Join
Rome Startup Week's
Startup and Scaleup
Program!
Join 2778 years of innovation with your startup!
Why:
Our packages are designed to generate value for talented entrepreneurs raising companies in their idea, early and growth stages, and come with free tickets. But there is more…
- Meet investors (all): Get a head start on deal-making with access to the Startup & Investor Lounge, and schedule 1:1 meetings with investors, prospects, and clients.
- Pitch: Show off the beginning of your journey by participating in the Pitch Battles to get feedback and raise your profile. You might win and/or find your next investors. Pitching is limited to pre-Series a Startups.
- Raise your brand and network: Boost your exposure to founders, VCs, co-investors, corporates and partners with your own startup pod and our calendar of side events.
- Content insights: Join our content sessions to learn the tricks of the trade from leading startup pioneers and develop the strategies to enhance your business model.
What you get:
- 2 Days entry ticket for your team
- Exhibition at the Startup Village (1 pod) for free if you are already invested below 2M, or for a reasonable price if you are a Scaleup.
- You might be selected to join our pitch competition for new proposals: the Gladiator Challenge
- Access to all areas of the event
- Open Office hour offered by our partners
- Logo on the website and app
- Name visible on the pod
- Access to the matchmaking & business lounge
Criteria to access
To qualify for our Startup Program and join us FOR FREE, your company must be between idea to seed stage funding, i.e. self-funded or at your first formal round of external funding up until pre-Series A (or a Grand Total of 2M raised).
Scaleups: If you have already raised a Series A, or more than 2M in equity, you are eligible only for commercial booths in the Innovation Village.
Watertech challenge
Sponsored by a.Quantum a company of the Acea Group
a.Quantum (Acea Group) is looking for innovative solutions, hardware and/or software, related to the management and efficiency of the integrated water service cycle, from adduction and distribution, to wastewater collection and treatment.
Your Startup
journey
1. Application approved
Congratulations! Your application has been accepted! Keep an eye out for updates from our program manager on next steps and upcoming milestones.
2. Onboarding
Filling in your profile is the best way to increase your visibility at RSW. Complete your onboarding form early to be first on the list for investors to review.
3. Choose your adventure
You can enhance your time onsite by applying for our pitch battles, adding a product demo showcase to your package, or joining our meetups onsite.
4. Prepare for onsite
Confirm your pod allocation and make sure it’s set up to make an impression. We know that our side events are a key focus for investors, so make sure you sign up early
5. Join our open office hours
Want to start networking before you get onsite? Join our virtual open office hours to break the ice and kick off conversations early.
6. Join us at Rome Startup Week
We can’t wait to welcome you onsite! Look out for highlighted sessions and our top recommended side events for founders.
The Gladiator Challenge
RSW’s own Pitch Battle
Once submitted the application, the judges will evaluate applications on the categories team, market, product, traction & wow effect.
The 2025 Gladiator Challenge champions will win:
- One startup pod at RSW 2026
- Press coverage for the winning startup
- Additional press coverage for the shortlisted startups
- More rewards are coming
Additionally, we will select one startup for the Talk the Walk Award, sponsored by Infobip Startup Tribe.
This will provide a lucky startup with 35k euros in Infobip products and solutions.
Infobip brings simplification and sophistication to communication services: from identity and verification, alerts and notifications, customer support to outbound campaigns – the use cases are endless. Let’s see what yours is!
