In January, 21 million invested in Italian startups. All rounds and top news

In January 2023, 21.29 million euros were invested in startups, in 10 capital increases (in January 2022 there were 20 for a total of 182.49 million). Among which stand out the 10 million raised by Unguess, 3 million Sysdesign, 2.2 million EvenFi, 1.5 million Karaoke One and 1.4 million Spiagge.it. To these must be added the equity crowdfunding operations, 7 in all, which raised a total of 2.62 million.

What happened this month

Founders Factoryan international company that develops startups, and the telecommunications company Fastweb have launched an incubation and acceleration program.

Plan. The objective of the project is to develop 30 new business ideas providing a springboard into the Italian market. Founders Factory will provide operational support throughout the startup selection and acceleration process, while Fastweb will promote their technological and commercial development.

Who are they addressing? The project involves investment in technological startups operating in the smart home, IT security, healthcare, edutech and industry 4.0 sectors.

Acceleration and incubation. The accelerator program which will focus on assisting businesses to promote their development will also be accompanied by the activity of a business incubator which will design and implement new business ideas.

The numbers of EY’s Fintech Waves

Early stage fintech startups decreased by 25%, while those in the early growth phase increased (37%), testifying to a substantial growth and evolution of the Italian ecosystem towards more mature situations. The panorama of companies and startups operating in the sector is growing. In Italy in 2022 they reached 1,040 million euros, with an increase compared to 900 million in 2021 and 247 million in 2020.

Fundraising is highly polarized, with 94% of financing obtained from fintechs raising more than 100 million and with an annual turnover of more than 5 million. 97% of fintechs expect to hire new talent in the next 12-24 months, despite the difficulty in finding specific skills on the Italian market. These are some of the findings that emerged from the report Fintech Waves, created by Fintech District, in collaboration with EY, to analyze the evolution of the fintech ecosystem in Italy.

The analysis also revealed the propensity to rely more on international venture capital (+88%) than on personal resources, in line with the greater maturity of the sector and the need for growth and expansion beyond the Italian market. Insurtech, lending and payments were then the most mature and promising segments of the sector.

Wsense blue wifi awarded

The Italian startup Wsense is the world’s most innovative company in the collection and management of data for the protection of the ocean environment. This was established by the World Economic Forum in Davos, which awarded the spinoff of the La Sapienza University of Rome with the Ocean Data Challenge, as part of the session “The Earth Data Revolution”. Active since 2017 and led by Chiara Petrioli, Wsense specializes in underwater monitoring and communication systems.Based on patented technologies, these systems use acoustic wave and wireless optical technologies that pioneered the Internet of Underwater Things.

You’ll see it expands again

You will seea startup that develops artificial intelligence solutions for the decision-making process of SME entrepreneurs and managers has acquired the majority (in September it acquired 51%) of Premoneo, a startup specializing in AI software for business (dynamic pricing, forecasting and segmentation ), completing the 51% purchase already acquired in September 2021. We also talked about it HERE.

Tourism, Manet acquires Edgar Smart Concierge

Manet Mobile Solutionsan Italian startup that develops digital solutions in the tourism and travel sector, has acquired the Edgar Smart Concierge platform to consolidate its position in the hospitality sector.

The acquisition of the Edgar Smart Concierge platform will allow Manet Mobile Solutions to increase the portfolio of integrations with hotel management software that will now be available to connect the Manet app with an increasing number of digital environments of hotels, B&Bs and vacation rentals.

The 9 startups of the Zero demo day

beaware, Circular technologies, ecosostenibile.eu, Gevi, Microx, Preinvel, Protein Italy, Relearn, Smartisland group are the 9 startups that presented themselves to investors after taking part in the second edition of Zero, the acceleration program of the National Network Accelerators of Cdp, launched by Cdp Venture Capital, by Eni through the Joule, Lventure and Elis business school and supported by Acea, Maire Tecnimont, Microsoft and Vodafone. Presented during a demo day, the startups received a pre-seed investment and completed a 5-month program. We also talked about it HERE.

sardex

Paul Galvani, former co-founder and president of Moneyfarm (online investment scaleup), is the new president of Sardex, the first commercial credit circuit in Italy and the second European player in the field of complementary currencies. Simultaneously with the appointment, the company also announced that it had “closed a new fundraising for over 4 million euros”.

