Four in-person, two-day sessions built on MIT’s venture design method, supported by a network of experienced entrepreneurial mentors, and culminating in a final Pitch Day. Equity-free, in Italian and English, at Fabbrica H3.
The focus of this call. If it's your field, wherever you're based, this is where we want to meet you.
Culture, places and experiences.
More livable, intelligent cities.
Energy and environmental transition.
Venezia living lab dove tocca l'acqua
New models of work and learning.
Venezia come proof-point
We back early-stage teams with ambition and a clear problem to solve. If that's you - let's build.
Four phases of the MITdesignX venture design method, one for each workshop. Each workshop combines plenary sessions, group discussions, and breakout activities, during which teams work on specific modules and share their results. Mentors and program experts work closely with each team, providing guidance, discussion, and tailored feedback.
What 'powered by MITdesignX' meansThe method is MIT's; the people guiding you are the mentors and founders who came through the program in Venice. Continuity, not a downgrade.Four phases of the MITdesignX venture design method, one for each workshop. Each workshop combines plenary sessions, group discussions, and breakout activities, during which teams work on specific modules and share their results. Mentors and program experts work closely with each team, providing guidance, discussion, and tailored feedback.
What 'powered by MITdesignX' meansThe method is MIT's; the people guiding you are the mentors and founders who came through the program in Venice. Continuity, not a downgrade.
A network of mentors who've built ventures
The DesignX Playbook
A Pitch Day in front of investors and partners
Equity-free — your IP stays yoursFour two-day workshops (Thursday–Friday) from September to November, in person at H3, in Italian & English. Along the way, a Pitch Clinic and Pitch Rehearsals, up to the Final Pitch.
Mentors and founders who came through MITdesignX in Venice and other international locations of the program.
Andrea is an experienced mentor, supporting last four editions of MITdesignX as well as academic programs, innovation pathways, and transformation initiatives. Works with startup teams, research groups, and corporate boards, facilitating complex decision-making processes and the evaluation of technological and organisational trajectories. Deeply believes in listening supported by maieutic inquiry, collective intelligence, and participatory leadership as drivers of change.
Davide is a Service Designer and Innovation Manager and founder of Anomaly. He crafts scenarios and experiences that help brands and organizations redefine their future through envisioning, scenario planning and AI. He has worked with iconic brands across fashion, food service, heritage and museums, sport and tech. He teaches at the Arrigo Pedrollo Conservatory in Vicenza, where he heads the Department of Contemporary Music and New Technologies and mentors interaction and sound designers.
Fabio, a native Venetian, is a professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, USA, where he has directed the Venice Project Center since 1988. He holds a PhD from MIT and is the founder of SerenDPT, which is dedicated to fostering new entrepreneurship to repopulate the historic city of Venice. He brought the MITdesignX Venice accelerator program to Venice, which gave rise to Vortex powered by MITdesignX.
Luca is CEO of SerenDPT Srl Benefit Corporation and Board Member of Eggon Srl. Active in the startup ecosystem since 2009, he founded his first startup before the introduction of the Italian Startup Act and has supported three successful exits. Over the years, he has taken part in numerous acceleration and mentorship programs, working with more than 50 startups on growth, innovation and business development.
Sara is a sustainability executive with 20+ years of international experience across luxury, fashion, and industrial sectors. I bring strategic vision, innovation, and ESG expertise to develop sustainable growth models, strengthen governance, and deliver lasting impact.
Tommaso is a strategist and designer of tech innovation, services, and products. Founder of Osmo and Anomaly, he develops venture models and evolutionary scenarios for companies and startups across various industries. With a decade of experience in the AI industry, he defines effective go-to-market strategies, transforming cutting-edge technologies into impactful, market-ready solutions.
Gianpaolo Ferrarin is the co-founder of Eggon, a company that helps startups, businesses, and organizations develop innovation projects and new business models. He works closely with entrepreneurial teams on problem validation, value proposition design, business sustainability, and growth strategies. Over the years, he has collaborated with startups, SMEs, universities, and acceleration programs, supporting the transformation of ideas and technologies into viable ventures. As a mentor, he brings a pragmatic, execution-oriented approach, helping founders focus on the most critical assumptions, make evidence-based decisions, and build ventures with a strong potential to succeed in the market.
Artisanal plant-based and gluten-free gelato made from Dolomite ingredients (wild herbs, small fruits, and short supply chains with South Tyrolean producers).
Open-source web platform for photogrammetric digital twins of cultural heritage (an alternative to parametric hBIM), featuring AI agents and AR synchronization.
A former church on the Giudecca, now an innovation hub run by SerenDPT. A real working space, a vaporetto ride from the heart of Venice. Here Venice takes the lead: the experience, not the themes.
Problem & needs, market (TAM/SAM/SOM), model, team, prototype.
Open KTH model: six dimensions and expected levels.
Yes. Equity-free and no training fee.
