Startup portfolio analysis: case studies of impact accelerators and incubators

This thesis aims to analyse the entire landscape in which incubators and accelerators operate and their role in supporting social, environmental and cultural impact startups and is essentially divided into two blocks, beyond the first deep analysis of the ecosystem by studying its definitions, evolution and current situation. The first part will be dedicated to the investigation of factors and portfolio ranking criteria peculiar to other incubators and/or external entities conducting research on this ecosystem, carefully chosen according to certain parameters, examining the strategies and tools adopted to support startups in their scaling process. While in the second part we will conduct a mapping and analysis of startups supported by Social Innovation Teams, SIT, an Italian organization that is configured as an incubator and promoter of social innovation founded by Prof. Paolo Landoni in order to support valuable business ideas with a substantial social or environmental impact on the territory. The purpose of SIT's portfolio mapping is to understand the characteristics of the startups supported by the incubator, following a specific custom classification model. Finally, in the conclusions, the results obtained from the entire analysis will be compared, with the aim of obtaining a clear, real and reliable picture of SIT's portfolio.