In a country like Italy, where young people are becoming increasingly scarce, it is essential to harness their potential by creating a new entrepreneurial reality with replicable and scalable business models. This is the goal of Fin+Tech, the fintech and insurtech accelerator of the National Accelerators network of CDP, conceived by CDP Venture Capital SGR in collaboration with Digital Magics, Startupbootcamp, Fintech District, Gruppo Credem, and Nexi.
It is a response to the need for integration between research, industry, and the market, placing innovation at the center. The 16 selected startups will benefit from a package of services and investments worth 300,000 euros, in addition to objective and ongoing support, to be ready to compete in the market and prepare for an up-round.
But there are many startups that have already started to emerge, and despite the record heat of August, they have concluded very important deals. Let’s look at some of them.
Among the most active Venture Capital firms in Italy and Europe in terms of the number of investments, LIFTT has closed a round of 62 million euros, thanks in part to the support of Azimut, which contributed 38 million euros. LIFTT is one of the most sophisticated innovation hubs in Italy, with 2,800 projects examined and a selectivity rate of 0.8%. Its portfolio includes 41 innovative startups and SMEs.
The first European developer of mobile apps with over half a million users, based in Milan, has closed a mega-round of fundraising of 100 million euros, thanks to the support of Baillie Gifford, Cox Enterprises, and NB Renaissance. This is the first equity financing the startup has received since its foundation in 2013, allowing it to enter the new phase of maturity.
The Naples-based online pharmacy marketplace has completed the second tranche of Series A funding, raising a total of 25 million dollars. The platform currently has 500,000 active customers and annualized sales of over 50 million dollars. The goal is to enter the prescription market with an innovative home delivery service dedicated to chronic patients.
The Italian company specializing in data collection for satellite operators has secured a 20 million euro investment, with the possibility of an additional 15 million euros from the European Investment Bank. The startup from Como provides connectivity and data collection services to approximately 80 satellites and in March achieved, for the first time, 10,000 successful satellite passes in a single month.
The startup that has been working on the generative artificial intelligence model “Claude” since 2020 has a new commercial partner: SK Telecom (SKT), the largest mobile operator in South Korea. The goal is to develop a large-scale customized language model to best meet SKT’s needs. SKT has invested 100 million dollars in the startup.
