Nuove Idee Nuove Imprese

What Nuove Idee Nuove Imprese does

Nuove Idee Nuove Imprese is an Italian non-profit association (Associazione non riconosciuta, fiscal code 91164170408) founded in 2002 and headquartered at Piazza Malatesta 30 in Rimini. It operates a single annual Business Plan Competition — currently in its 25th edition in 2026 — aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs and recently established business founders residing in the Italian provinces of Rimini, Forlì-Cesena, and Ravenna or in the Republic of San Marino. The competition runs in two phases: an initial Idea Imprenditoriale phase supported by free training courses (June–July), followed by a Business Plan phase (October) culminating in a December evaluation and award ceremony; winners share a prize pool exceeding €25,000 per edition, and cumulative prize disbursement has reached €693,000+ across 24 prior editions. Across its history the program has trained 4,900+ participants, received 1,897 business ideas, supported 469 business plans, and contributed to the launch of 143 companies.

The organization is governed collectively by nine founding institutional partners — Camera di Commercio della Romagna Forlì-Cesena e Rimini, Confindustria Romagna, ANIS (San Marino), Uni.Rimini, SUMS, Università degli Studi della Repubblica di San Marino, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini, Agenzia per lo Sviluppo Economico della Repubblica di San Marino, and San Marino Innovation — and is additionally supported by major financial sponsor SGR and minor sponsors including Riviera Banca, FOM, Nemini, Dyna Brains, Deloitte, Skema Consulting, Crédit Agricole Italia, and Linea Sterile (Special Challenge 2026). Maurizio Focchi serves as President; Leonardo Tagliente as Vice President. The association operates with 9 employees, no venture or private-equity backing, and no proprietary technology product, distributing services directly to participants via an online registration portal, structured in-person training, mentoring, and judging.

The business model is grant- and sponsor-funded: participants enter free of charge, and revenue (in the non-profit sense) consists of contributions from founding members and corporate sponsors underwriting prize money and operating costs. There is no recurring software, API, or SaaS revenue stream. The association is subject to Italian Law 124/2017 and publishes annual transparency disclosures of public subsidies and contributions; it formalized its governance in December 2016 by transitioning from a Promoter Committee to its current association structure.

Name

Nuove Idee Nuove Imprese

Legal name

Associazione Nuove Idee Nuove imprese

Website

https://nuoveideenuoveimprese.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nuove Idee Nuove Imprese is a Rimini-based Italian non-profit association founded in 2002 that runs an annual two-phase Business Plan Competition for aspiring and new entrepreneurs in Romagna and San Marino, awarding over €25,000 in prizes each edition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Development and Business Plan Competition

akta.pro primary industry

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Business plan competition
• Entrepreneurship training
• Startup mentoring services
• Seed funding prizes
• Innovation competition programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rimini

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Prize Distribution: Organization distributes prize money to winning teams from accumulated funds. The competition is free to enter for participants.
2. Membership/Sponsorship: Sustained by partner organizations including Camera di Commercio, Confindustria Romagna, universities, and financial institutions who provide financial and organizational support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nuove Idee Nuove Imprese runs an annual free Business Plan Competition for aspiring entrepreneurs and neo-entrepreneurs in the Rimini, Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna provinces and the Republic of San Marino. The competition proceeds in two phases — first evaluating an entrepreneurial idea with free advanced training, then developing a full business plan with tutoring and mentoring — culminating in a final awards ceremony with prize money exceeding €25,000. The association is sustained by founding institutional partners and corporate sponsors rather than participant fees.

