Bio4Dreams

Bio4Dreams is an Italian certified incubator, accelerator and company builder focused entirely on very early stage innovative startups in the Life Sciences sector. Based at MIND – Milano Innovation District in Milan, it works with talented researchers even before their projects become companies, helping them turn scientific results into sustainable, pragmatic and long-lasting businesses with an international scope. The organisation describes itself as going well beyond the traditional definition of a startup incubator: it follows the entire development path of a single project from its earliest stages and integrates the main innovation players into a wider ecosystem. This approach is summarised as combining bottom-up innovation, working hands-on with nascent projects and their founding elements, with top-down innovation. Since the beginning of 2018, researchers and scientists have been able to develop and valorise their entrepreneurial ideas within Bio4Dreams' scientific and managerial environment, where research, industry and market dialogue. Its Business Nursery™ offers startuppers customised support programmes and distinctive competences in the Life Sciences, supported by a cohesive, multidisciplinary and results-oriented team dedicated to giving solidity to the first steps of nascent startups. The incubator presents itself as an ecosystem for startuppers and investors alike, and reports 11 national locations and 3 international ones. Bio4Dreams is led by President Laura Iris Ferro, a biotech entrepreneur who founded the Italian biotech company Gentium, and by CEO and Co-Founder Pietro Conti. Elisabetta Borello is Co-Founder and VP Strategy & External Relations, while Fabio Bianco serves as Chief Scientific Officer. The management and board also include Carlo Frati, Matteo Gallo, Michele Mattia Sisto, Roberta Terpin and Luigi Fiorentino as board members, with Nicola Pastori as Finance Director, Andrea Albertini as Operations Director, Demetra Pelos as Strategic Projects Director & Head of Business Nursery, and Costanza Conti as Grant Office & R&D Director. The organisation publishes an annual report and tracks its activity since 2018, including evaluated projects, portfolio value through shares in affiliated companies, incubated startups and entrepreneurs supported. Its news flow includes corporate developments such as NBFC, Italy's first National Centre dedicated to biodiversity, acquiring a stake in Bio4Dreams to turn research results into new companies; the appointment of Co-Founder Elisabetta Borello as Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana for her contribution to scientific and healthcare innovation in Italy; and the awarding of the Ennio Ongini Award at the BioInvestIT final event, with ImmunoVeg receiving the 2026 edition.

Bio4Dreams emerged as an Italian certified incubator dedicated to very early stage innovative startups in the Life Sciences. Since the beginning of 2018, researchers and scientists have been able to develop and valorise their entrepreneurial ideas within its scientific and managerial environment, where research, industry and market dialogue. The organisation was built around the idea of going beyond the traditional definition of a startup incubator: rather than limiting itself to an ordinary interaction with the main innovation players, it works to integrate them into a wider ecosystem, combining bottom-up innovation — hands-on work with business projects and startups since their very initial phases, including the definition of their founding elements — with top-down innovation. Its Business Nursery™ offers startuppers customised support programmes and distinctive competences in the Life Sciences, alongside a cohesive, multidisciplinary and results-oriented team dedicated to giving solidity to the first steps of nascent startups. Bio4Dreams describes itself as an incubator, accelerator and company builder that helps exceptional people exploit the results of their scientific research, working alongside all subjects of the innovation chain to create sustainable, pragmatic and long-lasting business paths with an international scope. It aims to create a broad international innovation ecosystem in Life Sciences, positioning itself as a reference point and beacon for entrepreneurial ideas. Headquartered at MIND – Milano Innovation District in Milan, with a legal site also in Milan, Bio4Dreams reports 11 national locations and 3 international ones. It publishes an annual report and tracks activity since 2018, including evaluated projects, portfolio value through shares in affiliated companies, incubated startups and entrepreneurs supported. Its leadership includes President Laura Iris Ferro, a biotech entrepreneur who founded the Italian biotech company Gentium, listed on Amex and Nasdaq, and CEO & Co-Founder Pietro Conti, with Elisabetta Borello as Co-Founder and VP Strategy & External Relations and Fabio Bianco as Chief Scientific Officer. Recent corporate developments include NBFC, Italy's first National Centre dedicated to biodiversity, acquiring a stake in Bio4Dreams to turn research results into new companies; the appointment of Co-Founder Elisabetta Borello as Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana for her contribution to scientific and healthcare innovation in Italy; and the awarding of the third edition of the Ennio Ongini Award to ImmunoVeg at the BioInvestIT 2026 final event.

• 2026

  NBFC, Italy's first National Centre dedicated to biodiversity, acquires a stake in Bio4Dreams.

• 2026

  Co-Founder Elisabetta Borello appointed Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana.

• 2026

  ImmunoVeg receives the third edition of the Ennio Ongini Award at the BioInvestIT 2026 final event.

• 2018

  Bio4Dreams begins operations; researchers and scientists can develop and valorise entrepreneurial ideas within its environment.

A certified incubator, accelerator and company builder dedicated to very early stage Life Sciences startups, combining bottom-up and top-down innovation within an international ecosystem.

• Business Nursery™

  Customised support programmes and distinctive Life Sciences competences for startuppers.

• BioInvestIT

  An event at which the Ennio Ongini Award is presented.

• Ennio Ongini Award

  An award presented by Bio4Dreams; the third edition was awarded to ImmunoVeg in 2026.

1. 1Bio4Dreams, an incubator for startups in Life Sciencesbio4dreams.com
2. 2About usbio4dreams.com
3. 3Our team: many innovators, one visionbio4dreams.com
4. 4Bio4Dreamswikidata.org