About us

Dock Startup Lab was born out of a vision to transform Italy's entrepreneurial landscape.

Our goal is to create a more comprehensive, intensive program that would take entrepreneurs from idea to investor-ready startup in just four months.

Since our inception, Dock Startup Lab has become a driving force in the Italian startup ecosystem.

  • Trained over 800 entrepreneurs

  • Launched 35+ startups

  • Facilitated €6M+ in startup investments

  • We were recognized by Financial Times research, in collaboration with Statista, as one of the best startup hub in Italy and 33rd in Europe.

Meet the Team

  • Andrea Dal Piaz

    Program Director

  • Paolo Merialdo

    Director of Research & Technology

  • Luigi Meschini

    Director of Venture Investments

  • Alessio Di Leo

    Director of Scientific Innovation and Marketing

  • Lara Morresi

    Junior PM

Scientific Committee

  • Alfredo Adamo

    Frontiere

  • Augusto Coppola

    Cloud Accelerator

  • Carlo Alberto Pratesi

    Università Roma Tre

  • Chiara Russo

    Codemotion

  • Roberto Magnifico

    Zest Group

  • Valentina Primo

    Startup Without Borders

How Dock Startup Lab was born

The journey of Dock Startup Lab is a story of continuous evolution, which finds its origin in 2011 with the creation of InnovActionLab. This initiative was conceived by Augusto Coppola, Paolo Merialdo, and Carlo Alberto Pratesi, later joined by Roberto Magnifico. Their vision was to establish a program that nurtures young entrepreneurial talent, helping them to transform their ideas into successful startups.

In 2018, based on the methodology experimented at InnovactionLab, Paolo Merialdo and Carlo Alberto Pratesi, together with Andrea Dal Piaz, started Dock3, which gained significant recognition through receiving applications from students and graduates from over 70 universities and research centers. Throughout the years, Dock3 has trained more than 1,000 innovators from Italian and international universities. The startups born from this program have collectively raised more than €5 million from international investors, with market growth extending beyond Italy.

Today, Dock Startup Lab represents the latest evolution of this journey. The program now is managed by Unfold Tomorrow benefit, led by Andrea Dal Piaz, Paolo Merialdo, and newcomers Alessio Di Leo and Luigi Meschini. Despite this transformation, the original spirit remains intact: a passion for innovation, dedication to supporting young talent, and determination to turn promising ideas into successful businesses by connecting startup founders.

The original founders of InnovActionLab - Augusto Coppola, Carlo Alberto Pratesi, and Roberto Magnifico - now contribute their experience and expertise to Dock Startup Lab's scientific committee, while Paolo Merialdo continues as part of the founding team.

Dock Startup Lab stands as a place where the founders' experience merges with the enthusiasm of new generations of innovators.

Do you want to join the team?

Apply by sending an email to info@dockstartuplab.com