Digital Magics raises €2M on the AIM Italia-MAC to continue backing the Italian Startup Ecosystem

Milan 30 December, 2013 - The Board of Directors of Digital Magics, a Milan-based certified venture incubator of innovative digital startups  listed since July 2013 on the AIM Italia market a segment of the Italian Stock Exchange (symbol:DM) announced the subscription of newly issued 264,853 ordinary shares for a total amount of € 1,986,397.50, deriving from the divisible capital, excluding the right of option, approved by the Extraordinary Assembly of Digital Magics held on July 4, 2013 .

This resolution provided that the shares not placed at the time of admission during the listing process (the maximum no. 1,500,000 ordinary shares to the IPO on AIM Italy) could be placed among professional investors and third parties, by 31 December, 2013.

The capital increase was subscribed at

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Fondo Italiano di Investimento backs Forgital Group with a €30M investment

Fondo Italiano di Investimento has acquired a minority stake in Forgital Group, the Vicenza-based industrial components manufacturer and systems provider for the aerospace, oil&gas and power generation sectors.

The fund led by Gabriele Cappellini has injected €30 million into the company owned by the family Spezzapria and founded in Vicenza (Italy) in 1873, which operates internationally in the production of rings and other drop-forged components of big dimensions. The company has a turnover in excess of €250 million and employes more than 1,000 staff across 17 subsidiaries around the globe.

The transformation process of the company started in 2008 with the creation, in Trento, of Fly SpA turning from components production to supplier of complex integrated systems destined to high-tech sectors, such as aerospace. The investment made by Fondo Italiano di Investimento aims to accelerate the new growth strategy of the Forgital Group.

Interviewed by tgcom24, Nadir Spezzapria, shareholder and president of Forgital Group said that entry of the Fondo Italiano di Investimento in Forgital confirms the strategic vision of the company, which among others is confirmed by the numerous multi-year contracts subscribed with primary O&M aerospace contractors for a value in excess of $2 billion, a very important target.

The investment in Forgital represents the continuation of the fund led by Gabriele Cappellini of the backing of italian SMEs, with the target to support ther growth and strengthen their national and international competitiveness. Between direct and indirect investments, nowadays are 75 the companies in the portfolio of FII for an overall turnover of €4 billion and more than 24,000 employees. 

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Programma 101 holds first close at €32 million: Azimut SGR and Fondo Italiano di Investimento commit €15M each

Programma 101, the Milan-based brand venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in the Italian digital space, has held its first close, as reported by Reuters, at €32 million.

As anticipated back this June subscribers includes Azimut SGR and Fondo Italiano di investimento (FII), which made a €15M investment each in the first fund launched and by serial entrepreneur and VC Andrea Di Camillo, dedicated to investments in the digital space. 

Programma 101, which has a fund raising target of €50 million, intends to invest among and €500k and €1.5M in high-tech startup companies. With a past as "business angel" and venture capitalist (has worked together with Elserino Piol in Kiwi), Andrea Di Camillo has built a network of incubators and under his wing there are already potential interesting companies for the fund.

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Christmas Time for VEASYT: a Business Angel under the Christmas Tree

 Veasyt, a Venice, Italy-based startup developing digital solutions to break down communication barriers, held today 17th December 2013, at the Chamber of Commerce of Padua, a press release communicating the investment in the spin-off of the University Ca' Foscari of Venice. The startup, registered to BAN Veneto the business angel network of the Veneto region, with the desire to find an investor which could offer the needed resources to launch the company in the market and who would believe in the entrepreneurial project by accompanying it on a growth path, found its Angel Investor in Andrea Ghello, the 51 years old entrepreneur form Vicenza who in 2000 opened the first italian chain of health and beauty store, which was protagonist in 2006 of the Bersani liberalization and of an elegant operation shareholders' widening thanks to the entrance of GE Capital-Interbanca. 

