The 2024 scouting phase of Styleit has come to an end. Styleit is the
accelerator program dedicated to startups developing B2B solutions or services for the FashionTech &
LuxuryTech market. It is part of the CDP Venture Capital National Accelerator Network, a network
present throughout the country to support the growth of new companies specializing in the markets
with the greatest potential.
Styleit is an initiative of the CDP Venture Capital SGR National Accelerator Network, in collaboration
with program operators Startupbootcamp and GELLIFY, notable corporate partners such as
Brunello Cucinelli, Fondazione del Tessile Italiano, Gucci, MICAM Milano, Ratti S.p.A. Società
Benefit, YHub, and which also sees on board Crédit Agricole Italia as Co-Investor, Polimoda as
Educational Partner, Manifattura Tabacchi as Local Partner and Open Seed as Ecosystem Partner.
The project also sees the involvement of the Azimut Digitech Fund, Azimut Libera Impresa SGR,
which confirms its support for the seed innovation ecosystem for the development of new innovative
enterprises, and the advisory company FNDX, which has guaranteed its contribution to the selection
and evaluation of startups to invest in.
On May 30th, the second Selection Day of the accelerator took place: an exclusive event marking the
culmination of the selection process for the second cycle of the Accelerator, where 21 of the most
promising FashionTech & LuxuryTech startups were invited to present their innovative solutions to an
esteemed audience of promoters, corporate partners, investors, mentors and industry experts.
Selection Day represents the final stage of an intensive scouting process that began in January 2024. This rigorous process identified over 1600 startups, received more than 400 applications for
innovative solutions, conducted 167 discovery calls, and held 90 negotiations. The solutions
presented address all the accelerator’s focus areas: Customer Engagement (8%), Supply Chain
Evolution (13%), Unified Commerce (12%), New Materials & Processes (5%), Smart Product
Development (8%), Product Interaction (13%), Circular Business Models (7%), and CSR (3%).
Of the 21 participants, only 10 will be selected to advance to the next phase of the acceleration
program, which will begin in early July 2024. For approximately 14 weeks, the selected startups will
benefit from one-on-one mentorship and coaching sessions, business training workshops,
masterclasses with industry experts and professionals from the fashion, luxury and innovation sectors,
business development support activities and collaborative sessions with corporate partners,
coordinated by the Styleit team. The primary goal is to accelerate the growth of the startups and
thoroughly prepare them for engagement with investors and customers.
The program will culminate in the Demo Day, scheduled for November 2024, where the startups will
present their progress to the accelerator partners, investors and key stakeholders in the international
fashion and luxury industry, demonstrating the progress achieved with the resources provided by
Styleit.
The headquarters of the program, which will host the operational team, the selected startups and the
main events, is located at Via delle Cascine 35, within the innovative hub of Manifattura Tabacchi in
Florence. This facility offers over 11,000 square meters of efficient and green office and workspace
dedicated to contemporary art, fashion and design.
Matteo Levi, Program Director of Styleit, commented: “The last four months have been an intense
period of scouting, during which our team has evaluated 400 new applications, and enriched the
Styleit database, which now includes over 2000 startups in the Fashion and LuxuryTech sectors. Compared to the first edition of the program in 2023, we have seen a significant increase in both the
number of proposed solutions and the number of identified startups. In particular, we have seen a
significant increase in solutions focused on optimizing industrial processes, an area of great interest to
both brands and our entrepreneurial and manufacturing ecosystem. In addition, many of the solutions
mapped make use of artificial intelligence, a topic of growing importance in the fashion and luxury
sectors that will have a significant impact in the future.”
