We have gone through the VC ecosystem in some developed countries, like the UK and Ireland. Now, let's have a look at Italy, the fourth largest European economy.
Despite this, Italy ranks only 12 for VC investment in Europe by 2021 and introduced only two unicorns, MutuiOnline and Yoox. Nevertheless, VC funding in the country has grown 2.6 times from 2020, thanks to influential funds like CDP Venture Capital, the National Innovation Fund, Enea Tech, and more. This means that the Italian startup ecosystem is to flourish. So let’s discover the Italian VC funds contributing to improving the startup ecosystem.
LVenture Group
Geography: global
Preferred industries: Analytics & Big Data, community & education, design & fashion, dev tools, entertainment, events & travel, fintech & loyalty, foodtech, health & beauty, IOT & smart mobility
Investment ticket: €145K - €250K
Company stage: pre-seed, seed
LVenture Group is a holding company that invests in digital businesses. In addition to financing, the firm offers an acceleration program, investing up to €200K in each startup participant, and workshops on personal branding, digital marketing, and growth hacking. Also, LVenture Group has co-working spaces in Rome and Milan, where it hosts events, training courses, meetings, and more. The firm invested in companies like Deesup, a marketplace for buying and selling furniture, Futura, a learning platform using personalized learning with a data-driven approach, Paperlit, an AI platform for content distribution and data monetization, and more.
360 Capital Partners
Geography: Europe
Preferred industries: deep tech, AI, ML, robotics, business process automation, B2B, SaaS, enterprise, mass consumer disruption, B2C, D2C, marketplace
Investment ticket: €150K - €10M
Company stage: pre-seed - Series
360 Capital Partners is a VC firm that backs innovative tech startups. Additionally to financing, the firm offers expert advice, support throughout the investing process, and networking. 360 Capital seeks long-lasting cooperation by investing in more than 140 companies, like Beanstock, a rental investment platform, HeyTeam, a platform displaying employee lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding, Greyparrot, an AI waste analytics platform for the circular economy, and more.
P101
Geography: Europe
Preferred industries: edtech, fintech and insurtech, digital health, SaaS, mobility and travel of the future, sustainability
Investment ticket: from €1M and €5M
Company stage: series A & B
The VC firm, P101, supports digital and tech-driven companies that improve the world. It offers strategic capitalization and helps with business development, go-to-market strategy, and international expansion. In addition, P101 provides access to its local and global networks. The firm invested in Casavo, a platform for buying and selling homes in Europe, MusixMatch, a music data company, Milkman, a supply chain management software.
Innogest Capital
Geography: global
Preferred industries: healthcare, technology
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: seed, early-stage
Innogest Capital is a VC firm based in Italy, Switzerland, and the US. It supports companies specializing in medical technology, including oncology, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological disorders, and focuses on digital and tech sectors. The firm helps through a direct share in a company's equity, so it targets high potential and ambitious businesses. Innogest Capital invested in Empatica, which created wearable devices monitoring patients with neurological conditions, Thron, a Digital Asset Management platform that manages marketing processes, BetaGlue, which offers anticancer products, and more.
CDP Venture Capital SGR
Geography: Italy
Preferred industries: AI, AV/VR, aerospace, blockchain, deeptech, e-commerce & retail, education, media, entertainment, energy & environment, fashion, fintech, foodtech, hardware & IoT, life sciences, marketing & sales, social & leisure, software & data, transportation & logistics
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: stage-agnostic
CDP Venture Capital focuses on Italian startups. It offers direct and indirect investments, cooperates with national agencies, institutions, startups, and investors, and leads funds to improve the Italian VC ecosystem. Additionally, CDP Venture Capital holds various media projects and platforms that involve training, networking, and services from international investors. The firm is owned by CDP Equity, a national institution improving the Italian economy, and Invitalia, a governmental organization supporting the Italian business arena. CDP Venture Capital invested in 2Hire, a digital mobility service, BionIT Labs, a medtech company creating medical devices, Vikey, a self-check-in platform for hotels.
