Cyber Guru attracted 23 million euros from The Riverside Company, Educapital (lead investors), Adara Ventures, and P101 Ventures (see here a previous post by BeBeez). In 2023, Riverside already invested in Cyber Guru of which it has a 19.88% stake. Further shareholders are Giovanni Baroni (32.73%), Adara Ventures (16.50%), P101 (15.53%), and Azimut Libera Impresa (5.24%). Cyber Guru is a provider of digital security solutions and will invest the raise proceeds in its international expansion and organic development.
Lean Team, a scaleup that Giulio De Donato (chairman and cto), Alessandro Seina (ceo) and Giacomo Piva (cmo) founded in 2016, raised 7 million US Dollars that will invest in its organic growth (see here a previous post by BeBeez). As part of this round, the company attracted 2.11 million from Azimut Eltif Venture Capital – ALIcrowd, Vertis and Finint Investments through an equity crowdfunding campaign on Mamacrowd on the ground of a pre-money value of 23 million euros. Seina said to BeBeez that the company will also invest the raised resources in its proprietary technology of the online platform for luggage deposit Radical Storage (fka BagBnB)
Bending Spoons is mulling for an IPO, ceo Luca Ferrari reportedly said (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The company may list on Nasdaq or NYSE, but it has not yet made a definitive decision. Ferrari, Francesco Patarnello, Matteo Danieli, and Luca Querella founded Bending Spoons in Denmark and moved it to Milan in 2015.
CFE Finance Group raised to 100% its 49% stake in Techstar, an AI XR, and VR company (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Studio legale tributario Rocca Mazzola Undari Associati assisted the buyer. Marco Zanuttini is the founder of Techstar that aims to expand abroad. Tazio Sacilotto is the coo of TechStar. CFE Finance Group has assets under management worth 1.5 billion euros. Mario Cordoni (ceo) founded the firm in 2001.
Movenzia.com – YoyoMove, an Italian startup for long-term car rental, raised one million euros from Finint Investments, Club degli Investitori, a firm that Giancarlo Rocchietti created, and further business angels (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Sergio Brizzo, Giorgio Gorelli and Giorgio Brizzo founded Movenzia in 2022. The company will invest the raised proceeds in its proprietary technology and its international expansion.
Milan-listed railway infrastructures group Gruppo FNM, a company that includes Regione Lombardia and Trenitalia in its shareholders and that owns 50% of Trenord, may consider further investments in tech innovation and data management startups, cfo Eugenio Giavatto said to BeBeez Magazine (see here a previous post by BeBeez).
i-Foria Italia, an Italian startup for diapers recycling, attracted 1.7 million euros worth seed resources from Tech4Planet – CDP Venture Capital and MITO Tech Ventures, an article 9 SFDR – compliant vehicle of MITO Technology (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Marcello Somma (ceo) and Giuseppe Landolfo (cfo) are the founders of i-Foria Italia. Tech4Planet, MITO Technology and their portfolio companies are part of the firms that BeBeez Private Data, the private capital database of BeBeez and FSI, monitors. Find out here how to subscribe for one month or one year.
Seed and early stage investor 360 Digitaly, a vehicle that is part of 360 Capital and that Lucrezia Lucotti (partner) and Celeste Mastria (investor) head raised more than 30 million euros from CDP Venture Capital through Fondo Digital Transition Fund – PNRR, which allocates the resources of the NextGeneration EU programme (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The fund aims to increase its size for investing in 20 startups with 0.5 – 3 million tickets, Lucotti reportedly said. Guidoio (digital driving schools), Jampy (a manufacturer of sustainable pet wellness items), Zefi AI (SaaS for internal feedback), Talentware (SaaS for the talent management), and Soource (SaaS for the procurement and suppliers profiling) already attracted the investments of 360 Digitaly.
PM & Partners signed a binding agreement for acquiring 55% of Cognitive AI, the owner of tech media company Cognitive Advertising Solutions (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The target’s founders Paolo Pettinato and Tommaso Odone will keep a 45% and their management roles. PM & Partners retained Alpeggiani Avvocati Associati, Camilleri Preziosi Advocates, Athena Associati, TechMiners, Luca Russo, and EY. The vendors received assistance from Fineurop Soditic, LCA and EY. Studio Milano Notai acted as public notary. Cognitive has sales of 2.3 million euros, an ebitda in the region of 0.44 million and net cash of 0.365 million. The company aims to grow organically and through M&A.
Advanced Intelligence Generation (A.I.Gen.), a portfolio company of Xenon Private Equity, acquired Youthquake, an Italian marketing agency (see here a previous post by BeBeez). A.I.Gen. previously acquired Kettydo+ (customer engagement and loyalty programs), Hic Mobile (AdTech and mobile advertising), UrbiStat (geomarketing and market research), and BID Company (a consultancy firm for advanced analytics and artificial intelligence). The founders Matteo Milione (ceo) and Gianluca Bogialli reinvested in A.I.Gen. Green Arrow Capital and Merito financed the transaction. Sources said to BeBeez that the lenders invested in Youthquake. A.I.Gen. and Xenon retained Sani Zangrando Studio Legale Associato while Studio Law Cross Border and Studio LCF & Associates assisted Youthquak. Deloitte Legal advised Green Arrow Capital and Merito. Ciro de Vivo acted as public notary. Youthquake has sales of 2.4 million euros, an ebitda of 0.756 million and net cash of 0.445 million
