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Smart&Start Italia's zero-interest loans, the startup innovativa regime and the Fondo di Garanzia: who qualifies, and whether the money can pay an outside or foreign MVP team.

Source: https://easifytechnologies.com/startup-funding-italy-mvp/

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Startup Funding in Italy for an MVP: Smart&Start, Startup Innovativa and the Fondo di Garanzia

20 October 2026 11 min read

Isometric diagram of an app project's stages: strategy, UI and UX design, development, testing, and deployment and support

Italy's main national scheme for early-stage founders is Smart&Start Italia, run by Invitalia: a zero-interest loan for 80% to 90% of a business plan between €100,000 and €1.5 million, with part of it turned into a grant in the South. It is open on a first-come basis, and its eligible costs explicitly include custom software development by third parties. Around it sit the innovative startup regime (startup innovativa), which gives tax and administrative advantages rather than cash, and the Fondo di Garanzia per le PMI, which guarantees bank loans. Smart&Start is the one that can fund an MVP build directly, if your plan is large enough to clear its €100,000 floor.

This page sets out each scheme as its official sources describe it on 20 October 2026, then answers whether the money can pay an outside development team, or one outside Italy. One rule in particular, the exclusion of turnkey contracts, matters to anyone planning to outsource the build. This is orientation, not financial, tax or legal advice. For other countries, see the European MVP funding hub, and for programmes run from Brussels, EU funding for startups.

Hiring in Italy?

Founding in Italy and scoping an MVP for Smart&Start or a first bank loan?

Start a conversation ↗ MVP Development

At a glance

Scheme

Run by

Who is eligible

What it funds

Amount (as officially stated)

Type

Status and how to apply

Official link

Smart&Start Italia

Invitalia for the Ministry of Enterprises (MIMIT)

Small innovative startups up to 60 months old anywhere in Italy; teams before incorporation; foreign companies committing to an Italian office

Equipment, intangibles, services including software development, staff, working capital

Plans €100,000 to €1.5m; loan for 80% (90% for some teams); 30% not repaid in the South

Zero-interest loan, partly grant

Open, first come first served until funds run out; online application, answer within 60 days

Invitalia

Startup innovativa

Chambers of commerce register; MIMIT policy

SME capital companies up to 60 months old, meeting innovation criteria

Not costs; tax incentives for investors, lighter rules

None directly

Legal status

Online registration in the special section of the business register

Registro imprese

Fondo di Garanzia per le PMI

Mediocredito Centrale for the state

SMEs and professionals in all sectors except finance and insurance

Guarantees on bank loans

80% of investment loans for startups and innovative startups; 50% for liquidity

Guarantee

Through your bank or a Confidi

Fondo di Garanzia

Smart&Start Italia

Status. Invitalia shows the measure as active, with "nessuna graduatoria" and no deadline: applications are assessed in order of arrival "fino a esaurimento fondi" (until the funds run out), within 60 days including an interview (how to apply).

A change is coming. The Gazzetta Ufficiale of 14 September 2026 carries a notice of a ministerial decree of 13 July 2026 amending Smart&Start "al fine di tenere conto della nuova definizione di start-up innovativa e introdurre ulteriori semplificazioni" (to reflect the new definition of innovative startup and introduce further simplifications). The full text is published on the ministry's site, which we could not reach today, and Invitalia's pages do not yet reflect it. Everything below comes from the operating circular Invitalia still lists. Ask Invitalia whether the new decree changes any of it before you apply.

Who can apply. According to Invitalia and the operating circular of 16 December 2019 (section 4.1):

Amounts. Eligible costs, net of VAT, must be "non superiore a euro 1.500.000,00 e non inferiore a euro 100.000,00" (between €100,000 and €1.5 million), per what it funds. The aid is a "finanziamento agevolato, senza interessi" (zero-interest loan) for 80% of eligible costs, or 90% if the team is made up entirely of women and/or people aged 35 or under, or includes a PhD holder who has worked in research abroad for at least three years. No guarantees are required, and the loan is repaid over up to ten years, starting 12 months after the last disbursement (agevolazioni).