United Ventures
Geography: global
Preferred industries: sector-agnostic
Investment ticket: from €1M to €15M
Company stage: stage-agnostic
United Ventures is a VC firm focusing on digital technology startups. It finances and guides passionate entrepreneurs through its funds and fundraising. Additionally, the firm helps startups expand internationally through its global business network. United Ventures invested in more than 25 startups, including MonayFarm, a digital investing platform, AWorld, an app led by the UN to promote sustainability, VoiceMe, a voice recognition platform.
Pi Campus
Geography: Europe, US
Preferred industries: AI
Investment ticket: from €50K to €500K
Company stage: early-stage
A former investment arm of Translated, an AI translation service, Pi Campus has become a VC firm. Apart from financing AI startups, the firm has opened a School of AI with a mentoring program and coworking spaces with seven offices in Rome. Pi Campus invests in exchange for a 1% - 10% share in companies such as Kiwibot, a robotic delivery network, Allelica, a genomic software company, Earth AI, a mineral exploration technology company, and more.
Vertis SGR
Geography: Italy
Preferred industries: industrial and financial sectors
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: stage-agnostic
Vertis SGR is the only investment management firm in Southern Italy. It manages six funds, two private and four VC ones, participates in spin-offs and research projects, and backs startups and PMIs. Vertis SGR team has solid experience in consulting, financial, industrial, and research sectors. The firm invested in such companies as Deliveristo, a B2B software marketplace allowing hoteliers, restaurants, and cafes to order food and beverages, Fitprime, a sports centers online marketplace, Bazzoole, a marketing platform simplifying the creator marketing process.
Primo Ventures
Geography: Europe, Israel, US and Canada
Preferred industries: B2B software, retail & marketplaces, cybersecurity, financial innovation, new space economy
Investment ticket: €100K - €5M
Company stage: early-stage
Primo Ventures helps creative companies through Italian and European innovation and research centers. The firm has four funds, two of which make only follow-up investments, while the two others are fully active. Prima Ventures has invested in over 50 startups, including AIKO, a deep tech company specializing in AI and automation technologies to enhance space assets, WordLift, which automates SEO and content marketing thanks to AI, Astrocast, an IoT connectivity service provider, and more.
Milano Investment Partners
Geography: Europe
Preferred industries: fashion, food, lifestyle, deep-tech
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: from early to growth
Milano Investment Partners is a venture capital firm focusing on the tech and consumer business sectors. It offers expertise, support for business growth, and access to its extensive international network. Milano Investment Partners financed such companies as VitroLabs, a leather manufacturer that uses stem cell-based technologies, Colvin, a Spanish flower-delivery platform, and Watchmaster, a marketplace for buying and selling luxury watches.
Synergo Capital
Geography: Italy
Preferred industries: Digital Media, Online sales, Food-tech, Furniture-tech, Fashion-tech, Smart retailing, Alternative mobility, Agri-tech, Med-tech.
Investment ticket: €2M - €7M
Company stage: stage-agnostic
Synergo is a VC and private equity firm helping Italian SMEs looking to expand in the US market and internationally. The team provides financial, operational, and strategic support and assists with mergers, human resources, and acquisition expertise. Additionally, Synergo has an Operations Enhancement Platform that supports the growth of its portfolio companies, accelerates their expansion, and more. Synergo Capital invested in such businesses as Contents, a content strategy platform, Glickon, an HR management platform, and 4gift, a luxury e-gifting app.
Invitalia
Geography: Italy
Preferred industries: digital economy
Investment ticket: €100k to €1.5M
Company stage: stage-agnostic
Invitalia is a national agency for economic development and inward investment owned by the Italian Ministry of Economy. It aims to support local entrepreneurs, startups, innovative initiatives, spinoffs, and businesses contributing to the Italian economic enhancement, especially in the Southern part of the country. Invitalia's support for startups, Smart&Start Italy, offers interest-free loans, or a non-repayable grant for startups based on specific areas, and technical and management support. The agency invested in Trainect, a corporate wellness platform, SocialBeat, a content monitoring platform, and Holiders, a personal travel planner.
Indaco Venture Partners
Geography: Italy, and sometimes outside of it
Preferred industries: electronics, robotics and new materials, medtech, biotech – pharma, and digital.