Active supporter of BAN Veneto as well as of its capacity to develop ideas, last 11th December, 2013 Andrea Ghello realized the investment by entering the share capital and board of directors of the academic spin-off, which a commitment of €170,000 on the base of an agreement of pre-money valuation of the company at €480,000.

Founded in January 2012 by Enrico Capiozzo (Founder and CEO) Lisa Danese (Co-Founder and Community Manager), Gabriele Greco (Co-Founder and Marketing Manager), Bruno Verneau (Co-Founder and CTO) and Anna Cardinaletti,(Co-Founder and Advisor) Veasyt offers digital professional services for accessibility, and communicates this effort starting form its name: VEASYT = visit + easy, for a more easy visit, a simplified visit. VEASYT srl is an innovative startup, pursuant to "Decreto Sviluppo 2.0" (Development Decree 2.0).

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Ergon Capital Partners exits Zellbios to Deutsche Private Equity

 MILAN, 16 th December 2013 - Brussel-based private equity operator Ergon Capital Partners has announced it has entered in a contractual agreement with Deutsche Private Equity for the sell of the majority stake held in Zellbios, the Luxembourg-based leading manufacturer of niche Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), mostly off-patent, serving the worldwide pharmaceutical market. With 700 employees, a turnover in excess of €130 million and production facilities in Germany (Raubling), Italy (Pavia) and India, Zellbios is the result of the merger of the italian Farmabios SpA and the german Pharmazell GmbH, two highly specialized API players, which has a unique competitive position allowing the company to establish itself as strong player in the global API industry:

• Farmabios: focuses on the production of highly specialized APIs, characterized by low volume, high margin and complexity: (i) sterile and non sterile steroids, (ii) sterile and non sterile cephalosporins, (iii) highly potent substances (HPS) and (ii) antineoplastics.
• Pharmazell focuses on the production of niche APIs, with a global leading market position and high entry barriers such as (i) 5-ASA derivatives and (ii) cysteine derivatives.

In August 2007, Ergon Capital Partners acquired Farmabios from its founders and, in 2011, acquired Pharmazell from Auctus Capital Partners and Lead Equities to form Zellbios. Back in September this year Bloomberg reported the transaction would be valued at almost €200 million ($271 million). 

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Pree-seed funding for Gnammo: Club Italia Investimenti 2 welcomes a new startup in its portfolio

 According to a post on the company's blog, Gnammo the Italian social eating platform, raised a pre-seed funding from Club Italia Investimenti 2. The sum of the transaction was not officially disclosed but Club Italia Investimenti 2 usually invests up to €50k in incubated startups across the country. The company will use the capital to continue expand its operations.

Led by Gian Luca Ranno, CEO, Gnammo allows users (chefs and experienced amateurs) to organize meals and events at their own place meeting new people. The company's free platform provides event organizers with tools to promote their events. To date the startup has helped more than 500 chefs to bring 5,000 Gnammers to their events in 17 regions. Gnammo is incubated within the Turin-based Treatabit.

But what is Gnammo?

Born in January 2011, Gnammo is the first Italian online platform dedicated to Social Eating, putting together great cooking and tasting events at your home. But what is Social Eating?

Join or create gastronomic events, sharing the seats around the table with strangers with whom building a new relationship in a situation in which the food becomes a vehicle for a very special social experience. Gnammo is active since June 2012, and thank to its Facebook page with nearly 9,000 "likes" and 15,000 users, has been able to organize more than 1000 events in 17 different Italian regions.

