“When I and Tommaso Baù we have conceived Milkman Technologies, the idea was to offer an unprecedented service to the world of home deliveries. To achieve it we would not only have had to build our software from scratch but also intervene on a culture, that of couriers, not yet mature to put consumer needs before logistical ones. This is why we debuted as a software and a courier at the same time, a critical issue that then turned out to be an opportunity. “In just six years since Antonio PeriniVeronese, founded it, Milkman Technologies – the startup that aims to simplify the life of those who buy online – has come a long way: today exclusively software company, it counts among its customers Coop, Poste Italiane and, in Greece, Public MediaMarkt and it has raised around 35 million rounds of funding since its founding.
Innovation
10 years from the startup law. Thus was born the new economy in Italy
by Arcangelo Rociola
Milkman is one of the success stories that have taken the first steps in that Veneto so dedicated to work and with a lively ecosystem of innovative ideas, in fifth place in the Italian ranking, slightly growing but still far from the Lombard ecosystem: 1,081 startups, compared to 3,885 in Lombardy (data from the Ministry of Economic Development with InfoCamere and Unioncamere). Micro-enterprises with an average production value of just over 150, 160 thousand euros.
Numbers far from those of Silicon Valley, but as Vasco Rossi sang “We are not Americans!”. And it is in this title that the thoughts of those who, in Veneto, have laid the foundations of startups that have achieved international success and of those who have continued to “accelerate” young innovative initiatives for over 10 years are enclosed. “Let’s stop wanting to launch the Italian Facebook: let’s focus on the excellence of our territory and innovate those”. For Enrico Pandian this is the keystone, in Italy but above all in Veneto, where “there are capital but still little culture of risk”. And if he says so, it is to be believed: 42 years old, Veronese doc, 7 startups behind him including cases of enormous success such as Everli (formerly Supermercato24, one of the main European players in online shopping with same-day home delivery, today guided by Federico Sargenti), FrescoFrigo and Checkout Technologies. The latest in chronological order is called Startup Gym: a sort of new startup factory in which successful foreign business models are copied, validated and replicated in Italy, in which Anya Capital has also invested. “Unicorn is a purely financial term, often referring to companies valued in billions but that do not make profits. To move potential investors, you need to create something that generates a positive EBITDA in the short term, that is sustainable and not only aiming for greatness in the long term”.
The stories
Being a startupper in Genoa: from sport to healthcare, 8 examples of unexpected successes
by Emanuele Capone
Stop following the latest Silicon Valley trend and focus on the specificities of the local economic fabric is the advice of Timothy O’Connellwho has been directing the acceleration programs of H-Farm (the innovation platform that saw the birth of Depop), including FuturEd, the edutech accelerator of the Cdp National Network. “In recent years, in Veneto, startup support services have improved exponentially: I am talking about structures, such as the proliferation of coworking, professionals and consultants prepared to accompany these growth paths but not only: there is a culture of entrepreneurship training that was not there before, in which the local university system is investing, developing ad hoc paths. supply chain, with a view to open innovation “.
The interview
“Dream big and look for crazy people to follow you”: startups according to Donadon
by Eleonora Chioda
