The Club degli Investitori closes 2022 with €13 million invested in support of 23 innovative companies, a 30% growth over 2021, 11 of which represent new investments, including: Zaphiro, a Swiss cleantech company active in the Smart Grid sector, FlexiWan, an Israeli tech company active in the SD-WAN market, Movenzia.com, a digital company proposing new and innovative ownership models in the mobility sector, Roomless, a proptech company that has developed a medium-term rental platform, Avida Global, an international scaleup active in the medical cannabis market, WeGlad, a social impact startup offering solutions for people with motor disabilities, and Nebuly, an open-source AI company developing a platform for optimising the performance of artificial intelligence systems.

The remaining 12 follow-on investments during the year, include: Kither Biotech, D-Orbit, Newcleo, Microchannel Devices, SkinLabo, Neophore, ACBC.

Adding up the new deals to the portfolio, the total investments by the Club degli Investitori’s business angels amount to €43 million in 60 companies, which have collectively raised more than €2 billion and generated over 6,500 jobs.

Some of the major milestones in 2022 include the listing of Genenta Science in January and the unicorn status achieved by Satispay, an Italian fintech supported by Club degli Investitori’s members since 2018, which has raised a large investment round at over €1 billion valuation.

The number of members has also grown considerably with more than 300 business angels which have joined the Club since its inception. The process of internationalisation also continues: 15% of the new members are living abroad, and there is an increasing number of business angels strongly connected to ecosystems in other countries, who play a key role in helping the startups in the portfolio pursue international ambitions.

During this past year, numerous activities were also organised by the Club to support the growth of the innovation ecosystem, many of which had a positive social impact: over 1,000+ companies analysed, more than 300 face-to-face meetings with entrepreneurs and 5,600 hours dedicated by the Club’s business angels to innovative projects, including mentorship activities and in-depth meetings.

Giancarlo Rocchietti, founder and President of the Club degli Investitori, said: “In the favourable context of venture capital investments in Italy, the Club continues to grow, also internationally, to support successful entrepreneurs in the globalisation process of their startups”.

Andrea Rota, Managing Director of the Club degli Investitori, said: “This year we were able to support excellent Italian entrepreneurial teams with global ambitions, often participating significantly in their first investment round open to outside capital. We also recorded a resilience of investments made in previous years, the value of which continued to increase despite the difficult economic environment, thanks to the skills and agility of the entrepreneurs in whom we believed, supported by our ‘Champion’ partners who follow them”.