Startup Assistant and Project Manager

Job Title: Startup Assistant and Project Manager

Location: Pisa, Italy (hybrid – on-site and remote)

Reports to: President

The Startup Assistant and Project Manager supports Start Attractor’s mission to connect universities, research, startups, companies, investors and institutions by contributing to the development and delivery of startup support programmes, venture-building activities, open innovation initiatives with ecosystem stakeholders and internationally funded projects in Health and/or Agri-Tech sectors.

The role focuses on:

• scouting and supporting startups and entrepreneurial teams along the development pipeline, from idea to growth;
• supporting the operational management of venture building programmes, including scouting, corporate challenges, startup-company matchmaking, workshops, open innovation activities promoted by Start Attractor and national and international funded projects, including coordination of activities, deliverables, milestones, reporting inputs, KPIs, partner follow-up and evidence collection;
• maintaining structured relationships with startups, mentors, companies, investors, universities, public institutions, project partners and ecosystem stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Startup Pipeline Support:

• Support the identification, onboarding and follow-up of startup teams, research-based ventures and entrepreneurial projects entering Start Attractor programmes.
• Assist teams during the early stages of idea development, helping them clarify the market needs, target users, value proposition, market opportunity and initial assumptions.
• Support the preparation and improvement of startup materials, including one-pagers, venture profiles, pitch decks, executive summaries, and investor-readiness documentation.
• Track the progress of startups across different stages of development, ensuring that each team receives appropriate follow-up, mentoring, feedback and access to relevant opportunities.
• Support the transition of the most promising teams from early-stage support to acceleration, investment readiness, corporate matching, investor engagement or other growth opportunities.

Project Management and Open Innovation Support:

• Support the planning, implementation and follow-up of Start Attractor’s venture programmes and open innovation initiatives.
• Support in the coordination workshops, mentoring sessions, training activities, pitch days, demo days, roadshows, ecosystem meetings and partner events.
• Contribute to the operational management of national and international funded-projects involving startups, universities, companies, investors and institutional partners.
• Contribute to the operational coordination of project activities, including workplans, timelines, task trackers, partner follow-up, meeting agendas, minutes, progress reports and supporting documentation.
• Monitor deadlines, milestones, deliverables, KPIs, outputs and responsibilities, ensuring timely coordination with external partners.
• Support the collection and organisation of evidence required for project reporting, including activity documentation, follow-up, communication outputs and impact indicators.
• Assist in preparing narrative inputs, tables, summaries, case studies and supporting materials for interim and final reports.

Mentoring, training and Venture Building Activities:

• Support the design and delivery of learning and venture-building activities for startups and entrepreneurial teams.
• Assist in organising training modules on venture bulding programs.
• Coordinate mentors, trainers, experts, investors and companies involved in programme delivery.
• Prepare participant materials, workshop templates, session briefs, presentation decks, evaluation forms and post-session summaries.
• Collect feedback from participants, mentors and partners to improve programme quality and identify further support needs.
• Support the development of tailored pathways for teams at different maturity levels, from idea-stage projects to more advanced startups seeking market access, partnerships or investment.

Ecosystem and Stakeholder Coordination:

• Act as an operational point of contact for startups, entrepreneurial teams, mentors, companies, investors, public institutions, project partners and ecosystem actors involved in venture program’s activities.
• Support matchmaking between startups and relevant mentors, experts, companies, investors, public actors, or international partners.
• Maintain updated contact lists, stakeholder maps, CRM records, startup databases and interaction logs.
• Support ecosystem mapping activities to identify relevant startups, companies, investors, innovation hubs, clusters, accelerators, incubators, public institutions and international networks.
• Contribute to the development of partnerships and collaborations that can create opportunities for startup teams, including pilot projects, corporate challenges, mentoring opportunities, investor meetings and internationalisation pathways.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:

• Track startup progress, programme participation, mentoring activities, training hours, event outcomes, stakeholder engagement, KPIs and project outputs.
• Maintain internal dashboards and trackers related to startups supported, teams onboarded, activities delivered, milestones achieved, opportunities generated and follow-up actions.
• Support the preparation of periodic reports on programme implementation, startup pipeline development, project progress, KPIs and results.
• Collect and organise evidence for internal reporting, European project reporting, impact assessment and communication purposes.
• Contribute to the monitoring of startup development indicators, including maturity level, market validation, team development, business model progress, partnerships, investment readiness and growth potential.

Communication and Dissemination Support:

• Support the preparation of content for presentations, brochures, website updates, newsletters, social media, event pages, reports and dissemination materials.
• Assist in collecting and organising startup stories, programme results, visuals, quotes, event highlights, case studies and project outcomes.
• Support the promotion of Start Attractor programmes, calls for startups, training activities, demo days, networking events and ecosystem opportunities.
• Ensure that communication materials are accurate, clear and aligned with Start Attractor’s brand, project visibility rules, partner requirements and internal approval procedures.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor or Master degree in Economics, Management, Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship, or related fields; a PhD degree is considered a plus.
• 1–2 years of professional experience in at least one of the following areas: startup support or venture-building programs; entrepreneurship education or training programme management; management of national or international funded- projects; innovation or open innovation management; stakeholder engagement, communication or event management; Health and/or Agri-Tech ecosystem.
• Experience working with start-ups and/or research-based ventures, investors, incubators, acceleration or innovation ecosystems.
• Understanding of at least some of the following domains: startup development, venture building programs, open innovation initiatives or national/international entrepreneurship education.
• Excellent spoken and written English (minimum B2).
• Good working knowledge of Italian (or commitment to reach it in a short time).
• Experience in national or international funded programs is considered a plus.

Key Skills and Competencies

Technical / Professional Skills:

• Ability to support startups and entrepreneurial teams across different stages of development.
• Organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple activities, deadlines, stakeholders and priorities.
• Ability to manage operational aspects of national and international funded projects, including timelines, deliverables, reporting evidence, KPIs, and compliance with programme requirements.
• Ability to support the management of open innovation processes.
• Ability to prepare clear documents, reports, meeting minutes, presentations, briefs, programme materials and operational trackers.
• Ability to collect, organise and analyse project data, startup progress data, KPIs, participant information, feedback and reporting evidence.
• Good command of office productivity tools, including Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, shared drives, spreadsheets, presentation tools and collaboration platforms.
• Experience with project management tools, startup databases or digital collaboration platforms is considered a plus.
• Good understanding of confidentiality, data protection, documentation quality and compliance requirements in multi-partner and international project environments.

Soft Skills:

• Entrepreneurial mindset, curiosity and genuine interest in startups and innovation ecosystems.
• Proactive, reliable and able to anticipate operational needs.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly with startup teams, mentors, companies, investors and institutional partners.
• Detail-oriented and able to follow through on tasks and deadlines.
• Comfortable working in a dynamic, international and multi-stakeholder environment.
• Team player with the ability to coordinate across different functions, organisations and levels of seniority.
• Problem-solving attitude and ability to work with partial information.

What we offer

• The opportunity to work at the intersection of universities, startups, companies, investors, innovation hubs, institutional stakeholders and innovation ecosystem at national and international level.
• Direct involvement in startup support programmes, venture-building activities, open innovation and international project activities.
• A dynamic, collaborative environment with Start Attractor ecosystem.
• Training and professional development opportunities aligned with the role.
• Employment contract in line with the Italian National Collective Agreement for the Commerce sector (CCNL Commercio).
• Gross annual salary (RAL) ranging from €28,000 to €32,000, commensurate with skills and experience.

Contact

For any additional information check the web site www.startattractor.eu or send an email at info@startattractor.eu

Start Attractor is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age.