Legacoop Piemonte and its mutual fund Coopfond presented the first edition of Coopstartup Piemonte, a project designed to promote new cooperative startups. Eligibility to participate is for teams of at least three people, the majority under 40, with a business idea or cooperatives that have been established from the year 2021 onwards. The register by April 30, 2022 on the official website.

The aim of this project is to support the development of business ideas, foster youth employment and have a positive impact on the regional territory in economic, employment, social and cultural terms. Coopstartup Piemonte is held under the patronage of the Piedmont Region and the City of Turin and with the support of the operating partners University of Turin, 2i3t, Polytechnic of Turin, I3P, Nova Coop, Inforcoop Ecipa Piemonte..

Participants will receive free training on the principles of cooperative startups, as part of a one-to-one process to develop their idea and draw up a business plan. The winning teams will have the opportunity to set up as a cooperative enterprise and receive a contribution of €6,500 to cover initial expenses, as well as vouchers to spend on training, assistance and mentoring services.

Dimitri Buzio, President of Legacoop Piemonte, commented: "Legacoop Piemonte in recent years has focused its attention on encouraging and helping the emergence of new generations of cooperators. This is another step in our commitment to gather new Legacoop members. Moreover, we want to contribute to the creation of a new managerial class, through both the generational change in existing cooperatives and the creation of new enterprises that represent for girls and boys the possibility to ensure good and stable employment. All of this will be possible thanks to the legal form of cooperative enterprise, the most durable and crisis-resistant business model".

Simone Gamberini, General Manager of Coopfond, explained: " Cooperation is a tool that allows many people, especially young ones, to turn their dreams into a business , enriching our economy with new people and new skills. This is a strategic objective in this phase of recovery. Coopstartup, which in Italy has already involved 7,000 people, is the programme through which Coopfond seeks to achieve this objective. For this reason we are particularly pleased that this possibility is arriving today in Piedmont, a region where cooperation has always been strongly rooted, in different sectors, with significant experiences for the whole country, from social cooperation to workers buyout".