dropout SRL becomes an innovative PMI

The dropout team, consisting of partners Kola Tytler, Andrea Canziani, Federico Pasquetti and Stefano Zeppieri, announces the registration of Dropout SRL in the special section of the Company Register at the Chamber of Commerce of Milan.

What is an innovative SME?
Introduced in 2015 with art. 4 of Legislative Decree 3/2015 in the wake of the legislation referring to startups,  Innovative SMEs are joint   -stock companies, also established in cooperative form, which respect the dimensional limits of small and medium-sized enterprises and the parameters regarding technological innovation (Chamber of Commerce of Milan) . 

Benefits for SMEs
Innovative SMEs enjoy a series of incentives ( Legislative Decree 179/2012  “Growth Decree 2.0”, converted into Law 221/2012), including:

• Tax incentives for equity investors : investments in the capital of innovative SMEs are rewarded:
• To individuals with a 30% IRPEF deduction on a maximum of one million euros
• For legal entities with a 30% IRES tax deduction on a maximum of 1.8 million euros
• Stamp Duty Exemption: free registration in the special section of the Company Register and for documents connected to the Register
• Exceptions to ordinary corporate rules: innovative SMEs established as LLCs can:
• Create share categories with specific rights
• Making transactions on your shares
• Issue participating financial instruments
• Offering capital shares to the public
• Extension of the deadline for coverage of losses:
• It goes from one to two subsequent financial years in the case of share capital reduced by more than 1/3
• The meeting may postpone the decision on the reduction of the capital and its increase to a figure not lower than the legal minimum until the end of the following financial year.
• Exception to the rules on shell companies and systematic loss-making companies: in the case of incongruous revenues, there are no tax penalties for innovative SMEs
• Remuneration through equity participation instruments: innovative SMEs can remunerate collaborators with equity participation instruments and suppliers with  work for equity schemes
• Raising capital through equity crowdfunding campaigns
• Facilitating access to the Guarantee Fund for SMEs: innovative SMEs that need guarantees for bank loans have easier access to the Guarantee Fund for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
• ICE Agency: ad hoc services for the internationalization of startups: innovative SMEs are entitled to a 30% discount on standard costs
• Research and Development Tax Credit:
• 5% rate for Universities, Research Institutions and Organizations
• 25% rate for all other expenses
• Hyper-depreciation for the acquisition of “Impresa 4.0” machinery and technologies: increase in the annual deduction for depreciation, relating to the costs of acquisition or leasing of new tangible assets, devices and technologies for the transformation of production processes
• Patent Box: 50% less tax on income from the commercial exploitation of intangible assets, such as copyrighted software, industrial patents, designs and models
• “National Innovation Fund”:  established to support innovative SMEs with typical  venture capital tools
• Voucher for “innovation manager”: non-repayable contribution reserved for the purchase of specialist consultancy

The list of innovative SMEs is available on the dedicated page of the Business Register.