Innovation & startup programmes

Run innovation calls, startup programs & idea pipelines in one platform.

Skipso helps teams launch open calls, collect ideas and applications, review submissions, match startups with mentors or business sponsors, manage cohorts, track pilots, and report outcomes across innovation and startup programs.

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Built for organisations running multi-stakeholder innovation programs.

Overview

Powering your Innovation & Startup programs

Build your platform to run structured innovation programs from idea capture through to pilot delivery across multiple stakeholder types.

300+

Innovation calls since 2008

50k+

Startups

20+

Accelerator Programs Launched in one year for one corporate client

Continents across which Skipso Innovation programmes have been launched

Manage every stage of your innovation journey

About Innovation & startup programs

These programs usually involve more than one audience. Employees submit ideas. Startups apply to challenges. Suppliers propose solutions. Experts review opportunities. Mentors support cohorts. Business units decide which projects move into pilots. Skipso brings those roles, stages, decisions, and follow-up work into one configurable workspace.

Shared operating model

Most innovation and startup programs follow the same basic path. The details change by programme, but the work still moves from setup to intake, review, matching, follow-up, and reporting.

Design

Source

Collect

Screen

Evaluate

Match

Follow up

Report

Design

Source

Collect

Screen

Follow up

Evaluate

Match

Report

Program types

Choose the program you need to run.

Innovation teams use similar building blocks in different ways. Some programs start with an external challenge. Some start with internal ideas. Others manage cohorts of startups, mentors, judges, and sponsors over several months.

Open Innovation Programs

Source ideas, technologies, startups, suppliers, universities, or partner proposals from outside the organisation.

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Idea Management

Collect, review, prioritise, and follow up on ideas from employees, teams, customers, or communities.

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Accelerators and Incubators

Run application-based programs for startups, scaleups, founders, projects, teams, or ventures.

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Startup Scouting

Find and evaluate companies against business needs, technology themes, or pilot briefs.

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Innovation Challenges

Run time-bound calls with applicants, reviewers, finalists, and public or private review stages.

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Platform capabilities

Capabilities that carry across the program family.

Every program runs on the same building blocks. Skipso makes each one configurable so the platform fits your process, not the other way around.

Branded network portals

Creates a public or private front door for each program.

Configurable applications & forms

Captures the data each program needs.

Review & evaluation workflows

Routes entries through scorecards, reviewers, stages, comments, and approvals.

Profiles and directories

Stores information about startups, mentors, experts, partners, members, and applicants.

Matching & recommendations

Connects people, projects, organisations, reviewers, mentors, sponsors, and opportunities.

Cohort and pipeline tracking

Tracks selected participants, tasks, milestones, pilots, and follow-up work.

Governed AI support

Helps with form setup, search, profile pre-fill, screening, enrichment, matching, & reporting where enabled.

Reporting and dashboards

Shows submissions, engagement, review progress, selections, pilots, and outcomes.

Platform capabilities

Supercharge your network with Skipso's AI platform

Skipso's AI helps administrators search data, assists users with profiles, recommends relevant people and content, supports matching, and generates reports. AI is configurable, explainable, and always follows platform access rules—it supports decisions, not replaces them.

Profile pre-fill with user review

Help users complete profiles faster with AI pre-population. Users review and confirm every field before it is saved.

AI-powered search for administrators

Search across people, companies, and content in the network so administrators can find the right profiles and data quickly.

AI-supported screening and enrichment

Prepare entries for review with AI agentic columns that summarise, classify, and enrich submissions for administrators.

AI-assisted matching & recommendations

Connect people and organisations with AI matchmaking and recommendations that programme teams configure and control.

AI-supported reporting & analysis

Ask questions about programme data with the AI data chatbot and generate reports from platform activity.
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AI-assisted form setup
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Build application forms faster with the AI Form Builder Assistant. Administrators review and adjust every form before launch.

AI company scouting & first-pass evaluation

Scout companies against a brief and run first-pass eligibility checks with the GRAITR add-on.