The grant element. In Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily, and in the 2016 central Italy earthquake area, only 70% of the loan is repaid. Elsewhere, part of the loan can convert into a grant of up to 50% of new third-party investment, if that investment is at least €80,000, the investor does not take a majority, and the stake is held for at least three years. Startups no more than 12 months old also receive tutoring worth €7,500, or €15,000 in the South.

Match funding. You pay the share the loan does not cover into the project's restricted account (FAQ). On a €100,000 plan at 80%, that is €20,000 of your own money.

Eligible costs (circular, section 10.1), all new:

Timing. Costs count only if incurred after the application is submitted (FAQ; circular sections 10.2 and 10.8). The plan must be completed within 24 months of the financing contract.

How to apply. Online only, through Invitalia's application area, with SPID, CNS or CIE, a digital signature and a PEC address. You fill in the form and upload the business plan.

What it means for an MVP. Smart&Start fits a startup with a real plan for its first two years, of which the MVP is one part. A €20,000 MVP on its own is far below the €100,000 floor.

The innovative startup regime (startup innovativa)

The status comes from article 25 of DL 179/2012, substantially amended by Legge 16 dicembre 2024, n. 193, in force since 18 December 2024.

Requirements, as amended:

Duration. Status lasts three years from registration, and can run "fino a complessivi cinque anni" (up to five years in total) if the company meets one of several conditions, such as R&D raised to 25%, an experimental contract with a public administration, more than 50% growth in revenue or staff, or a qualifying investment. Further extensions apply to scale-ups.

Benefits. For investors, a 30% tax deduction or credit, or an alternative 65% personal income tax deduction under de minimis rules on up to €100,000 a year, for the first three years from registration. The 2024 law excludes investors who also supply services to the startup with billings above 25% of their investment. The business register's page lists further benefits: exemption from some fees and stamp duties, more flexible fixed-term contracts, tax-neutral stock options and work-for-equity, equity crowdfunding, and simplified access to the Fondo di Garanzia. Some figures on that page are out of date, so check the current rule for any benefit you rely on.

What it means for an MVP. The status brings no money for the build, but it makes the company more attractive to investors and is the gateway to Smart&Start. Note that the R&D test counts "consulenti esterni impiegati nelle attività di ricerca e sviluppo" (outside consultants working on R&D) alongside in-house staff.

Fondo di Garanzia per le PMI

What it is. A state guarantee on bank loans, not a lender. "La garanzia pubblica, in pratica, sostituisce le costose garanzie normalmente richieste per ottenere un finanziamento" (the public guarantee, in practice, replaces the costly collateral normally required to get a loan), according to the Fund.

Coverage. An 80% direct guarantee, or 80% reinsurance on a Confidi guarantee of up to 80% of the loan, for investment loans to listed categories including "start-up, start-up innovative, incubatori certificati"; 50% for liquidity loans. The Fund says these transitional rules have been extended to 31 December 2026. A December 2023 announcement set the maximum guaranteed amount at €5 million per company from 1 January 2024; the current overview page does not restate a cap, so confirm it with your bank.

Startups. The Fund treats companies "costituite o in attività da non più di tre anni" (set up or trading for no more than three years) as startups and assesses them on forecast figures and a business plan (evaluation models). Innovative startups and certified incubators can skip the credit assessment under certain conditions.

How to access. You do not apply yourself. Your bank requests the guarantee when it lends to you, or a Confidi gives the first guarantee and requests counter-guarantee from the Fund.

Can this money pay an outside development team, or one in another country?

