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LinkUp

The qualified matchmaking service to connect startups with partners across the innovation ecosystem

LinkUp is the qualified intermediation service managed by IFAB Foundation, designed to facilitate connections between startups and the key players of the innovation ecosystem: investors, accelerators, incubators, and partner companies.

IFAB Foundation goes beyond simply matching supply and demand: through LinkUp, it carries out profile evaluation, targeted matching, meeting facilitation, and outcome monitoring over time, ensuring high-quality, high-potential connections. LinkUp is built to guide startups through a structured networking journey, facilitating access to concrete opportunities for growth, collaboration, and development.

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You can participate in LinkUp as a Startup or as an Ecosystem Partner

You can access LinkUp if you are a startup interested in connecting with the ecosystem network and its services. IFAB will analyze your profile and identify the most relevant partners based on your growth, collaboration, investment, or development needs. Through LinkUp, startups can build relationships with the most suitable players for their maturity stage, sector, and specific needs.

Apply as a Startuparrow_outward

You can join LinkUp as an ecosystem partner if you are an investor, accelerator, research center, company, or any other organization able to offer opportunities, expertise, resources, or support tools to startups. Your profile will be added to a catalog managed by IFAB, used to activate targeted matchmaking and facilitate valuable connections with selected innovative ventures aligned with your areas of interest.

Join as an Ecosystem Partnerarrow_outward

FAQ

LinkUp is the qualified intermediation service managed by IFAB within the IT4LIA AI Factory. It is designed to facilitate connections between startups and ecosystem partners — investors, accelerators, incubators, and companies — through a structured process of profile evaluation, targeted matching, and meeting facilitation.

Yes. Participation in LinkUp is completely free, for both startups and ecosystem partners. There are no access or registration fees.

Any startup interested in connecting with the ecosystem network for growth, collaboration, investment, or development opportunities can access LinkUp. No minimum level of technological maturity is required: IFAB will evaluate each startup’s profile to identify the most relevant partners based on its specific needs.

Any organization able to offer opportunities, expertise, resources, or support tools to startups can join as a partner: investors, accelerators, incubators, companies, and other organizations active in the innovation ecosystem. The partner’s profile is added to a catalog managed by IFAB and used to activate targeted matchmaking.

Once a startup’s profile is received, IFAB analyzes its characteristics — maturity stage, sector, and specific needs — and identifies the most suitable ecosystem partners. This is followed by a meeting facilitation phase and, over time, outcome monitoring, to ensure that the connections generated are high-quality and high-potential.

Yes. SUK is an open digital platform that connects businesses looking for AI solutions with startups and SMEs that provide them, through automated matchmaking mechanisms. LinkUp, on the other hand, is an intermediation service managed by IFAB, dedicated specifically to startups that want to build strategic relationships with innovation ecosystem partners: investors, accelerators, incubators, and companies. The two services are complementary and address different needs.

You can apply as a startup or join as a partner by filling out the dedicated form on the LinkUp page. The IFAB team will contact you to begin the profile evaluation and walk you through the next steps.