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H-Farm invests in Travel Appeal

H-Farm, the leading italian venture incubator, has invested an undisclosed amount on a seed round in Travel Appeal, (as reported by finsmes). The funds will be used to continute to develop the company solutions. Indeed, Travel Appeal the thermometer which will revolutionize the rating on the attractiveness of italian turistic destination. Officially presented last 3rd and 4th of December at BTO - Buy Tourism Online - the largest exhibition dedicated to the world of Travel which took place in Florence. The startup incubated within H-Farm venture incubator arises from an idea of Mirko Lalli expert in digital media and travel for over 15 years, which aims to disrupt the way in which operators in this sector communicate each other and make marketing in the digital space. Travel Appeal finds solutions to help the destinations, places and tour operators to draw experience to enhance the touristic offer, providing expertise, digital innovation and tools to improve strategy. The tourism sector is one of the key elements of the Italian economy, and Travel Appeal just aims to provide the conceptual tools to understand the behavior of today's tourists, travelers who choose the destinations and move more and more thanks to digital tools and platforms on the Internet. Consequently, the startup is able to realize digital communication projects in line with the behaviors studied.

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Intertwine receives €110k in seed funding by Digital Magics and 56CUBE

Intertwine is a startup that provides an innovative project in the field of media and collaborative editing. In practice, the objective is to put together the classic features books, digital communications and social networking. The startup is backed by Digital Magics and 56Cube with a funding of €110,000.

Interwine, aims to become the first social network for the shared creativity. Intertwine is a web platform that allows users to create, share, and publish collaborative multimedia publishing works.

The project is supported by 56Cube, venture incubator of innovative digital startups in Southern Italy, and by Digital Magics, certified incubator listed on the AIM market of Italy Italian Stock Exchange (symbol DM), with an investment of € 110,000 and with the support services that cover different areas: from finance to technological development, from strategic evolution to marketing, from administration to logistics.

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CharityStars wins 360 Startup Competition and receives €360k in seed funding

CharityStars, the Milan-based celebrity giving social network which wants to disrupt the no profit sector is the winner of the 360 startup competition. The company, already finalist at the Marzotto prize last week, has won $360,000 offered for the first edition of the 360by360 competition. The competition has been promoted by 360 Capital Partners, a venture capital company involved in whole Europe, with particular focus on France and Italy.

The event was organized by Nuvolab, company accelerator and services company from Milan founded by Francesco Inguscio. Nuvolab proposes itself to create and concretely valorize entrepreneurial opportunities hidden in the national system.

The event took place last Tuesday 3rd December at Villa Contessa Rosa in the province of Cuneo. In favor of the winning project did surely play an important role the good reputation of the founder, Francesco Nazari Fusetti, born in 1987. It is already his second startup experience, after the success of ScuolaZoo, capable of a turnover of €3.5 million.

CharityStars is the first platform for the celebrity raising, already capable to raise more than €65,000 in few months thanks to a really good structured partnership network. The target is to land in the United States, where the charity market is bigger and better organized.

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AeroDron receives €400k in seed funding

Just 5 months after joining the B-ventures startups accelerator launched by Buongiorno S.p.A., AeroDron, a Parma-based (Emilia-Romagna) startup operating in the remote sensing space, has closed a seed round of €400k which will bring to the subscription of a capital increase.

The seed funding is foreseen in two tranches:

• the first tranche of €110k has been concluded on 27th November and has been subscribed by Blom CGR (the general company for air video shots), a leading company in the sector of photogrammetry and remote sensing, and by Capital B! a the financial vehicle controlled by Mauro Del Rio (President and Founder of Buongiorno S.p.A.).
• the second tranche, of the value of €290k, will be subscribed in January 2014 and will see the entrance of important investors and entrepreneurs among its shareholders.

With this transaction AeroDron obtains a further push to its growth thanks to the financial resources and technological competencies brought in by Blom CGR, which enters in the company shareholding as an industrial partner.

Born in Parma in 2012, AeroDron is actually incubated within B-ventures accelerator program launched by Buongiorno S.p.A., uses civil drones to offer professional services of low-flying and high precision air video shots to sustain the activity of analysis, protection, prevention and safeguarding of the territory and environment. It is the only italian realty addressing the public administration and which operates in the field of environmental services with the objective of insert the use of drones in the technology already in use, by substituting traditional aircraft services.

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