The startups selected for the acceleration programme will have access to pre-seed funding of up to 75 thousand euros and a further non-repayable grant of 25 thousand euros from the Ministry of Tourism
Third call for startups from Argo, the Tourism and Traveltech accelerator has been launched by the CDP Venture Capital National Network supported by the Ministry of Tourism. Based in Venice, Argo is managed by Zest (which co-invests in the accelerated startups together with CDP Venture Capital) and VeniSia (the Ca' Foscari University of Venice sustainable innovation ecosystem), and is backed by its main partners Intesa Sanpaolo and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center - the banking group's centre created to support the development of startups and the innovation ecosystem - as well as by its corporate partner, Human Company, while the Italian School of Hospitality is the initiative's technical partner. Argo focuses on launching new startups with the technology to innovate the tourism and hospitality sectors, sustainably accelerating their digital transition.
The third edition of the acceleration programme is aimed at select early-stage startups working on innovative solutions in the fields of business, cultural, sports, medical, religious and educational tourism; organised travel; open-air experiences; and food and wine, with an established team and a functioning MVP (prototype). Startups can apply until 30 April 2025 on the website www.argoaccelerator.com. There will be two rounds of selection, the first by the end of February and the second by the end of May. The startups selected to join the third edition of Argo will receive a pre-seed investment of up to 75 thousand euros, with the possibility of obtaining a further non-repayable grant of 25 thousand euros from the Ministry of Tourism.
“The Ministry of Tourism is, once again, supporting the companies in the sector – and in particular the younger businesses, the startups that can provide a breath of innovation to ensure an increasingly digital, sustainable and high-performance sector. We need to believe and invest in these companies, which may be small today, but which have enormous creative and innovative potential. Working together is the way to make Italian tourism even stronger”, said the Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanché.
In the two previous editions Argo has accelerated 17 startups that have raised 3.8 million euros and the programme network has enabled over 30 industrial collaboration projects. The programme supports startups in growing their business, entrepreneurial potential and fundraising opportunities: “Thanks to the Argo acceleratorn programme, Herop has taken a huge step forward in its development as a company and as a startup. The programme has given us the tools and skills we need to organise our business in the best possible way and deal with fundraising strategically and effectively, enabling us to accelerate our growth and reach new goals.", says Fabio Cicchinelli, CEO of Herop. “For Cora, Argo wasn't just a journey, it was a real turning point. Being chosen from over 300 startups to take part in a national programme made us feel part of something big. Argo offered us much more than support and resources: it gave us the courage to think big. Constant support, exclusive perks, and a network of experts and potential investors have allowed us to grow not only as a company, but in terms of skills, vision, and above all, turnover. Thanks to Argo, Cora is ready to move forward with a clearer vision and a more certain future”, says Jessica Modica, CCO and Co-founder of Cora. “The ARGO accelerator programme gave us access to the tools to speed up operations and find the right solutions for our business faster. In the 5 months of the programme we went from beta testing to the public launch of the App on the stores, from B2B monetization to pivoting to B2C, finally to continuous business growth with more than ten thousand users”, conclude Pasquale Marino, CEO of MAE.