LVenture eyes capital increase of €5M to back up to 59 startups within the next three years

The holding company of venture capital which finances the LuissEnlabs startups accelerator decided on a capital increase. Target of the VC fund led by Luigi Capello is to triple, by the next three years, the number of incubated neo-digital companies and expand the rooms available for would-be entrepreneurs. Fresh money to continue to grow the newborn companies: LVenture Group, the venture capital firm founded in December 2012 by Luigi Capello to invest in digital startups, has decided to triple the number of the business realities on which to focus within the next 3 years - from the current 21 to up 59 - and simultaneously to broaden the space sof LuissEnlabs accelerator of Rome, of which it is the lender. A project on which it plans to bet a total of €4.99 million.

The holding company, listed on the MTA managed by the Italian stock exchange, approved the extraordinary shareholders' meeting for April 30 and May 7, 2014 just to propose the approval of the capital increase for a maximum of €4.99 million within five years from the deliberation. The goal is to gather the needed resources to continue to accelerate the digital startups, financing investments envisaged in the Budget 2014, and the new business plan 2015-2017 approved in February, even through the entry of strategic partners and investors in the LVenture Group shareholding structure.

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WIB raises €750k in seed funding from Vertis Venture, ReedSeed Ventures and a pool of private investors

New investor for WIB, the startup Nino Lo Iacono which wants to revolutionize the retail store of the future. The startup raised €750,000 in seed funding from Vertis Venture one of three closed-end funds managed by Vertis SGR, an investment management company (IMCO) which manages three closed-end funds focused on acquiring holdings in SMEs located in Southern Italy and Lazio region, which co-invested with ReedSeed Ventures and a pool of private investors in  WIB, the Palermo (Sicily) based startup producing innovative vending machines "Warehouse in a Box" designed to integrate the automatic sale with web/mobile eCommerce. 

Having transferred 40% of its share to the new shareholders with a substantial weight and important rights, rather than to these kinds of aspects the company considers the investors as an opportunity to network and acquire new managerial skills.

The winner of the 2012 SeedLab edition and European finalist at the Intel Business Challenge (Dublin, 2013), raised a record equity crowdfunding round in 2013, when on the crowdfunding platform Siamosoci.com it raised €530,000 in just 48 hours by reaching a final raised amount of total €649,000. The total raised funds amount now €1.399,000.

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Cloud4Wi raises $4 million in series A financing from United Ventures

Cloud4Wi, a leading provider of next generation cloud Wi-Fi solutions, has raised $4 million in a series A financing round from United Ventures, Italy's largest technology-focused VC firm specialized in digital technologies born in 2013 from the union of Annapurna Ventures, of Massimiliano Magrini and JV Capital of Paolo Gesess, to "shake up digital entrepreneurship by spotting and promoting disruptive innovations". The injected money will be invested to expand internationally, with a particular focus on North America.

Wi-Fi is a preferential technology enabling the first contact between users and the web and internet connection services are gradually becoming free. That's why a change of pace is happening: marketing experts in various fields are activating multiple market strategies based on new applications and the collection of metadata, using the internet as exchange currency. This is confirmed also by market trends. Public Wi-Fi services are primarily used to support new products, to launch promotional campaigns, to manage new advertising channels, to gather new contacts and their info (private and corporate) through social login, to send emails, do social marketing and market research. 

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Atlante Seed, IAG and Zernike back CellPly with €2M investment

Italian Angels for Growth, Zernike Meta Ventures - through its Ingenium Emilia Romagna II Fund - and Atlante Seed - vehicle of Intesa Sanpaolo managed by Imi Fondi Chiusi - financed CellPly with over €2 million to support the growth of Italian startup specializing in molecular diagnostics.

CellPly's mission is that to develop tools enabling a new way of personalizing cancer treatment by empowering clinicians and researchers with tools that readily analyze cell response to drug treatments.

It is one of the most "significant seed capital investments made ​​in Italy" and is designed to support the completion of the prototyping phase of the diagnostic platform developed by CellPly.

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Digital Magics backs DeRev with €300,000 to enter the italian Crowdfunding space

Milan, March 20, 2014 - Digital Magics, the certified italian venture incubator of innovative startups listed on the AIM market of the Italian Stock Exchange (symbol:DM) , has acquired a market share of approximately 17.5% of DeRev, the main Italian crowdfunding platform, adding the startups in its portfolio, which already in 2012 had received an initial investment of € 1.25 million (one of the most important early stage operations in Italy) by Vertis Venture funds and Withfounders. This is last move made by the incubator Digital Magics, that invested about €300,000 at pre-money value of €1.4 million.

With this operation , DeRev - who a few days ago released the new graphics for campaigns - is launching a new business model based on civic crowdfunding, serving as the first startup in Italy to offer a structured  and "revolutionary" solution for public bodies, associations, nonprofit organizations, and creative or innovative projects in the art, culture, startups , events spaces.

From today - on www.derev.com - even public administrations (municipalities, provinces, regions and other public bodies) can launch fundraising campaigns to finance projects and works of public interest, such as the restoration of monuments and public areas, the realization of initiatives or events in their city, and the development of innovative services for public transport and the improvement of city life.

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Veneto Sviluppo invests €1.5M in H-Farm

RONCADE 17th March 2014 - "A memorable day. The realization of a dream" told the President of the Veneto Region Luca Zaia announcing the entry into H-FARM located in Roncade, where it has been signed the cooperation between the major national Venture Incubator, founded by Riccardo Donadon, and Veneto Sviluppo Spa the holding company of the Veneto Region led by Giorgio Grosso, who has chosen to lay the groundwork for a partnership to power projects and goals of the Venetian startup model. Veneto Sviluppo has officially announced the entry into the capital of H-FARM acquiring a share of 4% with a transaction value of EUR 1.5 million. Veneto Sviluppo participate in a capital increase for a total of EUR 5 million in which also enters the textile group Miroglio Fashion of Alba (Cuneo), which acquires therefore about 10% of the shares of H-Farm Ventures. 

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RCS MediaGroup acquires YouReporter.it

RCS MediaGroup has announced the acquisition  of the 100% of Polis Medialink, publisher of the portal Youreporter.it. The editorial group enriched thus  its offer with user generated videos and photos collected from users of the portal of citizen journalism, for years editorial supplier of the newspaper Corriere della Sera. 

With this acquisition RCS strengthens its digital strategy and development of the video offer, in line with what is stated in the strategic plan, acquiring an advanced platform in terms of technology and success before the Italian digital public, which can be extended to other property of the group, in Italy and abroad. 

A wholly Italian startup born in 2008, Youreporter.it has known a growing success collecting contributions photos and videos of users and surpassing the 50 million stream views per year.

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UniCredit launches StartLab: EUR 250,000 for Innovative Startups

Milan, 26 February 2014 - UniCredit announced some day ago the launch of Unicredit StartLab its brand-new platform featuring training, coaching, incubation services, financial resources and physical spaces, developed to support startups, innovation and new technologies.

The platform will select the most innovative startups through a rigorous process of scouting and evaluation supported by committees made up of entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, managers and technicians. The selected startups will have access to training courses, business mentorship, incubation services and the possibility to arrange meetings with entrepreneurs and investors for commercial or investment purposes. Young Innovators and entrepreneurs (web-preneurs) can submit their applications through the portal www.unicreditstartlab.eu.

Unicredit StartLab also provides the possibility of co-investments by UniCredit of up to EUR 250,000 for startups, alongside some of the best Italian startups accelerator such as H-Farm, M31, LVenture Group, TTVenture, Digital Magics and Como Next. 

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