Giancarlo Giorgetti, the Italian Minister for the Economic Development, officially allocated a further 2.55 billion euros for investments in Italian startups and innovative SMEs operating in the fields of ecologic and digital transition (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Cdp Venture Capital sgr will manage the capital that is coming as for 2 billions directly from the Ministry as already decided in a previous Decree converted into a Law last Novembre and as for 550 millions from the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience. Cdp Venture Capital sgr will also receive a further 600 millions from Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and third parties investors as the Decree stated that the 2 billions from the Ministry had to be issued only in presence of a 30% coinvestment from Cdp and third parties.
Italy’s space logistics scaleup D-Orbit will carry on a business combination with Spac Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp ahead of a listing on Nasdaq (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The transaction is worth 1.28 billion US Dollars and is pending upon the approval of Breeze’s shareholders. In November 2020, the spac raised 117 million US Dollars, 5.5 millions of a PIPE (private investment in public equity) facility and 94 millions from D-Orbit’s bondholders that will convert their dues in shares.
Cazoo Holdings, a NYSE-listed e-commerce of cars based in the UK, acquired Italian competitor brumbrum for 80 million euros (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Cazoo paid the transaction in cash and the issuance of new shares. Francesco Banfi and Roberto Testore founded brumbrum in 2015. The company has sales of 13 million with an ebitda of minus 7.2 million. Cazoo listed on NYSE in August 2020 through a business combination with the Spac AJAX on the ground of an enterprise value of 7 billion US Dollars.
InnovHeart, an Italian medtech scaleup, attracted 55 million US Dollars (equity, royalties and licence fees) from Hong Kong-listed Grand Pharmaceutical Group Limited (Grand Pharma), Genextra, Panakès Partners, and Indaco Venture Partners (See here a previous post by BeBeez). Gran Pharma will develop and distribute InnovHeart’s products in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Giovanni Righini founded InnovHeart in 2015.
Moneyfarm raised 53 million euros from M&G and Milan-listed Poste Italiane, who already had acquired a minority in 2019 (see here a previous post by BeBeez). M&G will buy a minority while Poste Italiane will raise its stake. M&G and Moneyfarm signed a commercial partnership for the British market.
Starwood Capital Group, an US-based real estate investor with assets under management worth 110 billion dollars, acquired a 22% of DoveVivo, an Italian co-living company, through the subscription of a 50 million euros capital increase (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The founders Valerio Fonseca and William Maggio will keep the control of the firm of which Tamburi Investment Partners (TIP) has a minority. DoveVivo will invest such proceeds in changing the business model from co‐living to integrated living; the integration of a full services supply; and its consolidation in Spain and France also through acquisitions.
In 2021, Credimi, a fintech scaleup platform for corporate lending that Ignazio Rocco di Torrepadula founded, issued credit facilities of 434 million euros (+38.2% yoy) ahead of applications for 6 billions (see here a previous post by BeBeez). BeBeez previously said that between January and November 2021, Credimi issued and securitized credit facilities worth in the region of 400 million. See here the BeBeez Report about Italian fintech Sector for January – August 2021 available for the subscribers to BeBeez News Premium and BeBeez Private Data, the Database that BeBeez developed with FSI
In 2021, Italy’s fintech scaleup lending platform Opyn (fka Borsa del Credito), a firm that belongs to Azimut, P101, Gruppo Italmondo, and other shareholders, issued loans for a total of 391.5 million euros (+420% since 2020) (see here a previous post by BeBeez). By the end of 2022, Opyn expects to issue facilities for a total of 500 million. See here the BeBeez Fintech Platforms Report 2020 available for the subscribers to BeBeez News Premium and BeBeez Private Data, the Database that BeBeez developed with FSI.
HBI (Human Bio Innovation), an Italian startup active in the circular economy sector, attracted the resources of NovaCapital, the investment holding of Paolo Merloni (see here a previous post by BeBeez). After such a transaction, HBI appointed as directors Alberto Dell’Acqua and Domenico Greco. Daniele Basso is the company’s founder and Carlo Germano Ravina is the managing drector of NovaCapital. The company will invest the raised proceeds in its organic growth and the management of projects that have the support of the national recovery plan.
Retex, an Italian provider of services for the digitalization of the retail sector in which Alkemia (fka Nem) invested, acquired 65% of Witailer, a competitor that Federico Salina (ceo) and Jana Nurmukhanova (coo) founded (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Retex’ manager Fausto Caprini, Fabiana Alcaino and Francesco Bonomo joined the board of Witailer which is part of Amazon Global Selling Solution Provider Network and of Amazon Advertising Partner Network. Retex has sales of 85 million euros with an ebitda of 8.5 million.
