providing the operational and business consulting backbone for the program.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ESA BIC Turin social profiles
Digital presenceESA BIC Turin financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ESA BIC Turin leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
ESA BIC Turin funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ESA BIC Turin M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ESA BIC Turin
What does ESA BIC Turin do?
ESA BIC Turin is a zero-equity business incubation program for space-related startups, offering up to 24 months of support. It provides up to €60,000 in zero-equity grants (€50,000 standard, with additional partner contributions), up to 100 hours of business consulting, up to 80 hours of technical support from Politecnico di Torino and LINKS Foundation, up to 10 hours of IPR support, fundraising assistance, workspace facilities, and access to a network of mentors and industrial/financial partners including ESA and ASI.
Is ESA BIC Turin a public or private company?
ESA BIC Turin is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was ESA BIC Turin founded?
ESA BIC Turin was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ESA BIC Turin based?
ESA BIC Turin is headquartered in Turin, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does ESA BIC Turin make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Institutional Funding (ESA and ASI) is the primary driver. The others are regional Government Grants, private Foundation Support and growth Capital (Finpiemonte Partecipazioni).
Who are ESA BIC Turin's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Starburst Aerospace and Seraphim Space. Direct peers are ESA BIC Netherlands, ESA BIC Bavaria, ESA BIC France, Galaxia (CDP Venture Capital), ESA BIC Switzerland and ESA BIC UK. Techstars is listed as a broad incumbent. I3P (Incubatore Politecnico di Torino) is listed as an others.
Does ESA BIC Turin have an API?
No public API is recorded for ESA BIC Turin.
What industry is ESA BIC Turin in?
ESA BIC Turin's product category is Startup Incubation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated). Its NAICS code is 54169 and its SIC code is 8742.