Start-ups matter
The total value creation of the global startup economy reached $2.3 trillion from 2015 to 2017. Start ups, therefore, do matter. A startup is a company initiated by individual founders or entrepreneurs to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. Founders design startups to effectively develop and validate a scalable business model. Hence, the concepts of startups and entrepreneurship are similar. However, entrepreneurship refers all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend to grow big or become registered, while startups refer to new businesses that intend to grow beyond the solo founder, have employees, and intend to grow large. Start ups face high uncertainty and do have high rates of failure, but the minority that go on to be successful companies have the potential to become large and influential. Some startups become unicorns, i.e. privately held startup companies valued at over $1 billion.
Global Startup Ecosystem Report is the most widely read publication on global startup ecosystems, based on data from over 1 million companies across 150 cities. Founders, investors, policy leaders and journalists alike consider our reports required reading. The 2019 issue is on its way, but you can read last year’s report in the meantime.
Female start-ups: the prosperous future
There are still big hurdles to bridge the gap for gender equality when it comes to entrepreneurship. However, female entrepreneurs have been “killing it” in the startup world. An increased number of women-led startups achieved traction in 2018 and raised a significant amount of money to expand their businesses.
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reported that the proportion of new female entrepreneurs grew by 45 percent in the last decade alone. These startups are not only increasing in number, but they’re also increasing in size and strength, too. Although, only about 17 percent of the startups today include at least one female founder. Read a fascinating article by Valuer to get all the insight about the outstanding female start-ups all over the world.
And the great news is: businesses founded by women ultimately deliver higher revenue—more than twice as much per dollar invested—than those founded by men, making women-owned companies better investments for financial backers.
Italian start-ups to watch out for
Italy is the home of gorgeous landscapes, fantastic wine, Ancient Rome and the historical roots of Western civilization – and a growing number of startups. Check out these 10 startups striving in the Bel Paese!
By Hanna Suni, Newsletter editor and Marketing consultant
