Analyzing the innovative start-up opportunity to sustain innovative entrepreneurship in Southern Italy: Evidences from the Apulian area

The purpose of this paper is to investigate entrepreneurs’ adoption of the “innovative start-ups” as legal tools introduced in Italy to sustain entrepreneurship by, considering Southern Italy (Apulian Area) characterized by an economic fabric made of SMEs in the primary and tourism sectors, and few large industries as a research setting. A qualitative analysis has been carried out investigating public databases reserved for companies benefiting government subsidies, by considering a period ranging from the 1st January 2014 to the 31st December 2020. Findings suggest that the start-up legal tools helped entrepreneurs both in building up their business and revitalizing traditional business. Results also reveal a tendency to invest in a new business idea, supporting the reconversion of a regional economic fabric, highlighting how such innovation patterns and economic performance affect the different industrial structures, and the relevance of the start-up to sustain innovative entrepreneurship.