ESA BIC Turin

Startup Incubation Servicesesabic-turin.it

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

Startup incubation program
Space technology ventures
Business incubation services
Aerospace startup funding
Deep tech acceleration

Where ESA BIC Turin is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

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 offering

Core 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 profile

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

ESA BIC Turin technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

ESA BIC Turin partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

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

Luxembourg Space AgencymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Visited Turin to meet ESA BIC Turin startup ecosystem, fostering international collaboration between space ecosystems and business matching.
DigiSkyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026Alumni 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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2021ESA 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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2021ASI 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 TorinocoreTechnology or IntegrationOne 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 FoundationcoreTechnology or IntegrationCentral 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 TorinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerI3P 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.
LeonardomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLarge aerospace corporation involved in mentoring activities and providing support for integration of startups in the aerospace value chain.
Thales Alenia SpacemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpace technology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration in the aerospace value chain.
TelespaziomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpace services company involved in mentoring activities and supporting startup integration in the aerospace value chain.
ArgotecmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian aerospace company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration in the aerospace value chain.
AIKOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpace technology company involved in mentoring activities and supporting startup integration.
AviominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian aerospace company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
DorbitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpace technology company involved in mentoring activities.
Leaf SpaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian space technology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
Planet LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal space technology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
Space IndustriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian satellite manufacturer involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
RINAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian engineering and inspection company involved in mentoring activities.
STAMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
TyvakminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpace technology company involved in mentoring and supporting startup integration.
Voyager TechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpace 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 assessment

Emerging 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 financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

ESA BIC Turin leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

ESA BIC Turin funding detail

Funding detail

Funding 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 investment

M&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?

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.