Ongoing · since 2025
Bologna Startup Network
A lot gets built in Bologna, but nobody talks about it much. So Nicola Mei (who has been running events for the startup world since late 2021, a proper veteran) and I said to ourselves: let's give the people building things somewhere to meet. Actually, more than one place: every meetup moves to a different spot in Bologna's innovation ecosystem.
- 246
- sign-ups across the three meetups, between December 2025 and May 2026
- 128
- sign-ups from startups and innovative SMEs
- 71
- from investors, incubators, accelerators, institutions and corporates
- 37
- people who put their names down for the Open Pitch Mic
How it works
Free and informal
No stage, no ticket, no dress code. We get together after work and turn into a bit of a balotta, Bolognese for a bunch of friends hanging out.
Open Pitch Mic
Whoever wants to grabs the floor (sometimes the megaphone) for a minute: who you are, what you're building, what you need. The room does the rest.
A different place every time
We move around Bologna's innovation spaces, from The Social Hub to MUG. That way whoever comes also discovers the places where things get built in the city.
No hype
Nobody pumped up and over the top. Founders, incubators, accelerators, a few investors and the curious.
Stop by stop
3 Dec 2025
Bologna Tech Night · The Social Hub
It's born during Bologna Tech Week, as a side event of WMF – We Make Future. Nicola calls me, I say yes on the spot. Free, from 6:30pm to 11pm, to catch up before the holidays: 85 people sign up. Almost by accident, the Open Pitch Mic is born: whoever wants to grabs the floor and talks about themselves or their startup.
3 Mar 2026
Bologna Startup Meetup · The Social Hub
58 sign-ups and around fifty people in the room, some of them coming in from outside Bologna just for this. Unstructured networking and forty-five minutes of Open Pitch Mic, done with a megaphone instead of a microphone. Someone pitched their startup holding a very unlikely object.
26 May 2026
Bologna Startup Meetup · MUG
We move house, add pizza and hit 103 sign-ups, the biggest meetup so far. A few local founders take a few minutes each to tell the room what they're building, and Bologna for Talent comes along to present its podcast.
autumn 2026
The next meetup
Announced in September. Maybe more structured, maybe with a few more partners, we don't know yet… but we're doing it, that's for sure. BOLO needs moments like these.
Where we've met
The Social HubBologna Tech Night and the March meetup
MUG – Magazzini GenerativiMay meetup
Partners and promoters
Cantucci e Vin Santo PodcastPromoter
play2matchPromoter
WMF – We Make FutureBologna Tech Night, side event
Search On Media GroupBologna Tech Night
EIT ManufacturingPromoter
Bologna for TalentMay meetup
What people said on LinkedIn
The organisers' write-ups, with photos from the nights. Each card opens the original post.
Nicola Mei
28 Nov 2025 · Bologna Tech Night
The announcement of the first night: how the idea came up during Bologna Tech Week and why he called Simone.
Read on LinkedIn
Nicola Mei
24 Feb 2026 · 3 March meetup
The Bologna Startup Meetup is back, with the Open Pitch Mic that was born almost by accident at the Tech Night.
Read on LinkedIn
Simone Tabellini
5 Mar 2026 · 3 March meetup
“You can't imagine what happened this week”: founders, incubators and investors, no hype, and pitches with some very unlikely props.
Read on LinkedIn
Simone Tabellini
10 Jun 2026 · 26 May meetup
“Bologna's startup network showed up big time.” A thank-you to everyone who came, and a promise: there'll be many more.
Read on LinkedIn
- Nicola Mei, 4 Mar 2026: Startup Meetup Bologna, nuova linfa (fresh energy)
- Simone Tabellini, 15 Sep 2026: September's events in Bologna and the next meetup
Who was there
Why we do it
After the May meetup, Francesco La Palombara wrote a line that stuck with me: “in Bologna people tend to do rather than show”. It's a strength, but it's also why people building something often have no idea who else is doing the same two streets away.
These meetups are for getting to know the people who actually build, swapping unfiltered feedback and knowing who to call the next day. And for remembering that doing a startup on your own is harder. In short: Dale Bolo 🔥
Who runs it
The next meetups get announced on our LinkedIn profiles.
Want to run the next meetup with us?
The Bologna Startup Network moves around the city, and for the next meetup we're looking for teammates. Three ways to get on the pitch:
Co-organise an event
Got a community, a theme or a format in mind? We'll build it together, from the programme to the Open Pitch Mic.
Offer the venue
Got a space in Bologna where innovation happens? Let's bring the next meetup there, like we did with The Social Hub and MUG.
Become a sponsor
Want the city's founders, incubators and investors to know who you are? Put your name next to the next meetup.
Drop us a line, folks, and we'll talk it over a spritz.
FAQ
What is the Bologna Startup Network?
It is a series of free, informal meetups for people building startups in Bologna, organised by Nicola Mei and Simone Tabellini since the end of 2025. Each meetup takes place at a different venue in Bologna's innovation ecosystem, such as The Social Hub and MUG.
Where can I find startup ecosystem events in Bologna?
Besides the Bologna Startup Meetups, the key events are Bologna Tech Week and WMF (We Make Future), the innovation fair held in Bologna. Bologna Startup Network meetups are announced on the LinkedIn profiles of Nicola Mei and Simone Tabellini; Simone also publishes a regular list of business and innovation events in the city on LinkedIn.
What is the Bologna startup ecosystem like?
It is an ecosystem that builds a lot and talks about itself very little: in Bologna people tend to do rather than show. There are universities, incubators and accelerators, spaces dedicated to innovation and a network of founders who are happy to get together when someone creates the occasion.
Who can attend the Bologna Startup Meetups?
Anyone who is part of or drives the innovation ecosystem: founders, incubators, accelerators, investors, professionals and the simply curious. Attendance is free, and all you need to do is sign up through the link in the announcements.
How many people take part in the Bologna Startup Network?
246 people signed up for the first three meetups: 85 for the Bologna Tech Night in December 2025, 58 for the March 2026 meetup and 103 for the May meetup at MUG. More than half come from startups and innovative SMEs, and a significant share from investors, incubators, accelerators, institutions and corporates.
What is the Open Pitch Mic?
It is the moment when anyone who wants to takes the floor for a few minutes and introduces themselves or their startup to the whole room. It started almost by accident at the Bologna Tech Night on 3 December 2025 and has become a regular fixture.
How can I collaborate with the Bologna Startup Network?
To co-organise a meetup, offer a venue or become a sponsor, write to bolognastartupnetwork@gmail.com. The ideal venues are in Bologna and connected to innovation, like The Social Hub and MUG, which have already hosted meetups.