Frequently Asked Questions
What are the minimum requirements to apply?
Participants may be aspiring entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs with a recently founded company ("early-stage"), who live and work in Italy.
The main requirement is to have an entrepreneurial idea that you would like to implement and develop. It may be either an idea at an early stage that you would like to transform into a new business (aspiring entrepreneur) or a newly founded company.
How does the application process work?
Apply directly using the short form available on this website, providing a valid email address. You will then receive a link in your email inbox containing an application questionnaire to complete, in which you will also include a brief description of your entrepreneurial idea.
Once the application period has ended, we will contact you to confirm your enrollment in the program.
Which topics will be covered during the course?
The program will cover some basic business topics and will teach you how to use some of the most effective business tools.
However, the main objective of the program is to help you develop and evaluate a specific project or an innovative entrepreneurial idea.
Is IBL a general economics course?
IdeaBoosterLab is a course on entrepreneurial idea validation. This means that the course will cover all the fundamental steps that innovators must undertake to develop an entrepreneurial idea and bring it to market.
Who can apply?
How many people can apply for each startup/company?
The program is open to all managers or founders of the startup or innovative company.
I don’t yet have a team or a startup, can I still participate?
Yes, you may also participate as an independent entrepreneur.
The key requirement is to have a concrete business idea that you want to implement in a company.
Costs
Is the program really free?
Of course! The course is completely free of charge. There is no registration fee or hidden cost, and we will not ask for any participation fee.
As part of a broader European research project, the only requirement is active participation and the completion of some questionnaires and interviews to help the instructors improve your learning experience and better understand developments in the entrepreneurial world.
Who funds the project?
This project is primarily funded by a research grant from the European Research Council (ERC).
Additional funding comes from the ICRIOS research center at Bocconi University.
Details of the Training Program
Where will the training take place?
The IdeaBoosterLab IT training will take place partly in Milan, at the premises of Bocconi University (Via Sarfatti 25, 20136, Milan), and partly online.
When will the training take place? And how long will it last?
The training will begin in May 2026 and will last approximately four months.
The program includes two training sessions, the first in person in May and the second online in July, and the Demo Day in person in September.
Is it necessary to attend all the sessions?
Participation in all sessions is strongly encouraged in order to get the most out of the program and is necessary to continue accessing the course materials, receive the final certificate of participation, participate in exclusive invitation-only events, and to be eligible for the awarding of prizes.
What will be the class size?
In order to ensure a high-quality learning experience, participants will be divided into classes of approximately 30 startups/entrepreneurs.
In this way, all participants will have the opportunity to interact with peers, learn from others’ experiences, and receive individual feedback from the instructors.
Special events, on the other hand, will be organized with larger groups in order to facilitate networking activities.
Who will be my instructor?
All instructors have extensive experience in business training and coaching, especially with startups and SMEs. They also have proven entrepreneurial or managerial experience and are experienced mentors, with a dynamic and interactive approach to teaching. All instructors are from Italy and have extensive academic as well as entrepreneurial experience.
Who developed the training materials?
The training materials were developed by the research team of the ICRIOS Center at Bocconi University, which includes internationally recognized experts in the fields of management, entrepreneurship, and strategy.
What will be the structure of each session?
In each session, the instructor will provide valuable tools to support the company’s strategic and operational decisions, especially when it comes to innovation. The same tools can be used to launch a new startup.
Above all, each session will leave ample space for interactive discussions of short business cases and for the presentation of entrepreneurial ideas, following a participant-centered teaching methodology.
Will there be practical activities during the course?
The course is designed to have a strong practical orientation. Between each session and the next, participants will be asked to apply the tools and knowledge learned in class to their own business or idea, and then present the results to the instructors and classmates.
All the knowledge and tools you will learn during the sessions can be immediately applied outside the classroom, and we encourage all participants to do so in order to receive immediate feedback from both instructors and peers.
Will there be a certificate of participation?
Of course! You may receive an official certificate of participation if you attend all the training sessions (including completing all assigned tasks and questionnaires).
At the end of the series of exclusive events, an additional program certificate will be issued.
NOTE: the issuance of certificates is subject to an internal approval process.
What are the “Monthly Events”?
At the end of the training period, we will organize a series of monthly events such as webinars, workshops, in-person seminars, and networking opportunities to allow you to grow your business and your network.
We will cover many topics of interest to managers and entrepreneurs, engaging international speakers from both the academic world and international companies.
Data and Privacy
Will I be asked to share confidential information with other participants?
No. Each participant will independently decide their level of participation in the interactive sessions and whether to take a more active or passive role. Each participant will independently decide which information to share with classmates and instructors during the sessions.
We will never require you to share confidential information during your participation in the training.
Why should I provide you with my data?
We ask you to provide some data about yourself and your business activity for two main reasons.
First, by having a better understanding of your background, we will be able to better tailor the program content to your specific needs, providing you with a better learning experience.
Second, IdeaBoosterLab is made possible by a broader research project. This means that our academic partner (ICRIOS Center – Bocconi University) will use this data (exclusively in aggregated and anonymous form) to conduct basic research. The objective of this research is to understand how training in entrepreneurship and innovation can help companies grow and achieve their business goals. By giving us your consent to use this data, you will help the team improve this program and support even more companies in Italy and around the world.
We understand that completing questionnaires or participating in phone interviews may be demanding, but this information will be essential to provide you with a free, high-quality program, and we are confident that our program will be an excellent investment of your time.
How will my data be used?
All data collected during this project will be used exclusively in an anonymous and aggregated form and solely for academic research purposes of public interest.
None of your data will be shared with any participant, except for the academic team directly involved in the research project.
The data (anonymous and aggregated) will be encrypted and stored on our secure and access-restricted network infrastructure.
The academic institutions involved in this project adopt the highest ethical research standards for data management and protection, which is a central part of their activities. Their excellent reputation in the research world guarantees their commitment to ensuring that the data are used solely to obtain general insights on the quality of the proposed program and for academic research purposes in accordance with European GDPR regulations (one of the strictest regulations in the world), and for no other use.
If you have any further questions in this regard, we will be more than happy to provide you with additional details about our research and the related use of data. We also suggest that you consult the Privacy Policy published on this website.