Scheme by scheme, from the official rules:

About us. Easify invoices in euros from its registered entity in India, so for an Italian company we are a supplier outside Italy and outside the EU, and the reverse charge normally applies for VAT. Under Smart&Start, the turnkey exclusion and the absence of a stated rule on non-EU suppliers both need confirming with Invitalia before you plan a Smart&Start-funded build with us, or with anyone else outside Italy. If they say a non-EU supplier is not acceptable, you should know that before you sign.

How to plan your MVP budget around it

  1. Apply before you incur costs. Smart&Start counts only costs incurred after the application is submitted.
  2. Plan your own share. 20% (or 10%) of the plan goes into the restricted account from your own funds.
  3. Specify deliverables, not a turnkey package. Given the turnkey exclusion, a contract that sets out the services (design, development, testing, deployment) and their prices is easier to defend than a single lump sum for a finished product. Confirm the form with Invitalia.
  4. Write the scope down. A business plan Invitalia can assess, and a quote it can check against market terms, both start from a clear scope. Our €900 MVP Scoping Sprint produces a written scope with a fixed price and timeline, and the €900 is credited against the build if you build with us. That is general advice: no Italian scheme requires or accepts our document specifically.
  5. Size version one. Our MVPs typically cost €4,000 to €25,000 over four to twelve weeks; MVP costs in Europe explains what moves the price, and our 12 questions for choosing an MVP agency help you compare quotes.

Products we build are deployed to EU data-centre regions. Our engineering team is in India, so describe that accurately in your privacy notice. We work in English, so Italian copy and legal texts come from you or a translator.

Founding in Spain or France instead? See startup grants in Spain and startup funding in France.

Scheme details checked against official sources on 20 October 2026. Schemes change; confirm with the programme before applying.

From Budapest, for teams in Italy

Founding in Italy and scoping an MVP for Smart&Start or a first bank loan?

We build MVPs for founders across Europe, typically €4,000 to €25,000 over four to twelve weeks, hosted in the EU and invoiced in euros. We have no office in Italy and we work in English. Send us what you want to test, who it is for and your deadline, or ask for the €900 MVP Scoping Sprint, and we reply within one business day.

Start a conversation ↗ MVP Development

Recent builds

On this page

Frequently asked

How much can Smart&Start Italia finance?

According to Invitalia, business plans with eligible costs between €100,000 and €1.5 million, through a zero-interest loan covering 80% of eligible costs, or 90% for teams made up entirely of women and/or people aged 35 or under, or including a qualifying PhD holder from abroad. No guarantees are required and repayment runs up to 10 years.

Is part of Smart&Start a grant?

In Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily, and the 2016 central Italy earthquake area, only 70% of the loan is repaid. Elsewhere, part of the loan can convert into a grant of up to 50% of new third-party investment of at least €80,000, under conditions.

Can Smart&Start pay for software built by an outside company?

Services needed for the business plan are eligible, explicitly including the design, development, customisation and testing of IT solutions. But the operating circular excludes costs incurred wholly or partly through a turnkey contract, requires purchases at market terms from unrelated third parties, and excludes invoices under €500 taxable. It sets no rule on where the supplier is based.

Can a foreign founder apply to Smart&Start?

Invitalia says teams of individuals can apply before incorporating, including people living abroad and Startup Visa holders, and that foreign companies can apply if they commit to setting up an office in Italy.

How long does innovative startup status last now?

Since the 2024 competition law, registration lasts three years, extendable to five in total if the company meets one of several conditions, such as raising R&D spending to 25% or growing revenue or staff by more than half. Further extensions are possible for scale-ups.

Does the Fondo di Garanzia lend money?

No. It guarantees bank loans. Your bank or a Confidi requests the guarantee. Its site gives an 80% direct guarantee for investment loans to startups and innovative startups, and 50% for liquidity loans, under the transitional rules extended to 31 December 2026.

Can Easify invoice an Italian startup?

Yes, in euros, from our registered entity in India. Because we are outside Italy, the reverse charge normally applies for VAT on B2B services. If a programme requires an Italian or EU supplier, check that before you choose us.

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