Gruppo Start

What Gruppo Start does

Gruppo Start is a network of social cooperatives (governance di rete) headquartered in Vigevano, Lombardy, operating across four Italian regions (Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto). Founded in 2016 as Cooperativa Sociale Start Onlus, the group traces its institutional heritage to Catholic schools established in 1963 and 1972. The group is composed of four wholly-owned cooperatives (Cooperativa Sociale Start, Unica, L'Alveare, and Asilo Parrocchiale Immacolata Mariuccia Proverbio) that maintain legal autonomy while sharing strategy, quality standards, and resources. The organization employs 850 worker collaborators and serves over 240 institutional clients.

The group's primary business is managed services for educational, sports, and social care facilities, with education as the dominant vertical. It manages 15 parochial schools spanning nursery through secondary education, as well as multiple sports facilities including municipal swimming pools and sports centers. Service lines include school management, sports facility operations (via Polisportiva Lomellina), socio-healthcare and senior housing (Domus Regina Pacis), home-based social assistance, technical maintenance (heating, plumbing, general contractor), workplace safety training and consulting, and a social-inclusion catering brand (Dolce Positivo). The technology stack is non-proprietary; core competencies are in educational pedagogy (including Don Bosco's Preventive System and Reggio Children approaches), social care methodology, and facility management.

The revenue model relies on managed services contracts and professional services, with pricing determined through public procurement tenders awarded by municipalities and negotiated contracts with religious institutions. The group holds four ISO certifications (9001, 14001, 45001, 37001) and is affiliated with AGIDAE, FISM, CONI Libertas, and UECOOP. Go-to-market is sales-led through competitive public tenders and community-led through Catholic parish networks and municipal relationships. The customer base spans municipal governments, religious orders and parishes, private families (for home care services), and Salesian-affiliated institutions. No external investors, private equity, or public listing is indicated; ownership is structured as a consortium of cooperative entities.

Name

Gruppo Start

Legal name

Cooperativa Sociale Start Onlus

Website

https://startscs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gruppo Start is an Italian cooperative network managing 15 parochial schools, sports facilities, senior housing, and social care services across Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto. It serves municipalities, religious orders, and families through public procurement and institutional contracts with 850 worker collaborators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Cooperative Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs (EDACABAK)

Keywords

• Social cooperative management
• School management services
• Sports facility management
• Senior care services
• Workplace safety consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Vigevano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. School Management Contracts: Management of parochial and private schools through contracts with religious orders (parishes, congregations) and municipalities. Includes educational services, auxiliary support, and facility administration.
2. Public Sector Contracts: Contracts with municipalities for managing sports facilities, school auxiliary services, social assistance, and maintenance services. Awarded through public procurement processes.
3. Senior Housing and Social Care Services: Residential care for seniors (Domus Regina Pacis) and home-based social assistance services provided to families and municipalities.
4. Training and Safety Consulting Services: Occupational health and safety training, workplace medicine services, and HACCP food safety consulting offered to external clients.
5. Maintenance and Technical Services: Engineering and maintenance services for heating, air conditioning, water systems, and general building maintenance provided to client facilities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gruppo Start is a network of Italian social cooperatives (governance di rete) that manages parochial and private schools, municipal sports facilities, senior housing, and provides social-health care, building maintenance, occupational safety consulting, and catering services. The group serves municipalities, religious orders, parishes, and families across Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto, operating 15+ schools and multiple sports facilities with a workforce of 850 collaborators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dolce Positivo: An artisan gelateria and pastry shop operated by Cooperativa Geletica Onlus, providing employment to people with intellectual and physical disabilities as part of a social inclusion initiative.
• Domus Regina Pacis
• Polisportiva Lomellina

