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**Pre-registrations are open for the 2026 Fall Batch. Pre register to receive tips and tricks on the application!**
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Join the Whatsapp Group with everyone interested in applying to TEF Ignition
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Do you have an idea that makes you think "someone should really make this"? Or are you just curious to find out what starting something of your own feels like? Ignition gives you seven weeks to try it out.
You get:
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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In 7 weeks you get to live the founder experience for real: test your idea, get feedback, make mistakes, start building, iterate. The program is designed to make you experience what is going through what it takes to build a startup.
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Ignition is open to ideas from any industry. Whether your idea is digital, deep tech or something completely different, and whether it's fully formed or just a rough early spark, it has a place here. So don't wait until everything feels ready: entrepreneurship is about learning by doing and Ignition is here to support you every step of the way.
We're looking for curious people who are ready to take on a challenge and want to work on a problem they really care about, building something new to solve it.
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. Take a look to other students idea!
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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 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 (the one submitting the application) who must be enrolled in a bachelor's or master's degree at Politecnico di Milano or Bocconi (partecipating universities).
At least 50% of team members must be from Bocconi or PoliMi (bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, MBA, and post-doc students), as long as they are of legal age (18+ years old).
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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:
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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TEF_Ignition_Regulation_F26.pdf