Product overview

Nuove Idee Nuove Imprese is a Business Plan Competition organized by an Italian non-profit association. The organization operates a single, unified competitive program that guides participants through two phases: first developing an entrepreneurial idea (Idea Imprenditoriale), then creating a business plan (Business Plan). The competition is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs and new business founders in specific Italian provinces and the Republic of San Marino. The service offering includes free training courses, personalized assistance, tutoring, mentoring, and monetary prizes totaling over 25,000 euros for winning projects. No distinct branded product modules were identified.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Plan Competition (Nuove Idee Nuove Imprese) Annual free competition that takes participants from entrepreneurial idea to business plan through structured training, personalized tutoring, mentoring, and a final pitch to a Scientific Technical Committee. Open to aspiring entrepreneurs resident in Italy or San Marino and to neo-entrepreneurs with operations in Rimini, Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna, or San Marino. Winners share a prize pool exceeding €25,000 plus free training and mentoring services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 143 companies founded from competition participants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Camera di Commercio della Romagna Forlì-Cesena e RiminicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Founding partner and primary institutional supporter. Provides organizational infrastructure, venues, and administrative support for the annual competition.
• Confindustria RomagnacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial association founding partner providing business expertise, mentorship connections, and industry networking opportunities for participants.
• Associazione Nazionale Industriali San Marino (ANIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Marino industrial association founding partner extending geographic reach to Republic of San Marino.
• Uni.Rimini SpAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium company for university in Rimini area - founding partner providing academic connections and student recruitment.
• SUMS Società Unione Mutuo Soccorso della Repubblica di San MarinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual aid society founding partner from San Marino contributing to cross-border entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Università degli Studi della Repubblica di San MarinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity founding partner providing academic credibility, student participants, and research connections.
• Agenzia per lo Sviluppo Economico - Camera di Commercio della Repubblica di San MarinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development agency founding partner supporting San Marino participation and cross-border initiatives.
• San Marino InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation hub founding partner providing startup ecosystem expertise and innovation-focused mentorship.
• DeloitteminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional services partner providing business expertise, judging, and advisory support for competition.
• Skema ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting partner contributing expertise for participant training and business plan evaluation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• H-FARM: Italy's largest venture builder and innovation platform providing early-stage investment, acceleration, and education services. Comparable as a major Italian entrepreneurship support organization, but operates with equity stakes and a much broader venture-building portfolio rather than a prize-based competition format.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network running equity-based 3-month cohort programs for early-stage startups worldwide. Comparable as a structured acceleration program providing mentorship and capital access, though operates at global scale with significant equity stakes contrasting with NINI's prize-only model.
• LUISS ENLABS: Rome-based startup accelerator backed by LUISS University and LVenture Group, providing acceleration, mentorship, and seed funding. Comparable as an Italian university-affiliated entrepreneurship program, though operates at national scale with equity investment rather than free competition.

Others

• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused innovation hubs providing co-working, incubation, and entrepreneurship programs across 100+ cities. Comparable as ecosystem infrastructure supporting early-stage entrepreneurs with similar services (training, mentoring, community), though structured as a global franchise rather than regional competition.

Direct peers

• Mind the Bridge: Italy-headquartered organization supporting Italian startups and SMEs in scaling internationally, particularly to the US market. Comparable as a non-equity Italian entrepreneurship support organization focused on founder development, though oriented toward internationalization rather than early-stage competition.
• Seedstars: Global startup competition and growth program for emerging markets that runs pitch competitions across 90+ countries. Directly comparable as a structured competition-based startup support organization targeting early-stage entrepreneurs, though operating globally rather than regionally.
• MassChallenge: Global non-equity startup accelerator running cohort-based programs for early-stage founders. Directly comparable as a prize-and-mentorship-based program that forgoes equity, offering a similar value proposition of zero-cost support with potential grant funding versus NINI's prize structure.
• CesenaLab: Innovation hub in Cesena (within NINI's target geography) that supports startups and entrepreneurship in Emilia-Romagna. Directly comparable as a regional innovation support organization actively partnered with NINI, serving overlapping founder pools in Romagna.
• Polihub: Politecnico di Milano's startup district and incubator that supports Italian entrepreneurs through acceleration, mentorship, and investor access. Directly comparable as an Italian startup support organization targeting similar founder profiles, though operating as an equity-aligned accelerator rather than a non-profit competition.
• Startupbootcamp: Global network of industry-focused startup accelerators operating across multiple verticals and geographies. Comparable as a structured accelerator program offering mentorship and initial funding to early-stage founders, though equity-based and operating at global rather than regional scale.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/associazione-nuove-idee-nuove-imprese

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Nuove Idee Nuove Imprese