In 2019, Italian equity crowdfunding platforms hosted campaigns that allowed 140 startups and SMEs (113 yoy) to raise 65.6 million euros (+82% from 36 million yoy), with a median fundraising of 0.469 million (320 million), saidĀ CrowdfundingBuzzĀ (part ofĀ EdiBeez srl, the publisher ofĀ BeBeez) (see here aĀ previous post byĀ BeBeez). Real estate equity crowdfunding platforms in 2019 allowed to raise 16.5 million (7.7 million). Such data are very close to the outlook that EdiBeez published in October 2018 together withĀ AIEC (Associazione Italiana Equity Crowdfunding).Ā Fabio Allegreni,Ā the ceoĀ ofĀ EdiBeez and the founder ofĀ CrowdfundingBuzz,Ā said that the results that the equity crowdfunding platforms posted at the end of 2019 are better than the 62 million that the report forecasted.
Buono Ventures, a club-deal investor in the sector of food service that pours equity tickets of 3 -30 million euros, subscribed the capital increase thatĀ Tobeme, the owner of vegan burgers brandĀ Flower Burger, launched (see here aĀ previous post byĀ BeBeez).Ā Francesco de MojanaĀ founded Buono Ventures after having resigned fromĀ PermiraĀ at the end of 2018.Ā Matteo Toto, the ceo and founder of Tobeme, launched Flower Burgers in 2015. Flower Burger has sales of 1.6 million euros, an ebitda of 0.206 million and net cash of 92,000 euros
At the end of December 2019,Ā Progress Tech TransferĀ invested inĀ Respectlife, a producer of high-tech fabric born at theĀ Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di PaviaĀ (see here aĀ previous post byĀ BeBeez).Ā Alberto Castoldi, the ceo of Respectlife, said that the company will invest the proceeds in developing the production of hospital sheets. Progress Tech Transfer has resources of 40 million euros and received the support of theĀ European Investment FundĀ and ofĀ Cassa Depositi e PrestitiĀ as part of theĀ ITAtechĀ programme.
Italian crowdfunding platformĀ FunderaĀ (part ofĀ Gruppo Frigiolini & Partners Merchant) can also place debt instruments of SMEs (See here aĀ previous post byĀ BeBeez). Only investors that have the requisites thatĀ ConsobĀ outlined may access to such investments, saidĀ Alessandro Costa, a director of Frigiolini & Partners Merchant. In July 2019, Fundera hosted the equity crowdfunding campaign of Italian fintechĀ MyCreditService, who raised 0.226 million euros.
Switcho, a Milan-based fintech startup, raised a seed round ofĀ 580k euros from a pool of business angels (see here aĀ previous post byĀ BeBeez). The company will invest these proceeds in consolidating its presence in the fields of utility bills payments and starting to operate in the fields of payments of subscriptions, phone bills and insurance.Ā Marco Tricarico, Redi VyshkaĀ andĀ Francesco LaffiĀ are the founders of Switcho which received a pre-seed financing from merchant boutiqueĀ Cenciarini & CoĀ in March 2019 and 0.16 million from the programmeĀ Smart & StartĀ ofĀ Invitalia.
Dishcovery, an Italian startup that translates restaurantsā menus, raised 255k euros fromĀ PrimomiglioĀ (see here aĀ previous post byĀ BeBeez).Ā Franco Gonella, a board member of the investor, joined the startup as a director. Dishcovery will invest the proceeds in its organic development and for sounding the ground in France and Spain.Ā Marco SimoniniĀ (CMO) founded Dishcovery in 2018 together withĀ Giuliano Vita. In November 2018, the startup launched an equity crowdfunding campaign onĀ 200CrowdĀ with a fundraising target of 50,000 euros for a 5.56% stake on the ground of a pre-money valuation of 0.85 million euros.Ā The company raised 0.121 million from 59 investors.
