The Proximity to the University? An Opportunity. Localization Choices of Innovative Italian Start-Ups

Innovative start-ups play an increasingly central role in modern industrial economies, infact, since them encourage and incentives investment in innovation, they are a key driver forgrowth. The aim of this paper is to analyze the peculiarities of innovative Italian start-ups witha particular focus on the localization choices of these knowledge-based companies. Throughthe use of localization software, the position of innovative start-ups and the distance from themain research centers in the established province were mapped. According to the KnowledgeSpillover Theory of Entrepreneurship (kste), the analysis of data shows how innovative Italianstart-ups tend to establish themselves in the immediate proximity of research centers (universities),which thanks to advanced research generate knowledge spillovers, valued on the marketby entrepreneurs with high human capital able to seize the entrepreneurial opportunitythat is created from these knowledge spillovers. Empirical evidence therefore has significantpractical and scientific implications.