London-based Founders Factory, a company builder and early-stage investor, announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Fastweb, an Italian telecom firm, to launch a new venture studio and accelerator to help the development of entrepreneurs in Italy.
Based out of Milan, the joint venture will build, fund, launch, and scale more than 30 Italian and international innovative digital businesses over the next five years.
Through the new venture studio and accelerator programme, Founders Factory and Fastweb will focus on Smart Home, Cybersecurity, Healthcare, Edtech, and Industry 4.0.
While the startup accelerator will focus on assisting pre-seed and seed-stage startups to scale, the venture studio will design and launch new tech startups.
Selected entrepreneurs and startups will have access to capital and Founders Factory’s network and operational support.
Meanwhile, Fastweb will facilitate access to its technological and commercial scale, and give entrepreneurs a route to local and international markets.
The partnership with Fastweb marks Founders Factory’s expansion into Italy, furthering its presence in Europe’s critical tech ecosystems.
Founders Factory Italy will be chaired by Fabio Troiani, former co-founder and CEO of consultancy group BIP.
Fabio Troiani, FF Italy Chairman, adds, “Throughout my 30 years of consulting, I have often dealt with the issue of how big corporations can learn to innovate from small, agile, innovative startups. Up to now, I have witnessed more failures than successes. Founders Factory’s unique formula conjugates the speed and creativity of the startup movement with the solidity of big corporate management and business cases. For those built and launched by Founders Factory Italy, it gives innovation and credibility, while corporations benefit from innovation and capital returns. A unique blend to guarantee success in innovation.”
Founders Factory: What you need to know
Founded in 2015 by Brent Hoberman, Henry Lane Fox, and George Northcott, Founders Factory is an accelerator and venture studio that builds and scales technology startups solving global problems.
Founders Factory has backed and built almost 300 tech companies globally, 80+ of which have been built from scratch in its Venture Studio.
The company’s partners include Aviva, L’Oreal, Guardian Media Group, easyJet, Reckitt, Johnson & Johnson Innovation DC, Nesta, and Standard Bank.
It has operating hubs in London, Johannesburg, New York, and Miami.
Henry Lane Fox, Founders Factory CEO, says, “2022 has been the year that Italy has amped up its challenge to take the European startup crown. Further investment into the region and easier access to infrastructure is needed to help a new generation of entrepreneurial talent to succeed. Our newly-established presence in Italy will allow ambitious entrepreneurs from Italy and Southern Europe to benefit from our wealth of knowledge and expertise on how to build great businesses and from our partners’ infrastructure and services, starting with Fastweb as our launch partner.”
Fastweb: What you need to know
Based out of Milan, Fastweb is a telecommunications operator that promotes the digital transformation of society to build an increasingly connected, inclusive, and eco-sustainable future.
Alberto Calcagno, the Fastweb CEO, says, “Innovation is at the heart of our strategy ‘You are future’ which aims to build a more connected, inclusive, and eco-sustainable future for all. Through the joint venture with Founders Factory, we are committed to bringing the latest and most advanced technology products and services to our customers to drive the industry’s continued advancement and make Italy a destination of choice for startups looking to launch new businesses.”