Products and services

• School Management (Gestione Scuole) End-to-end management of parochial and private schools including educational services, auxiliary support, and facility administration for religious orders, parishes, and congregations.
• Educational and Auxiliary School Services Educational programs, after-school services, and auxiliary school support offered to institutional clients including municipalities and religious schools.
• Social-Health and Personal Care Services Home-based social assistance, domiciliary care, and social inclusion programs delivered to families with elderly, disabled, or vulnerable individuals and to municipalities.
• Senior Housing - Domus Regina Pacis Residential senior housing providing accommodation, meals, light assistance, and social activities for self-sufficient or partially self-sufficient individuals over 65.
• Sports Facility Management Management of municipal and parish sports facilities including swimming pools, gymnasiums, tennis courts, and fitness centers for municipalities and parishes, awarded through public procurement.
• Maintenance and Technical Services Engineering, heating, air conditioning, plumbing, water systems, cleaning, and general building maintenance services delivered to client facilities as a general contractor.
• Occupational Health and Safety Consulting Occupational health and safety consulting and workplace medicine services provided to external client organizations to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Training and HACCP Consulting Professional training programs, HACCP food safety courses, and certified occupational training delivered to external clients through partner laboratories.
• Catering - Dolce Positivo Artisan gelateria and pastry shop providing employment to people with intellectual and physical disabilities as a social inclusion initiative, operated under the Dolce Positivo brand.
• Summer Camp Programs (Centri Estivi) Recreational summer camp programs for minors and adolescents operated as part of the cooperative's educational and recreational service line.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 550,000 educational hours delivered monthly
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• CONI LombardiaminorOthers · 20 October 2025CONI Lombardia President Marco Riva participated in inauguration of renovated sports facilities managed by Gruppo Start. CONI regional support for sports development initiatives.
• Comune di GambolòcoreOthers · 20 October 2025Municipal government that awarded public contracts for sports facility management. Long-standing collaboration since 1994 for Centro Sportivo Comunale di Gambolò.
• FISM (Federazione Italiana Scuole Materne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation ensures alignment with best educational standards for nursery and kindergarten schools. Provides access to coordination services, professional development, and institutional protection for member schools.
• AGIDAE (Associazione Gestori Istituti Dipendenti dall'Autorità Ecclesiastica)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCritical for correct personnel management in Catholic schools. Affiliation enables application of AGIDAE National Labor Contracts (CCNL), ensuring best contractual standards for staff in managed institutions.
• CONI LibertascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation for sports facility management ensures services meet Italian Olympic Committee standards and programs for sports promotion and social development.
• UECOOP (Unione Europea delle Cooperative)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational and international cooperative representation. Provides legal, fiscal, and labor support. Enables participation in cooperative development initiatives and professional networking.
• Polisportiva LomellinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership (over 30 years) for sports facility management. Polisportiva Lomellina manages Centro Sportivo Comunale di Gambolò and related facilities under Gruppo Start's network.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KCS Caregiver: Lombardy-based cooperative group providing social and healthcare services, including residential care and home assistance. Directly comparable in senior housing, social assistance, and cooperative governance structure.
• Codess: Italian social cooperative operating in education, social assistance, and elderly care with multi-regional presence. Highly comparable to Gruppo Start's integrated model of managing educational and social-care facilities for public and third-sector clients.
• Fratello Sole: Lombardy-based social cooperative providing educational, social, and care services to vulnerable populations, with a faith-inspired mission similar to Gruppo Start's Catholic identity. Overlapping customer base in municipalities and parishes.
• La Carovana Società Cooperativa Sociale: Italian social cooperative providing educational and social-assistance services, with operations in Northern Italy. Comparable in target customer base (municipalities, vulnerable populations) and service portfolio.
• Auroradomus: Emilia-Romagna social cooperative operating elderly residences, home care, and educational services. Comparable service mix (senior care + social services) and cooperative structure, though geographically adjacent rather than overlapping.
• Nuova Dimensione Società Cooperativa Sociale: Northern Italian social cooperative offering educational, social, and care services including elderly assistance. Comparable in integrated multi-service model and reliance on public-sector contracts.

Regional players

• Consorzio SIS Lombardia: Lombardia-based consortium delivering social and educational services for municipalities. Directly comparable in regional service mix and public-sector client base within the same primary geography as Gruppo Start.
• CEIS A.M. Modena: Emilia-Romagna-based social cooperative providing educational, social, and rehabilitation services. Comparable in Catholic/social mission orientation and multi-line service delivery, though operating in a different macro-region.

Broad incumbents

• Consorzio Nazionale CGM: National network of social cooperatives aggregating hundreds of member entities across Italy. Broad incumbent peer given Gruppo Start's network governance model and overlapping social-services and education mandates.
• Sol.Co. (Consorzio Sol.Co.): Italian network of social cooperatives aggregating service delivery in education, disability, elderly, and social care. Comparable in multi-entity cooperative structure and integrated social-service offering, with national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gruppostart
• Instagraminstagram.com/gruppo.start

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Gruppo Start