Apply Consulting srl

Our mission is to help startuppers and entrepreneurs of the future by transforming their ideas into a business model, facing with them all the obstacles of the way related to the validation of the business plan, fundraising, the creation of marketing strategy, and web positioning.

Apply Consulting was founded in Cagliari in 2013 to support enterprises and new ventures to startup their business and grow it in Sardinia. The company mainly focuses on all activities that can be characterized as “game changers” for the world of innovation, innovative SMEs and startups. Thanks to this effort, Apply has gradually become a landmark for numerous players from the island and beyond, who reach out to Apply when searching for the following services: – validation of business models using a framework, created by Apply, called Prototype, designed to rapidly test ideas through a fusion of the lean startup method and design sprint method (Apply has been certified by owDHU to use these methods); – product development operations and workflow management; – setup of R&D strategies and plans, including the construction of solid fundraising strategy to cover the associated funding need, levergeing both (private) equity financing and public incentive schemes. In its fundraising advisory activity, Apply supports its customers in structuring a strategic plan on the base of the main elements to be improved that aims at bringing the company to an “investment ready” level and includes the negotiation and closing of the investment round. More than 30 millions of public incentives and private investments have been raised by Apply for its customers. The company is also active in: – several ecosystem animation and training activities with “Fondazione di Sardegna” – the 8th biggest banking foundation in terms of assets in Italy – which has launched the project “Innois” with its own ancillary services undertaking. Apply Consulting is honored to have highly contributed to the genesis of the project and for being in charge of the entire strategic and operational management of the “Innois” project for the past three years, since its launch; – participation to and management of public tenders and programmes to boost innovation and collaboration among research centers, universities, big corporates, startups and innovation teams such as: the two editions of Talent up Sardinia, Interreg financed programmes “Green&blue” and “ENI-CBC funds” within which it deals with enterprise education paths. On the latter strand, Apply is the winner, with Nana Bianca and Startupitalia, of the “Bravo Innovation Hub” call for setting up an accelerator in the Smart Cities field in Cagliari and with FCA consulting and Abinsula, of the “RUraLAB” call to create an Innovation and living lab in the south-west region of Sardinia; – training and education projects within schools, with more than 20 schools involved in Sardinia during the academic year 2022/2023. Apply carries out entrepreneurial and tech educational programs based on a method of discovery and experimentation of the development of new business ideas and hackathons on soft skills and innovative solution design. Thanks to its wide network of partnerships and to its heterogeneous projects portfolio (e.g. “Innois” project, acceleration programs carried out with private clients, innovation and entrepreneurial related public programmes and projects, training projects with schools ..) Apply Consulting enjoys a particularly privileged and comprehensive observatory on the innovation ecosystem in Sardinia. Another relevant milestones in its 10 years growth path has been the acquisition by Abinsula Group of a minority (but relevant) stake in Apply Consulting in 2019. This led to a solid acceleration to the development of R&D and innovation projects at regional and national level, jointly developed with Abinsula: cooperation and Open Innovation actions with local startups; designing and launching a coworking space (HubInsula) in Sassari, which is an innovation hub for startups and innovative SMEs and a coworking space dedicated to digital professionals, and tech/deep tech companies (directed by Abinsula). Together Apply and Abinsula have over the years designed and implemented acceleration programs and carried them throughout Italy, creating numerous intensive courses aimed at validating new business ideas and transferring to participants the key methodologies for bringing innovative products and services to market. Currently, 12 Startups are incubated by Apply Consulting. The total amount of investments maid in favor of SMEs and innovative startups, corresponds to more than 2 milions €. More than 30 milions € of private and public funds have been fundraised for those who have turned to Apply Consulting.