Unguess, round of 10 million

Founded in 2015 as AppQuality within the Politecnico di Milano by Edoardo Vannutelli, Filippo Maria Renga and Luca Manara, Unguess closed a 10 million euro capital increase led by the Fondo Italiano d’Investimento through the Fondo Italiano Tecnologia e Crescita. The operation also includes P101 through Programma 103 and ITA500, managed by delegation for Azimut, Italian angels for growth (IAG), the Investors’ Club and Club Italia Investimenti 2. HERE more info on the operation. In May 2020 it had received a series A loan of 3.5 million from Italian Angels for Growth, P101, Club Italia Investimenti 2, Club degli Investori. Total raised since the establishment of the company: 15 million.

What does. Unguess uses crowdtesting to optimize the quality, safety and user experience of companies’ digital products and services. Thanks to the crowd and the integrated technology platform, it offers tests, insights and feedback from the community.

Sysdesign, new solutions for industrial robotics

SysDesignan innovative SME based in Rovereto (Trentino Alto Adige) founded by Marco and Andrea Franceschini, has closed a 3 million investment round led by the Cysero Euveca fund and by Kilometro Rosso, a science and technology park in Bergamo.

What does. The company develops solutions in the sector of intelligent robotic automation applied to smart manufacturing. Specialized in vertical solutions for the packaging, logistics and mobile machine tending sector, SysDesign uses Autonomous mobile robot technologies, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence.

An American fund invests in Evenfi

Evenfi, a fintech based in Bergamo and founded in 2018 by Diego Dal Cero and Mattia Rossi as an investment platform for the real economy, has raised 2.2 million euros in a round led by the American fund Pacific Capital Partners, through Iberifi Ventures. Last July it raised 521 thousand euros from an equity crowdfunding campaign on the WeAreStarting platform. Including this round, the startup raised a total of 3.9 million euros.

What does. EvenFi is an authorized financial agent that simplifies access to credit for startups and innovative SMEs that are unable to obtain financing through traditional channels.

Karaoke One raises 1.5 million

Capital increase of 1.5 million for Lisari, an innovative SME established in 2014 in Lecce (and accelerated in Rome). In the operation Fondo Rilancio Startup of Cdp venture capital (which invested 500 thousand euros), Lventure, Finindustria and other business angels. Since its inception, the startup has raised a total of 3.1 million.

What does. Founded by Antonio Vecchio, Chiara Parato, Domenico Rosito, Giovanni Parato and Marco Grasso, the company has developed the digital platform dedicated to creating content for those who love to sing known as Karaoke One.

1.4 million for Spiagge.it

Spiagge.it, startup founded in Rimini in 2021 by Niccolò Para and Andrea Menghi, has closed its first investment round, raising 1.4 million euros from Growth Engine and a group of business angels.

What does. Spiagge.it has developed a solution to digitize the management of the establishment, with the aim of facilitating tourists in choosing the best beach and bathing establishments in managing and increasing bookings.

They were born that way. The idea of ​​Spiagge.it was born in 2015 from the need to overcome the limits of beach management software. The first product of the future founders was called YourBeach. Five years later, in December 2020, following the summer success of the portal, Niccolò Para and Andrea Menghi convert the Yourbeach adventure into Spiagge.it thanks to the support of some investors.

The other rounds in January, from Ener2Crown to Diamante

Ener2Crowd, a startup that has created a green investment and savings platform, has closed a 1 million seed capital increase led by the company Larry, an investment vehicle of the family of industrialist Enrico Falck and by other players in the energy transition sector. Capital increases, in this start of 2023, also for the delivery startup Wora (600 thousand euros from Italian Angels for growth, Investors’ Club and business angels),

for biotech Diamante (595 thousand euros from Angels for Impact, Angels For Women and Arieli Capital), for the medtech MindAhead (500 thousand euros from Cdp venture capital, Oskar Obereder, Rox Health Ikigai) and for the biotech MgShell (500 thousand euros from Club degli investors, Bios Line Holding, Italian Angels for Biotech).

Equity crowdfunding

These startups and innovative SMEs closed the equity crowdfunding campaigns: Iride Acque, Lindo Pulito, Comehome, Pronti Via, Bookdealer, Spatium and Yowalk.

What happened in Europe

Fintech. London-based b2b payments startup Tranch has raised $100 million in funding to bring its buy now pay later platform to the United States. Leading the round were Soma Capital and FoundersX.

Quantum Computing. Quantum computing startup Pasqal has raised €100 million in a Series B funding round. Since 2019, the company has raised more than €125 million.

Power. Otovo, an Oslo startup founded in 2016, which has created an online platform for solar installations and residential batteries, has obtained financing for 120 million euros between debt and equity placements. The €100m (€50m + €50m) debt financing comes from DNB Bank ASA and SpareBank 1 SR-Bank respectively and will enable the construction of 12,500 subscription solar plants.