Fin-novia raised 7.665 million euros (on a maximum target of 7.95 million) through an equity crowdfunding campaign on BacktoWork (see here a previous post by BeBeez), a figure which is a real record for the market in Italy. This was thanks to the fact that the campaign received the support of Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking. In June 2019, Neva Finventures, Intesa’s corporate venture capital, subscribed with 4 million a capital increase for a minority of BacktoWork24 and the possibility to get a majority stake. Fin-Novia will invest the campaign’s proceeds for subscribing a 25 million convertible bond that e-Novia, an Italian incubator and accelerator, issued. Vincenzo Russi (ceo), Ivo Boniolo (cio) and Cristiano Spelta (cfo) founded e-Novia, which has sales of 10.3 million. The  company attracted the resources of Brembo, Dompè, Landi Renzo, Fassi, Dainese, Pelliconi, Streparava, Eldor, Rubinetterie Bresciane, Mermec, and further investors. Marco Valobra is the chairman of BacktoWork.
Italian new space scaleup D-Orbit raised 2.6 million euros through ClubDealOnline, the equity crowdfunding platform for high net worth individuals, family offices and institutional investors that Antonio Chiarello founded (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Akso in this case the campaign was supported by the private banking units of Banca Sella and Sparkasse. Roberto Ferrari, the former coo of CheBanca! and chief digital and innovation officer of Mediobanca, is the chairman of ClubDealOnline, while Fabio Blandino is the ceo. Luca Rossettini (ceo) and Renato Panesi (coo) founded D-Orbit in 2011. The company has sales of 4 million euros (1.7 million yoy). In December 2019, D-Orbit attracted investments of undisclosed value from Seraphim Capital, the investor in New Space businesses, and from Noosphere Ventures, Invitalia Ventures, Indaco, Elysia Capital, and Nova Capital. In December 2015, D-Orbit received a 2 million grant Horizon 2020-Sme Instrument, a programme of the European Commission. In October 2015, the startup raised 1.83 million through the issuance of equity instruments. Club degli Investitori subscribed 1.3 million of them, while Indaco, Como Venture, and private investors subscribed the rest.
Italian-Australian Sidney-listed software company Vection acquired Italian startup Mindesk (see here a previous post by BeBeez).  Gabriele Sorrento, the ceo of Mindesk, joined to board of directors of Vection, whose coo is Sam Buick and the managing director is Gianmarco Biagi. HTC Vive, Barcamper Ventures, and A11-Venture, the investors in Mindesk, will become shareholders of Vection with a 12-months lock-up. The transaction is worth in the region of 5 million euros. In March 2018, Mindesk closed a second round seed of 0.9 million Dollars that A11 Venture, Invitalia Ventures, HTC Vive, and Barcamper Ventures sunscribed.
Opes Italia spa Sicaf EuVECA, an impact investing venture capital, is about to start its operations (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Opes Italia Sicaf will focus on early stage investments in equity and quasi-equity, in Italian companies that generate a social impact. In June 2019, the European Investment Fund decided to invest 6 million euros in Opes Italia, who set a fundraising target of 40 million. Cdp will pour 4 million, foundations and family offices will invest 20 million. Fondazione Vismara, la Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT, and Fondazione Social Venture Giordano Dell’Amore (Cariplo) will support Opes Italia, wich is a spin-off of the Foundation Opes-Lcef whose ceo is Elena Casolari.
Italy-Crowdaims to raise up to 400k euros through Opstart (see the equity crowdfunding campaign details on CrowdfundingBuzz) for a 25% stake on the ground of a pre-money value of 1.2 million (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The company already raised more than 71k euros, above the least target of 50k euros. Investment tickets are of at least 250 euros, while the campaign will end on 13 April. In 2015, Swiss entrepreneur Augusto Vecchi founded Italy-Crowd for allowing real estate developers to finance their projects. Italy-Crowd aims to implement a blockchain model for its platform with the support of 10% investor Swiss Crowd and to act as a real estate lender thanks to a partnership with French Lemonway.
At the end of February 2020, AzzurroDigitale raised one million euros from Gianmario Tondato Da Ruos, the ceo of Autogrill, Alessandro Rimassa, the cofonuder of Talent Garden School, and Francesco Beraldi, the vice president and founder of Alkemy digital enabler (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Carlo Pasqualetto (ceo), Antonio Fornari (cto) and Jacopo Pertile (coo) founded AzzurroDigitale in 2015. The company has sales of 0.71 million with an ebitda of 73,000 euros. AzzurroDigitale will invest these proceeds in developing AWMS, a SaaS platform for the real time of human resources.
