Startup accelerator: a focus on NAStartUp

NAStartUp is a Startup accelerator working nationally and internationally. The project is non-profit, civic and starts from the bottom. It was born in Naples from an idea of Antonio Prigiobbo, Innovation Designer. From a citizen impact and made in south, NAStartUp has become a startup accelerator of projects in the European Union, with a pan-European network and community of over 8.000 members. 

NAStartUp runs a training ground for startups, as it includes enthusiasts of new businesses, investments, and tech up to those of business innovation. The main purpose is to raise awareness and develop a new economy made by startups and innovative projects.

NAStartUp was recently awarded the recognition as the best European Challenge Program for startups by UBI Global, a Swedish consortium that includes over 800 incubators and accelerators from around the world. It does many activities with a periodic appointment, completely free to all.

The startup accellerator NAStartUp helps its network and its community with the many things that can be done to grow, from finding a sponsor (whether it is a venture capital or a business angel) to finding talents for the growth of their projects, and much more.

The story of the startup accelerator NAStartUp 

NAStartUp was born as a Startup Gym and a Tech Cocktail, one to share ideas and the other one to develop networking. As we mentioned above, it was born in Naples in March 2014, from the idea of Antonio Prigiobbo, designer, journalist, and innovator, with the aim of creating a public-civic tool that could constantly develop a meeting point for all ecosystem actors. 

NAStartUp is guided and developed by some advisors who have followed one another over the years (find out who they are here). The current Advisors in office are Brigida Ardolino, Barbara Feluca and Antonio Prigiobbo.

In support of the project there are 30 actors, including professionals and companies, with different roles, and among these there are also sponsors and partners.

NAStartUp does not give the instruction booklet to anyone to participate in its events, so just go to the website to find them out. The most famous ones are NA StartUp Day and NA StartUp Play.

The NAStartUp team

Let’s get to know the people that make up this startup accelerator team in more detail. 

• Antonio Prigiobbo – Designer, Journalist, Author and Co-author of books and works. Design Management expert, he works as a temporary manager for Italy and abroad. He has dealt with Innovation and Development Policies in the PA. For twenty years, he has been teaching in degree courses, workshops, masters, post-graduate courses in various Italian universities. He is an accelerator in the startup scene with various successful formats.
• Brigida Ardolino – NAStartUp’s Advisor and Business Consultant. She attended the Federico II University of Naples and continued her career as a chartered accountant and consultant for corporate finance.
• Barbara Feluca – NAStartUp’s Advisor. She graduated in Communication Sciences at the Suor Orsola Benincasa of Naples. She continued her career as a life, sport, business, and mental coach, as well as being a trainer and public speaker.

These are just some of the members who make up the startup accelerator NAStartUp, which boasts a highly multidisciplinary and specialized team with different levels of seniority. The complementarity of the resources that are part of it is precisely one of the strengths on which NAStartUp was born and continues to grow.

Conclusions

As we have seen, NAStartUp is a startup accelerator with a unique and unusual model that offers an alternative view on how to accelerate together with the whole network.

It is an idea that grew quickly, reaching more and more fans of the sector through the extensive press review, also available online.

NAStartUp can therefore be an excellent opportunity for all startups, from those in the pre-start phase to those with a turnover (even millions). Thanks, NAStartUp!

If you want to know more about NAStartUp, please read also the interview with Brigida Ardolino: Accelerator for startups: from Naples to Europe