#UVnewsletter
September & October 2019
The last few months have been busy ones, so we wanted to give you a brief update on our growing portfolio and its latest additions. In this newsletter, you’ll find out about UV’s new investments, see the latest developments of our portfolio companies, and get selected insights from the world of tech investing.
Best wishes from Milan,
The United Ventures Team
New Investments
We announced our participation in MishiPay Series A funding round of £3.5 million, together with American Express Ventures and Nauta Capital. MishiPay is a mobile self-checkout solution that integrates quickly and cost-effectively into retailers’ existing systems without the need for any additional hardware and is well-positioned to play a key role in the competitive and exciting scenario of retail tech. Read more.
In order to intensify our research and investment activity in Lazio, we launched UV2L, a €10M parallel fund in collaboration with Lazio Innova. The first startup to enter UV2L is our portfolio company Exein, on its mission to fight the immense cybersecurity threat posed by connected smart devices and their firmware vulnerabilities.
Exits
PaperLit, the Cagliari-based tech company specialized in the distribution and monetization of content on mobile devices and smart speakers for publishers and brands, has been 100% acquired by Datrix Group, a group specialized in Artificial Intelligence applications for the data-driven transformation and growth of companies. Read more.
Portfolio Highlights
Moneyfarm and Poste Italiane announced the launch of the largest API-based digital wealth management partnership in Europe. An agreement further validated by the entrance of Poste Italiane as a shareholder of the company and lead investor in the €40M Series C Round. Read more.
Brumbrum inaugurated in Reggio Emilia its Factory, a cutting-edge plant with innovative technologies and the highest quality, environmental, and safety standards. The 50,000 square meters new pole will be able, once fully operational, to sell 1.200 cars per month. Read more.
Cloud4Wi CEO and Co-Founder, Andrea Calcagno, was invited among the Italian representatives for a breakfast with the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella and the Minister for Innovation and Technology Paola Pisano, during their visit in Silicon Valley. Read Andrea’s takeaways here.
Musixmatch welcomed Marco Paglia (former Google, Youtube, Uber executive) as Chief Product Officer to lead the Product & Content Team vision and operations, and the AI Team. Read more.
Credimi has been selected by Endeavor to join its prestigious network, gaining support to access global markets, talent development programs, and capital, with a view to accelerating the company’s expansion internationally. Read more.
MainStreaming, which recently secured $6M funding in a new round led by Indaco Venture Partners, Sony Innovation Fund, and United Ventures, has been recognized by EU-Startups as one of the European startups that is disrupting the media.
Upcoming Events
Come and meet us! We will be attending the following events:
Paolo and Fabio @Noah (London, October 30th-31st)
Sara and Giulia @Web Summit (Lisbon, November 4th-7th)
Massimiliano and Paolo @Slush (Helsinki, November 21st-22nd) and @CES (Las Vegas, January 7th-10th)
Things Worth Sharing
Cos'hanno in comune la Silicon Valley e la Cina? Un modello di sviluppo ibrido, prendere appunti by Massimiliano Magrini
VC and fundraising. Tips for fintech by Paolo Gesess
How Agritech could lead Africa's rising start-up scene (World Economic Forum)
Making a Case for Firmware Security (Plug & Play)
DeepMind AI beats humans at deciphering damaged ancient Greek tablets (New Scientist)
Hong Kong protests: bring back app or risk 'complicity' in repression, Apple told (The Guardian)
Is it time for VC to hit the reset button? (PitchBook)
What Ben Horowitz Learned About Creating Corporate Culture (Fortune)
Creators of modern rechargeable batteries share Nobel prize (Tech Crunch)
We hope you enjoyed the reading!
Please feel free to share any questions, thoughts, or comments by dropping us an email at info@unitedventures.it.