In Italy operate 564 fintech and insurtech firms. Between 2009 and 2021 these companies attracted more than 2 billion euros from investors for a median value of 3.6 millions, the Fintech & Insurtech Observatory of Milan Polytechnic University’s School of Management (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The BeBeez Fintech Report January – November 2021 and BeBeez Report Venture Capital 2020 available for the subscribers to BeBeez News Premium and BeBeez Private Data say that Italy-based fintech and insuretech business raised more than 870 million since the beginning of 2021. In 2020 all the Italian startups and scaleups of any sector attracted investments for just 780.5 millions.
In 2022, 44% of Italian proptechs will look for financing faciliites, while 10% will not, Alice Paola Pomè, a researcher of Milan Polytechnic University, said during the presentation of Italian Proptech Monitor 2021 (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The study pooled 49 proptechs between October and December 2021.
Milano Investment Partner (MIP), an Italian investment company, launched venture capital funds U-Start Ventures and Cliffs (see here a previous post by BeBeez). U-Start Ventures is a club deal platform, while Cliffs is a fund for the deep-tech sector that will target early-stage startups based in USA. Cliffs aims to raise 30 million euros.
Termo, an Italian greentech company for the energy efficiency sector, attracted 7.3 million euros from Fondo Italiano d’Investimento (FII) and FITEC Lazio (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Termo also attracted the resources of Mercurio Holding – Proximity Capital, Mediaset, AATech, Gabriele Basile (the target’s ceo), and Pierluigi Di Paolo. Termo was born in 2014 and received the acceleration support of Supernova Hub. The company expects to generate sales of 20 million in 2021.
BlockInvest, a platform for the tokenization of assets that belongs to RealHouse, attracted the resources of Crédit Agricole Italia (CAI) (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Lorenzo Rigatti, Massimo Calogiuri, Alfredo Malgrati, Fabrizio Ciciani, Fabio Pacchioni, Davide Baldi, and Rossano Petrucci founded Realhouse of which CAI is now the second shareholder. Blockinvest is a Ethereum blockchain-based platform for the digitalization and sale of real estate assets, bonds and portfolios of Non-Performing Loan (Secured, Unsecured).
FNM, the holding of Italian railway operator Ferrovie Nord Milano, invested 2.5 million euros for acquiring through the subscription of a capital increase a 33.33% of Sportit, the owner of Snowit, a platform for booking skipass tickets, items for snow, ski classes and mountain breaks (See here a previous post by BeBeez). FNM invested in Sportit on the ground of a pre-money value of 8 million. The company has sales of 856k euros, an ebitda of minus 192k euros and net financial cash of 76k euros.
CellPly, an Italian medical bio engineering startup, raised 2 million euros from new investors LIFTT (0.8 million) and Recomec, (see here a previous post by BeBeez). CellPly’s shareholders Italian Angels for Growth (0.7 million), Indaco Ventures, META Zernike Ventures and Rearden also poured resources in the firm. Massimo Bocchi (ceo) and Roberto Guerrieri founded CellPly in 2013.
Zappyrent, a digital plaform for house renting, raised 1.2 million euros in a new investment round, out of which 900k euros were raised through an equity crowdfunding campaign on Mamacrowd on the ground of a pre-money value of 6.16 millions (See here a previous post by BeBeez). Among investors are FB5 Investments and ALIcrowd, the venture capital Eltif of Milan-listed Azimut. Twin brothers Lino and Antonino Leonardi founded Zappyrent in 2018. The company will invest the raised proceeds in its organic development and proprietary growth. FB5 Investments will also provide the company with its credit management know how.
Eye4Nir, a spin-off startup of Milan Polytechnic University which developed a system that can capture images in poor visibility conditions that the human eye cannot see, raised 600k euros from Poli360, a fund that 360 Capital and Eureka! Venture manage (See here a previous post by BeBeez). Eye4Nir will invest such proceeds in the development of its proprietary technology.
Beauty Call, a circular economy startup for the cosmetics sector that owns the brand Le Lumie, attracted a pre-seed financing from Rosario Bifulco on the ground of a pre-money value in the region of one million euros (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Bifulco is the executive vicepresident of Clessidra Private Equity, chairman of Finarte and former ceo of Mittel.
Italy’s digital gifting company 4Gifters Italia (4GI) attracted the resources of Sinergia Venture Fund (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Giorgio Finzi (ceo), Francesco Carrozzini and Alessandra Bruno founded the company in 2015. Nasdaq-listed eBay has 10% of 4GI who will invest the proceeds in its proprietary technology and organic development.
Yeap, an Italian fintech, launched an equity crowdfunding campaign on BacktoWork (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The company set a fundraising target of 80-230k euros on the ground of a pre-money value of 1.3 million. Yeap already attracted 25,000 euros. Andrea Zaccheo, Renato Guarneroli and Paolo Pedroni founded the business in 2018. Yeap is part of Le Village by Crédit Agricole Milano, an open-source system for the growth of startups. The company has a turnover of 85,000 euros, an ebitda of 1,167 euros and losses of 39,000 euros.
Banca Sella signed a partnership with Walliance, an Italian crowdfunding portal for the real estate sector (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The clients of Banca Sella will be able to finance projects available on Walliance which has a 63% market share.
ClubDealOnline, an Italian crowdfunding platform for HNWIs, and ClubDealFiduciaria signed a partnership with Luiss Alumni 4 Growth (LA4G), an investment club, and launched LA4G ClubDealOnline Platform (LA4G CDOP) (see here a previous post by BeBeez). LA4G will have the exclusive access to LA4G CDOP and simplify its operative processes.
Premio Claudio Dematté Private Equity of the Year, an event of AIFI, Intesa Sanpaolo, EY, Corriere della Sera, Il Sole 24 Ore, SDA Bocconi, and Borsa Italiana, awarded Italian funds for their best realized venture capital and private equity deal (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The winners are Indaco Ventures Partners and Como Venture (Early Stage – Pilegrowth Tech/Ascatron transaction); FSI (Expansion – Cedacri); Ibla Capital (Turnaround – Natural Way Laboratories); Itago (Turnaround – ISA-Altanova Group); Fondo Italiano d’Investimento (IPO of SECO), Green Arrow Capital (Special Reward 50 years SDA Bocconi – Farmol)
CDP Venture Capital, Gellify, Azimut’s Digitech Fund launched Forward Factory, an accelerator for the startups of the digital manufacturing sector (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Italian manufacturing companies Milan-listed Comer Industries, Angelini Industries, SCM Group, Vis Hydraulics, Poggipolini, Auxiell, and Industrio Ventures also contributed to the launch of Forward Factory which has resources of 8.64 million euros (3.57 million for the subsequent post acceleration follow ons). The programme has a three-year tenure and aims to involve up to 10 startups each year. The seleceted seed and early-stage companies will receive 6-month support for consolidating their time-to-market. Forward Factory will launch the first call on 8 April 2022
