VENTURE BUILDING
FOR UNIVERSITIES
The Foolers Village Project
Foolers Village, creating startups in universities from our students' theses
The 1st venture building program designed to turn Student and Researcher talent into Startups at Universities in AI and Deep-Tech
Foolers Village is a multidisciplinary program from Italy's leading venture builder that transforms university education by converting student ideas and research into innovative startups, with a focus on artificial intelligence and deep-tech. It stimulates student entrepreneurship, enriches education and fosters local economic development with innovative Venture Building techniques.
Filling the Gap !
Venture building as the missing link between University and Enterprise.
Universities such as MIT, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge have demonstrated the effectiveness of venture building in education, turning academic learning into entrepreneurial ventures. Indeed, in the U.S., 19 percent of university students create startups upon completion of their studies, in the U.K. (where venture building is often present) 12 percent, in France and Germany 9 percent, while in Italy it is only 1 percent.
The venture building methodology focuses on business creation starting with the student's idea and co-founding the startup with him, reducing barriers and filling a gap in the university innovation development ecosystem in Italy. This approach has led to the birth of successful startups abroad, demonstrating how the synergy between academic research, venture building, incubators, accelerators and venture capital can be a powerful tool for catalyzing university talent in entrepreneurial innovation.
Case studies such as Dropbox, Palantir, and Akamai Technologies highlight the success of this strategy, with these companies achieving multibillion-dollar valuations and becoming leaders in their respective industries.
Our Mission.
Revolutionizing the Italian University Ecosystem. helping students create around their research and thesis their next job through venture building.
We are a private operator and from 2022 our mission is to introduce the concept of venture building within universities in Italy to promote the entrepreneurial development of our university talent especially in STEM disciplines and in strategic areas such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and cybersecurity.
In more advanced countries, venture building is a key element in university pathways.
We at FoolFarm aim to bridge this gap by promoting the venture building model from FoolFarm's 'experience, integrating with Italian universities by creating local Hubs that support our young graduates in creating innovative startups in their cities to create their own jobs from their theses.
Venture Building for Universities
A new opportunity for entrepreneurial development of our talents and local job creation.
Foolers Village is the first venture building program validated by now 2 years of successful field experiences and startups, combining study, Italian excellence and entrepreneurship to transform study paths and theses into global startups.
It represents a new frontier in the integration of academia and business in Italy. Born as a spin-off of FoolFarm Spa and based on its validated methodology, it aims to be a catalyst for innovation and development, bringing more visionary advanced venture building methodologies into the university.
The goal is twofold: to stimulate the creation of innovative enterprises and to foster their establishment in students' hometowns, integrating harmoniously with the existing ecosystem of innovation and student-supported incubation.
Through an exclusive university program, it promotes entrepreneurial education, conversion of ideas into startups, innovation and professional development of students.
Our Hubs, which are expanding in Italy, support universities into the future and offer young people the chance to turn ideas and talent into global startups, enhancing their academic background.
Track Record
From 2022 with the University of Salento to the birth of the Foolers Village project, at the Hub at Uni Sassari.
In early 2023, FoolFarm entered into a strategic partnership with the University of Salento, creating fertile ground for innovation and academic entrepreneurship.
This collaboration came to fruition with the launch of Snaproof, a start-up emblematic of the ingenuity of Lecce's highly successful students, born around the thesis of 4 young undergraduates from the Unievrsity of Salento.
The program spread in 2023 to new universities including the Federico II University of Naples and the University of Sassari following a public call for proposals, won by FoolFarm, for university venture building. A collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome is active.
The goal of the program is to establish a tech transfer hub of at least 5 universities by 2028 with specific focus on southern Italy and emerging areas in the Mediterranean basin.
We want to turn Italian talent into solid startups in Artificial Intelligence creating local jobs and employment.
How it works
Foolers Village has four basic pillars, each designed to work in perfect synergy to catalyze students' entrepreneurial transformation
1. Foolers Village platform: At the heart of the program sits our digital platform, accessible via web and mobile, which stands as a virtual community tailored for students. It is designed to stimulate their creativity and ingenuity, creating a vast innovation village. This virtual space encourages students to meet, interact, collaborate on projects and enrich their education with cutting-edge tools.