Schia Ventures poured 810k euros in Italy’s biotech CellPly (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Earlier in December, CellPly launched a 2 million capital increase that LIFTT (0.8 million), Recomec (Zanelli Family), Italian Angels for Growth (0.7 million), Indaco Ventures, META Zernike Ventures, and Rearden(Pietro De Nardis) subscribed.
Italy’s real estate crowdfunding portal Walliance closed its campaign on Doorway and achieved a 400% overfunding (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Walliance attracted the resources of Bertoldi Holding (who joined a 1 million euros capital increase in 2019), Mak and Trentino Invest. Earlier in July 2020, Walliance attracted 4 million from Seac Fin and Botzen Invest Euregio Finance.
In 2021, Global Tech Ventures (GTV), a Luxembourg-based investment holding, closed 17 deals worth 10 million US Dollars) and 4 exits (see here a previous post by BeBeez). GTV listed four portfolio companies on NYSE: Coursera (e-learning), Toast (software), 23andMe (genomics), and Bird (emobility). GTV gained a 2X median cash multiple on such investments (60% resources allocated in co-investments in USA and 40% in Europe and Asia). Alessandro Rivetti and Roberto Bossi founded Global Tech Ventures in 2020.
ARISK, a provider of risk management services that Giuseppe Vegas chairs, signed a partnership with TXT Working Capital Solutions, part of Milan-listed TXT (see here a previous post by BeBeez). TXT will distribute the enterprise risk management platform of ARISK to companies that are part of supply chains.
Remeo Gelato, a London-based producer of Italian bio ice creams, attracted 950k euros from Eagle Capital Ventures, Mega Holding, who poured in the company 0.4 million GBPs, and Georg Gruber (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Jacopo Cordero di Vonzo is the founder and ceo of Remeo Gelato, who is selling its products in UK chains Waitrose, Whole Foods, Ocado, Tesco and Harrods. The company will invest the raised proceeds in building a proprietary DtoC platform and its distribution network in France.
Roboze, an Italian 3D printers scaleup producer born in 2015, attracted an undisclosed amount of resources from Nova Capital, Lagfin, Andrea Guerra, Luigi De Vecchi, Roberto Ferraresi, Luca Giacometti, and Denis Faccioli (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Roboze previously attracted the money of Alfredo Altavilla, Boris Collardi, Diego Piacentini, Federico Faggin, and RIF. Roboze’s founder and ceo Alessio Lorusso said that the company will invest these proceeds in its expansion in USA and the Italian R&D.
Sources said to BeBeez that Knobs, an Italian firm that developes blockchain and IoT software, acquired 5% of Texpo, the Italian owner of Deply, through the subscription of a capital increase and the purchase of shares from Luiza Gaburova (see here a previous post by BeBeez). In 2021, Texpo attracted the investment of RG Capital that will subscribe a further capital increase of the firm.
Barcamper Ventures Lazio invested in Instakitchen, TrovaBirre and WorldLift (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Instakitchen provides kitchens for lease in co-working to catering firms and professionals. TrovaBirre is an e-retailer of artisanal beers that Sabrina De Siero and Angelo Romano founded. WordLift attracted 0.8 million from Barcamper Ventures Lazio. In 2017, Andrea Volpini and David Riccitelli founded WordLift, a provider of semantic technologies and artificial intelligence for the optimization of contents and the findability of websites. The company will invest the raised proceeds in its organic growth and international expansion.
Young Platform, an Italian exchange for cryptocurrencies, acquired London’s Arithmos Trading, a London-based developer of authomated trading systems that Edoardo Degli Innocenti and Matteo Meinardi founded in 2020 (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Andrea Ferrero (ceo), Alexandru Stefan Gheban, Samuele Raimondo, Andrea Carollo, Marco Ciarmoli, and Daniele Rinaldi founded Young Platform in 2017.
Recrowd, a lending crowdfunding marketplace for real estate, signed a partnership with Gabetti’s subsidiaries Patrigest and Abaco Team (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Patrigest and Abaco will create a report for the appraisal and rating of the projects available on the platform. Esperia Investor, the holding of Emiliano di Bartolo and Antonio Ferrara, acquired 43% of Recrowd in September. Roberto Busso is the ceo of Gabetti.
Coverzen, a B2B digital platform for insurance brokers, attracted pre-seed resources of 0.5 million euros from Silicon Valley’s investors, Jacopo Vanetti and the founders Alberto Mazzetti, Giuliano Messina and Umberto Lentini (See here a previous post by BeBeez). Coverzen will invest the proceeds in its organic growth.
Sources said to BeBeez that Celery, an Italian producer of vegetal yogurt, raised 2.5 million euros from Siryo, an Italian venture capital fund that Domenico Centrone and Vito Emanuele Carofiglio launched in 2019 (See here a previous post by BeBeez). Celery will invest the raised proceeds in its production process, R&D, sales and opening branded shops in 2022-2024. Siryo’s focus is on biotechnology and microbiology.
