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.
The goal is to transform crowdfunding in local and social: to participate is the whole community of people united by the idea of improving their own space and their own city. The civic crowdfunding can intervene when the government fails to resolve the problem on its own, creating a virtuous and ethical process involving directly also municipalities, departments and public bodies. The fundraising campaign sponsored by DeRev for the reconstruction of the Science City of Naples - destroyed by arson on March 4, 2013 - proves the enormous potential of crowdfunding widespread among citizens and confirms today itself as the most successful crowdfunding campaign ever made in Italy, with € 1,073,000 raised among more than 2,000 lenders.
DeRev strengthens its position in the Italian market by opening a new office in Milan at Digital Magics venture incubator. Thanks to the strategic, technological and business management support - in addition to the network of Italian and international relations - of the certified venture incubator of innovative startups, the DeRev team aims to improve the development platform, implementing innovative tools for online payment and new features for participation via mobile devices, making the platform more competitive ahead of the launch on the European market. Today DeRev counts over 5 million registered users to their pages on social networks and more than 15,000 active users on the platform that contribute to campaigns.
The entrance of Digital Magics in DeRev also strengthens the working relationship established between Digital Magics and Withfounders, who joined the forces to let the startup grow and achieve the ambitious goal of the European crowdfunding market.
In 2012 DeRev had already received an initial investment of € 1.25 million - one of the most important early stage operations in Italy - by Vertis Venture (the venture capital fund managed by Vertis SGR, an independent asset management company) and Withfounders (Italian investment company that has supported important business initiatives and successful startup such as Buongiorno, SaldiPrivati, Jobrapido and Glamoo). The two funds confirm and renew their confidence in Derev for its achievements and for the great growth prospects.
The crowdfunding market
According to the Massolution Report 2013 - The Crowdfunding Industry, in 2012 Crowdfunding grew worldwide by 81% , reaching the figure of $ 2.7 billion, with 1 million successful financed campaigns. For 2013, was estimated a doubling of the global volumes, with the achievement of the share of $5.1 billion. This figure was instead achieved already in July 2013, so it is estimated that at the end of 2013 the volumes have been much higher.
In Europe, the growth of the crowdfunding stood at 65% , with a profit of 945 million dollars, as measured two years ago. Most of the traffic of crowdfunding is generated in Western Europe, with some countries that have the largest raising activity rate and United Kingdom ( 63%), followed by Germany, Poland, France, Italy and Spain.
The goal is to transform crowdfunding in local and social: to participate is the whole community of people united by the idea of improving their own space and their own city. The civic crowdfunding can intervene when the government fails to resolve the problem on its own, creating a virtuous and ethical process involving directly also municipalities, departments and public bodies. The fundraising campaign sponsored by DeRev for the reconstruction of the Science City of Naples - destroyed by arson on March 4, 2013 - proves the enormous potential of crowdfunding widespread among citizens and confirms today itself as the most successful crowdfunding campaign ever made in Italy, with € 1,073,000 raised among more than 2,000 lenders.
DeRev strengthens its position in the Italian market by opening a new office in Milan at Digital Magics venture incubator. Thanks to the strategic, technological and business management support - in addition to the network of Italian and international relations - of the certified venture incubator of innovative startups, the DeRev team aims to improve the development platform, implementing innovative tools for online payment and new features for participation via mobile devices, making the platform more competitive ahead of the launch on the European market. Today DeRev counts over 5 million registered users to their pages on social networks and more than 15,000 active users on the platform that contribute to campaigns.
The entrance of Digital Magics in DeRev also strengthens the working relationship established between Digital Magics and Withfounders, who joined the forces to let the startup grow and achieve the ambitious goal of the European crowdfunding market.
In 2012 DeRev had already received an initial investment of € 1.25 million - one of the most important early stage operations in Italy - by Vertis Venture (the venture capital fund managed by Vertis SGR, an independent asset management company) and Withfounders (Italian investment company that has supported important business initiatives and successful startup such as Buongiorno, SaldiPrivati, Jobrapido and Glamoo). The two funds confirm and renew their confidence in Derev for its achievements and for the great growth prospects.
The crowdfunding market
According to the Massolution Report 2013 - The Crowdfunding Industry, in 2012 Crowdfunding grew worldwide by 81% , reaching the figure of $ 2.7 billion, with 1 million successful financed campaigns. For 2013, was estimated a doubling of the global volumes, with the achievement of the share of $5.1 billion. This figure was instead achieved already in July 2013, so it is estimated that at the end of 2013 the volumes have been much higher.
In Europe, the growth of the crowdfunding stood at 65% , with a profit of 945 million dollars, as measured two years ago. Most of the traffic of crowdfunding is generated in Western Europe, with some countries that have the largest raising activity rate and United Kingdom ( 63%), followed by Germany, Poland, France, Italy and Spain.
DeRev is an innovative startup founded in 2012 by Roberto Esposito. On 3 August 2012, DeRev closed one of the most important early stage operations initiated in Italy, receiving an investment of € 1.25 million from Vertis Venture and a prestigious group of angel investors, including Giulio Valiante (Jobrapido, Buongiorno, SaldiPrivati) and Michele Casucci (Lycos Italy, Certilogo) gathered under the brand Withfounders. The startup, which also operates in the international market, headquartered in Naples with offices in Milan and has a team of 10 talented young people working every day to invent strategies, innovative products and services. Today DeRev is a leading company in the Italian crowdfunding market, of participatory democracy and viral communication on social media.
While waiting for the official launch, which took place in February 2013, the landing page of the site has collected more than 100,000 pre-registrations in a few months, creating a huge media interest and more than 800 articles and mentions from Italian and international newspapers and medias. With over 5 million registered italian users to their pages on social networks, in the first twelve months of crowdfunding campaigns on DeRevhave collected € 1,300,000 and over 15,000 people have used the platform to contribute to cultural, charity, political and business projects. DeRev also holds the record for the most successful crowdfunding campaign ever held in Italy, launched in March 2013 with a request for €100,000 for the reconstruction of the City of Science, and has now reached € 1,073,000, i.e. 10 times the wished initial amount.
Thanks to the results and the experience gained, DeRev has produced and published the first edition of Crowdfunding World 2013, the report on the state of crowdfunding in the world - with a particular focus on Italy - which includes analysis, metrics and market trends. It is the main international tools ever realized on the phenomenon, which treats the theory, but especially the practice of fundraising on the Internet.
DeRev is also proposed as active media of community of innovators, as a tool for experimentation and research in the field of non-traditional media. In April of 2013, with a separate column on the America's Cup in Naples, the platform has published the first report for an assessment of the social impact on the operation of participatory democracy linked to the sporting event, which has achieved a result of 1,960,000 unique users and 80,000 spectators at the races live streaming. In less than a year after its birth, DeRev has built a network of working relationships with national and international institutions, political parties, national and multinational companies, cultural workers, nonprofit organizations, universities and business incubators. A network of individuals united by a common voltage to the civil and economic development through social innovation. In June 2013, the European Parliament and Microsoft have included DeRev between Digital Democracy Leaders.