2. Coaching and Academy: We provide targeted support to guide students and researchers in transforming their research or thesis into concrete entrepreneurial ventures. With a focus on artificial intelligence and deep-tech technologies, this pillar provides the essential skills to move confidently through today's entrepreneurial landscape. Alongside coaching, developed in collaboration with faculty and local Contamination Labs, is our Academy, which offers specialized venture building courses to hone students' entrepreneurial skills and prepare them to become the innovative leaders of the future.
3. Call2Startup: Through a push approach, this initiative fosters the development of startups by introducing concepts already pre-validated by FoolFarm into the university environment. The goal is to create teams among students, laying the foundation for future startup teams and incentivizing the emergence of new companies directly from the academic ecosystem.
4. Building Hackathons & Academy: We periodically organize hackathons focused on the development of entrepreneurial projects revolving around intellectual properties or specific technological issues related to artificial intelligence and deep-tech. These initiatives are deeply connected to the local fabric, strengthening the link between innovation and community.
Each of these pillars is designed to interact closely with the others, generating a vibrant and exciting ecosystem in which passion for innovation, academic commitment and entrepreneurial orientation converge to create new realities in the STEM field.
To whom it is addressed
Foolers Village is a revolutionary program dedicated to universities aiming to reinvent the approach to academic entrepreneurship by applying the avant-garde methodology of Venture Building.
It is particularly aimed at local universities that wish to enhance their courses of study, especially in STEM fields, to catalyze the entrepreneurial transformation of their students.
Backed by two years of experimentation at various Italian universities, Foolers Village offers students an exceptional partner in the journey of converting their studies into innovative startups. The program offers personalized coaching to transform their ideas, theses or research into new startups.
With FoolFarm by their side, students receive comprehensive support in terms of skills, know-how and investment, facilitating the arduous journey from entrepreneurial theory to practice. The program also extends to researchers, aiming to transform academic research into concrete business opportunities.
Local and IP Impact
The beating heart of the Foolers Village project focuses on enhancing Intellectual Property (IP) and promoting local innovation.
Foolers Village aims to create startups that are always based and rooted in the local area and are always based on industrial patents developed by the students we support on the patenting path.
This approach not only provides a solid bulwark in protecting innovative ideas, making them more attractive and robust in view of possible mergers, acquisitions or investments, but also aims to strengthen the local environment.
Foolers Village is committed to actively engaging the local industrial ecosystem, working with the goal of supporting the digital transformation of local manufacturing sectors.
Finally, the program is to support universities in the enhancement of their IP assets, research and laboratory activities in the subjects in question.
The Role of FoolFarm
We are the strategic partner in Venture Building for the most visionary universities with the primary goal of promoting the creation of innovative startups on the ground.
As a private operator, Foolfarm positions itself as a strategic partner for universities, offering its services as a venture builder with the fundamental mission of stimulating the birth of innovative startups directly in the territorial fabric. The collaboration is based on a tailored program, specifically designed to adapt to local needs and specificities, and to the universities' excellence.
The service is offered through a strategic agreement with the university that provides Foolfarm with the opportunity to engage faculty and students of the faculties identified in the program, support the university in communicating with students, provide space for student training, events, and ultimately host nascent startups.
The most viable and promising ventures will be incubated in Foolfarm, benefiting from direct support from our team. This approach involves investment and co-founding startups with Foolfarm and students, aiming to eliminate uncertainty and encourage unreserved commitment to the development of entrepreneurial projects.
Foolfarm also makes itself available to develop customized programs, courses or services specifically for those universities that aspire to integrate a dedicated venture builder into their ecosystem or strengthen their educational offerings.
Program elements
THE THREE MODELS OF THE FOOLERS VILLAGE PROGRAM
PROGRAMS
the Foolers Village program includes three modes. depending on the needs and expectations of the 'University and the required involvement.
Foolers Village Base
For universities interested in the program without the implementation of a dedicated HUB, we offer a basic program. This solution allows the development of venture building activities based on a general national program and not specific and targeting specific faculties or university sectors of the 'University.
Foolers Village Hub
For universities that opt for the full program, we offer a dedicated HUB and support from a FoolFarm Venture Builder to students. This solution enables the development of university-wide extended activities, including specific courses, calls, hackathons and direct student support.
Foolers Village Dedicated
For universities interested in a tailor-made Venture Building program that fits into their own context even beyond FoolFarm's specific technologies and sectors or within existing programs. These are dedicated programs tailored to meet the specific needs of each university.