On 9 March, Monday, Italian invoice financing platform CashInvoice launched an equity crowdfunding campaign on CrowfundMe (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The fundraising target is of 0.2 – 1 million euros, on the ground of a pre-money value of 7 million for investment tickets of at least 500 euros. If the campaign raises 500k euros, CashInvoice may finance the launch of an ipo in 2021 through a crowdlisting and develop further its organic business.The turnover of CashInvoice for 2019 is of 0.553 million (+176% from 0.2 million with an ebitda of 12,000 euros in 2018). See here the BeBeez Private Debt, Direct Lending and Lending Fintech Report 2019, and find out here how to subscribe to BeBeez News Premium for just 20 euros per month). Luca Scali, a business angel and partner of Italian incubator Digital Magics, heads CashInvoice.
Credimi,the platform for invoice financing, launched Credimi Start, a lending product for supporting startups and micro enterprises that face the troubles due to the COVID-19 issues (see here the company’s Italian-written Press Release and Beez Peak of 9 March, Monday) (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The product may provide 20k euros to repay in 5 years starting from 2021. Companies active from more than one year and revenues of at least 0.1 million euros may access to Credimi Start, which has the support of Fondo di Garanzia di Medio Credito Centrale. Ignazio Rocco, the founder and ceo of Credimi, said that the company aims to launch further products of this kind. Credimi already raised 8 million in February 2016 and 10 million in September 2018. The list of investors includes United Ventures and Vertis Venture 2 Scaleup. Credimi is one of the companies that BeBeez Private Data monitors. Find out here how to subscribe to the Combo Version that includes the reports and the insight views of BeBeez News Premium 12 months for 110 euros per month.
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Italian biotech Immagina Biotechnology raised one million euros from its current shareholders and new investors from Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Italy (Tyrolean Business Angel Network) (see here a previous post by BeBeez). At the end of 2016, the company raised 0.48 million from Intesa Sanpaolo, regional subsidies and business angels Michele Gubert, Mauro Cogoli, Giovanni Zobele, Stefano Rossi, Hermann Hauser, Harald Oberrauch, the controlling shareholder of Alupress, Durst Phototechnik, and startup investment company TBA-Tyrolean Business Angel, one of the founder of Tyrolean Business Angel Network in 2018. Massimiliano Clamer founded Immagina in 2014. The company will invest the proceeds in marketing and commercial development.
PoliHub,the incubator and accelerator of Milan Polytechnic University, launched 2 calls for startups (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Axepta, a payment company of Bnp Paribas, and Ceetrus Italy, a subsidiary of French real estate and shopping malls investor Ceetrus (fka Immochan) supported Milan Polytechnic for these calls. The startup operating in the fields of Building, Customer & Tenant Experience, and Local Community may apply for the first stage of the calls by by the end of April 2020. On 15 May 2020, 10 shortlisted companies will get access to the Training Weeks that will take place on 21 – 29 May 2020. On 4 June 2020, the three winners will join the Demo Day and receive 0.75 million euros from Ceetrus for financing the technology development & validation processes and creating a Proof of Concept (PoC) ahead of the launch on the market. PoliHub will provide an entrepreneurial training with focus on execution. In June 2020, the second stage of the call will take place for fashion designers that cannot yet produce their collections. Ceetrus will sell the products of the winner in a pop-up store in one of its shopping malls. Marco Balducci is the General Manager of Ceetrus Italy, Claudia Pingue is the General Manager of PoliHub. The deadline for applying for Store del Futuro – Experience More, the Axepta Polihub call, is 5 April 2020. Retail and e-commerce startups that have a proprietary technology for the fields of seamless checkout, omnichannel sales, invisible playment, in-store analytics, e-commerce innovation, geofencing, and shopping experience can apply. The three winners of such call will receive 25,000 euros each for financing their technology development & validation investments and creating a Proof of Concept (PoC) ahead of the projects impact with the market. Stefano Calderano is the ceo of Axepta. Enrico Viganò, the founder of Italian fintech FinDynamic, a startup that received the support of Milan Polytechnic, said to BeBeez that PoliHub is a great partner for intercepting trends and technologies.
