Fundraising is increasing, rounds are growing, and the Italian innovation ecosystem is getting more prosperous to the point of setting another historical record. After crossing the billion euro investment threshold for the first time in 2021, Italian startups close 2022 with a sharp +68 percent, bringing total investments to 2 billion 343 million. This is through 192 deals, up 16.3 percent from 165 in 2021—software and biotech are the sectors attracting the most capital.
This is the picture of the sector presented at #SIOS22 Winter Edition – Reloaded, the event organized by StartupItalia in collaboration with Bocconi University of Milan dedicated to innovation, which was held in attendance, thanks to the partnership with the university and its pre-acceleration, acceleration and corporate entrepreneurship platform, B4i – Bocconi for innovation. A picture in which the rounds exceeding 100 million are also growing, see on the podium of Italian startups, which have raised the most in 2022, Scalapay with 467 million euros (the result of two rounds), Casavo with 400 million euros and Satispay with 320 million. Rounds exceeding 10 million euros also increased. While there were 15 in all in 2021, 22 can be counted (+46.6 percent).
Sectors attracting the most capital: software and biotech in the lead
Analyzing the various rounds, after the 22 that exceeded 10 million euros (11.4 percent), 106 ( the majority with 55.2 percent) million-dollar deals have a value below 10 million. Closing the ranking are 64 deals worth thousands of euros (33.3%). Startups that develop software with 21 deals closed (11.2%) are attracting the largest share of investments. Next on the podium are fintech (17 deals with a weight total of 9 percent) and biotech, a significant player 16 times (8.5 percent). Next are Real Estate (5.8%), Energy and eCommerce (4.2%), Foodtech (3.7%), Labor/HR (3.2%), Sports (2.6%), Greentech, delivery, and travel (2.1%) and Space economy and Food & Beverage (1.6%).
The podium of the mega-rounds
The first six months of 2022 saw historical milestones achieved by our ecosystems, such as the mega deal of Scalapay, the fintech that enables purchases to be paid in installments (€440 million raised in a single round) as well as other noteworthy rounds such as the 53 million euros obtained by the financial advisory platform Moneyfarm, the 40 million euros of Vedrai, which develops artificial intelligence solutions, and the 30 of Planet Farms, which designs vertical farming systems. The year’s second half was also a golden time for Italian startups. Among the stars was Satispay, the fintech that operates in payment, which became a unicorn, thanks to a mega round of 320 million euros. In addition to fintech, noteworthy are the 400 million euros raised by Casavo, the proptech that speeds up the stages of selling and buying a property. And again, the $340 million (approximately 304 million euros) from Bending Spoon, the startup, focused on creating smartphone apps. Finally, of note is the $75 million (about 67 million euros) from Medical Micro Instruments, which focuses on making technologies that, thanks to robotics, enable improved clinical outcomes for patients undergoing microsurgery.
Ranking by regions
Lombardy leads the ecosystem: 105 deals involved startups based in the region (57.6 percent). This is followed by Lazio (11.3 percent), Piedmont (8.1 percent), and Emilia Romagna (4.8 percent). Then again, Campania (2.7 percent) and tied with Liguria and Puglia, which attract 2.1 percent of total investments. Further behind are Veneto, Calabria, Sicily, and Trentino Alto Adige (1.6 percent), which are ahead of Umbria and Friuli Venezia Giulia (1 percent). At the tail end are Sardinia and Abruzzo (0.5 percent).