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: early-stage, later-stage
Indaco Venture Partners is a VC asset management firm that supports ambitious companies through its six funds. It cooperates with Italian innovation hub Cariplo Factory in the digital sector and the university of Milan in the biotech and pharma industries. Indaco Venture Partners has extensive investing experience in Italy and abroad. Among the companies it invested in are CYSEC, a data protection provider, Cortilia, a grocery delivery company offering local farmers' products, and Newronika, the developer of neural devices.
ICONICUM
Geography: global
Preferred industries: digital assets, blockchain, DeFi, Web3, crypto
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: early-stage
ICONIUM is the first fintech Italian company focusing on blockchain-based projects. The firm is part of the Terra Ecosystem Fund, which includes the industry's top investors developing their visions on the Terra network, and Secret Ecosystem Funds supporting decentralized apps. Additionally to financing, ICONICUM helps with strategic development and guidance. The VC backed over 80 projects, including Terra, a blockchain fintech startup, Secret, a Web3 data-privacy platform, ThorChain, a cross-chain liquidity network, and more.
Panakès Partners
Geography: Europe, Israel
Preferred industries: life sciences
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: early-stage
Panakès Partners provides financial and business support to tech startups and SMEs that meet medical needs and save people's lives. Additionally, the firm offers access to its vast network of industry experts and clinicians. Panakes invested in such companies as Diadem, a blood-test developer for Alzheimer's disease prediction, MMI, which offers robotic microsurgery, Innovheart, which developed TMVR systems for patients suffering from mitral valve disease, and more.
TIM Ventures
Geography: Europe, Italy
Preferred industries: network, cloud, IoT, cybersecurity, payments, education, sustainability, AI
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: stage-agnostic
TIM Ventures is the first Italian corporate VC arm of TIM Group, a leading Italian ICT company. The firm targets telecommunication, enterprise applications, and digital life startups through financing and offering technological and commercial synergies. TIM financed such companies as WeSchool, an Italian EdTech startup offering a learning platform, Satisplay, a smart payment system, Webidoo, a digital marketing services provider, and more.
LIFTT
Geography: Europe
Preferred industries: deep tech, education, energy, environment, fintech, healthcare, mobility, new materials, retail, smart city, space
Investment ticket: €25K - €300k
Company stage: early stage
LIFTT is a VC company focusing on technological development. The firm invests in innovative startups and SMEs and provides training, guidance, and access to its network. Additionally, LIFTT closely cooperates with researchers from Italian universities and institutions. The company backed such businesses as Mille Pharmacie, a digital platform uniting over 70 Italian pharmacies, Drivesec, a cybersecurity company for IoT, and Industry 4, Lipogems International, which provides adipose tissue solutions for lifestyle improvement.
Eureka Venture
Geography: Europe
Preferred industries: deep tech
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: early-stage
Eureka is a VC capital asset management firm focusing on deep tech sectors. The company manages numerous funds supporting spinoffs and tech startups with innovative ideas. Eureka makes science-based and digital tech investments, financing companies like Aquaseek, which invented a sustainable clean water technology from the air, Caracol, an advanced additive manufacturing service solution provider, WISE, a medtech company producing neuromonitoring devices.
a|impact - Avanzi Etica SICAF EuVECA
Geography: Italy, Europe
Preferred industries: welfare and care services, job placement, creative and cultural industries, education and long-life learning, circular economy and renewables, urban regenerations, sustainable and including housing, sustainable agriculture and land protection, services of general interests, soft infrastructure for communities, small manufacturing and urban craftsmanship, sustainable tourism, social finance
Investment ticket: undisclosed
Company stage: pre-seed, seed, early-stage
a|impact – Avanzi Etica SICAF EuVECA S.p.A. is an investment company supporting innovative startups and SMEs that aim to make a positive social, environmental, and cultural impact on society. The firm is authorized by the Bank of Italy and CONSOB, an Italian governmental institution regulating the Italian securities market. Among its promoters are Anazi, a company that promotes sustainability through social innovation, and Etics, an asset management company offering socially responsible investment funds. a|impact provides equity or quasi-equity for companies like ECOZEMA, a brand making biodegradable and compostable foodservice ware, Euleria, a digital rehabilitation devices provider, Jojolly, an HR management platform, and more.
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