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**Pre-registrations are open for the 2026 Fall Batch**
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TEF Ignition is a 7-week program designed to launch students’ entrepreneurial journey, through a combination of:
The program will select 100 teams to participate in Ignition. At the end of the program, up to 15 best-performing teams will be selected to pitch at Demo Day and compete for TEF awards, which include cash prizes of up to €10,000 and participation in high-value training activities.
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Ignition is the perfect opportunity to experience in 7 weeks what it means to be a founder: test your ideas, get feedbacks, make mistakes, and iterate.
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We are looking for curious and motivated people who want to explore an entrepreneurial idea built around a clearly identified and relevant problem.
We welcome applications from both solo founders and teams. That said, we strongly encourage team formation, as teams with complementary skills, diverse backgrounds, and a multidisciplinary approach tend to move faster and learn more.
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To support this, we offer Match-A, our co-founder matching platform, designed to help you find the right people to build with. You can explore it HERE.
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We do not expect fully polished startups. What matters most is the potential of the solution - its relevance, its possible impact and its ability to grow over time - together with the team’s entrepreneurial mindset and vision.
Ignition is sector-agnostic and open to ideas at any stage of development, including very early ones. Even if you’re unsure you tick all the boxes, we strongly encourage you to apply: entrepreneurship is about learning by doing, and Ignition is designed to support you throughout that journey.
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If you need some guidance on how to define your idea and communicate your vision effectively, here are some useful resources:
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**Pre-registrations are open for the 2026 Fall Batch**
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To apply, teams must submit:
A short project description covering the problem you're solving, your proposed solution, target market analysis, and business model
A short video showing why you are the right team for this new venture
A pitch deck to complement your video (see the template below)
A budget breakdown showing how you plan to use the €2,000 grant (e.g., software licenses, prototyping, market research, technical tools)
Please note that you cannot save a draft of your application, but you can change the contents of your application after submission at any time before the deadline. However, team composition cannot be changed once the application is submitted.
If your team doesn't make it into the program, you'll receive personalized feedback to help strengthen your idea for future applications.
Teams can have up to 5 members, with a team leader who must be enrolled in a bachelor's or master's degree at Politecnico di Milano or Bocconi. Team members can be:
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PoliMi students who are selected for TEF Ignition must complete::
The program runs from October 2026 through mid-December 2026. Over 7 weeks of active programming, you'll follow a structured journey to develop, test, and pitch your startup idea.
Below are the key milestones, exact dates will be available soon:
Teams receive structured feedback after each workshop. Teams not selected for Demo Day will receive detailed written feedback on their progress and guidance on how to continue developing their startup.
TEF Ignition is not a full-time program. We recognize that students have academic commitments, but active participation is essential to fully benefit from the experience.
Participants are expected to attend in-person, mentor-led workshops and complete the online e-learning modules.
Because in-person participation is a core component of the program, we do not accept students who will be on exchange during the program period, as they would not be able to attend the on-site workshops and fully engage with the experience.
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Each participating team receives a prize of €2,000 net. The corresponding gross amount is €2,667, on which TEF applies the required tax deduction in accordance with Article 30 of Presidential Decree No. 600/1973. Participants are not required to take any action regarding taxes.
Please note that, under Italian regulations, the gross prize amount (€2,667) may be included in the calculation of the household ISEE (Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator) of the team leader or team member who receives the prize on behalf of the team, and may therefore affect that individual’s ISEE value for the relevant year.
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Join our Telegram group with everyone interested in applying to TEF Ignition
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