Explore AI Capabilities

See how governed AI supports search, matching,
recommendations, and reporting.

Who this is for

Built for the teams
behind the program.

Skipso supports the people responsible for running structured programs with many stakeholder groups, clear decisions, and reportable outcomes.

Corporate innovation teams

Accelerators and incubators

Universities and research hubs

Public-sector programs

Economic development and cluster teams

Ecosystem builders

Trust & enterprise controls

Enterprise controls for programs with external stakeholders.

Innovation and startup programs often involve sensitive proposals, unpublished ideas, business-unit priorities, supplier data, startup information, and reviewer comments. Skipso supports role-based access, isolated client databases, SSO, audit logs, GDPR-aligned data handling, ISO 27001 certification, and governed AI controls.

Since 2021 Snam has been collaborating with Skipso for the development of Snaminnova.

Competence, passion, and dedication are the main qualities that are evident from the team from day one. Skipso's team is responsive to our every need and supports us in the daily evolution of the platform, a key asset for our Open Innovation strategy.

Giuseppe Paoli

Digital Transformation & Technology, Open Innovation Hub, Snaminnova

To case study

Skipso supported us to design, develop and launch the Federated Innovation @MIND digital platform.

The digital platform has a complex organizational structure and continually updated content and flows – Skipso's strength is its flexibility and proactive support!

Eleonora Venuti

Marketing & Business Community Manager, MIND

The features available through the software are a big reason why we initially chose and continue to choose Skipso to run our challenges.

The ability to match startups to mentors within the system is important to us.

Jessica Smothermon

Director Operations, Cleantech Open

To case study

I cannot imagine how much longer it would have taken

and how much more it would have cost to launch our ideation initiative without the Skipso Labs platform. It has been wonderful to house all of the information and processes in one place.

Amber J. Y.

Senior Program Manager, Hsc Next

To case study

In 2019, Skipso helped IsDB set up our Innovation platform ‘Engage’.

The platform was a complete ecosystem of entrepreneurs, researchers, investors and mentors from academia. Since then the highly responsive and enthusiastic team from SkipsoLabs has helped us to establish Engage as a well-known innovation hub.

Innovation Team

Islamic Development Bank

The Skipso team has worked incredibly hard to make the program an outstanding success.

The team’s effort as well as the high flexibility of their online awards management platform were absolutely essential for the great overall success of this program!

Arne Pingel

Global Product Manager, Syngenta

To case study

OUR CLIENTS

Trusted by 250+ organisations across 40 countries

Trusted by global enterprises, governments and universities to run innovation, grant and startup programs. Our clients use Skipso to manage open innovation, accelerators, grants, awards, research hubs, partner networks, mentoring programs, and white-label ecosystem portals.

Nordic Innovation Accelerator

Cleantech innovation accelerator

Cluster Fabbrica Intelligente

Scouting program for cluster

Water Alliance

Water sector Innovation program

Mind

Multistakeholder innovation cluster

Amadori

Corporate innovation platform

HSC Next

Health Innovation Accelerator

Helsinki

Sustainable Helsinki city challenge

Milano Expo

Video competition for Milan Expo

Terna

Corporate internal innovation

Snam

Corporate Integrated innovation hub

Open Italy

Italy’s open innovation initiative

Italgas

Internal & external tech scouting

University of North Texas Health Science Center at FortWorth

Telefónica

Network of local accelerators

U.S. Department of Energy

Community Innovation Challenge

Syngenta

Biennial Internal award program

Intesa Tech Marketplace

European tech matchmaking platform

Eurovita

Internal employee engagement program

Electrolux

Technology scouting program

Digital Promise

Open innovation education initiative

Deloitte & Regione Puglia

Internal & external innovation initi

Deloitte

Internal & external innovation initi

Colorado Department of Transportation

Innovation challenge initiative

Cleantech Open

Cleantech accelerator program

California Energy Commission

Cleantech community platform