Overseas benchmarking for startup ecosystems in Central and Southern Italy

The success of startups is intricately linked to the ecosystem they operate within. It is thus critical to unpack the concept of the startup ecosystem, a task that demands scholarly and professional insight. There is a keen interest in dissecting the dimensions and components of these ecosystems, with a particular focus on those known to be startup-friendly. The motivation for this scrutiny comes from patterns showing that high-performing startups are predominantly clustered in specific global regions—a hardly coincidental phenomenon. This paper aims to explore these thriving ecosystems, drawing parallels to the Italian context, especially that of the south. R.Q.: Can comparing Italian startups with Silicon Valley reveal growth best practices? Utilizing a combination of primary and secondary interviews, this study benchmarks the southern Italian startup ecosystems against the renowned Silicon Valley. Despite Silicon Valley’s occasional tumultuous phases, it maintains its stature as a benchmark of excellence. This comparative analysis seeks to extract best practices results from Silicon Valley, which, despite its challenges, continues to be a significant point of reference for emerging startup environments.