Annual Report
Duration: 2025
Scientific Supervisor: Paolo Landoni
Project Type: Non-commercial collaboration agreement
PoliTO Role: Scientific partner and project coordinator
The Social Innovation Monitor (SIM) annual research project aims to systematically analyze the Italian ecosystem of startups with significant social and environmental impact. Primary objectives include:
- creating an updated annual mapping of hybrid organizations balancing economic returns and social/environmental impact across Italy;
- analyzing and comparing characteristics of different organizational forms including Social Vocation Innovative Startups (SIaVS), Benefit Companies, and B Corps;
- identifying distinctive features and performance patterns compared to traditional startups;
- tracking year-over-year evolution of the ecosystem to assess growth trajectories and emerging trends;
- providing evidence-based insights for policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs to support the development of impact-oriented innovation.
The research employs a comprehensive mixed-methods approach combining legal-regulatory analysis with quantitative data analysis. The methodology includes: annual review of the regulatory framework governing different forms of impact-oriented enterprises; construction of the SIM database through integration of multiple official sources including the Business Register for Innovative Startups, AIDA database by Bureau Van Dijk, official Benefit Company registry, and B Lab's B Corp directory; data enrichment through secondary sources (LinkedIn, Dealroom); application of consistent selection criteria based on quantitative thresholds for revenues, employees, growth rates, and funding; comparative statistical analysis between impact startups and traditional startups; identification of top performers using a proprietary logarithmic transformation methodology to ensure comparability across different company sizes.
The research generates comprehensive insights into the Italian impact startup ecosystem, producing: annual statistics on the size and growth of the sector; detailed demographic and performance profiles distinguishing impact startups from traditional ventures; identification of sectoral and geographical concentrations; analysis of gender diversity, financial performance, and employment generation; ranking of top impact startups based on objective criteria; trend analysis showing ecosystem evolution over multiple years; policy recommendations based on empirical evidence. Results enable stakeholders to track ecosystem health, identify investment opportunities, and design targeted support measures for scaling social and environmental innovation in Italy.
Involved Structure
- DIGEP, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale e della Produzione
- DENERG, Dipartimento Energia
Partners
- InnovUp,
- ICCSI,
- Social Innovation Teams,
- Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini,
- FSVGA,
- Merakyn,
- Ashoka,
- Flutter,
- Banca d’Italia
Location
- Italy
Project Team
- Paolo Landoni (DIGEP), Scientific Director, Polytechnic University of Turin
- Buyan Arvijikh Boldbaatar (DIGEP), Deputy Scientific Director, Polytechnic University of Turin
- Alessandro Laspia (DIGEP), Deputy Scientific Director, Polytechnic University of Turin
- Davide Viglialoro, Deputy Scientific Director, University of East Anglia
- Davide Moro (DIGEP), Researcher, Polytechnic University of Turin
- Giulia Berti (DIGEP), Researcher, Polytechnic University of Turin
- Pasquale Lanni (DIGEP), Researcher, Polytechnic University of Turin
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
1. No poverty
3. Good health and well-being
7. Affordable and clean energy
10. Reduced inequalities
11. Sustainable cities and communities
17. Partnership for the goals