The goal has long been declared: “build great companies”. Moving from enunciations to concrete realizations, Exor takes the field and launches a unique initiative in Italy and expressly dedicated to our country (“Italy seed”) to support newly established companies (in the “seed” phase), thus helping more entrepreneurs. promising to build a new generation of large enterprises. Exor Seeds, arm of the holding company of the Agnelli family led by John Elkann, dedicated to venture capital, will invest in startups in the “seed” and “pre-seed” phase, offering a capital account of 150 thousand euros. The process will be very quick, with advantageous contractual terms for the entrepreneur and no request for representation on the boards of the newly formed companies. In exchange, Exor Seed will take a stake of between 5 and 7% approximately. The new initiative is part of Exor’s long entrepreneurial tradition in support of innovation. In line, in fact, with its goal of building large businesses. The Agnelli holding will help young entrepreneurs to develop new innovative companies. The program aims to unleash the great potential of the Italian ecosystem of technology, which is growing rapidly, helping the country to play a role proportional to its economic dimension, also thanks to the large pool of talent at its disposal.
How important is speed in business? – asks Diego Piacentini, president of Exor Seeds – It depends, but it certainly is decisive when it comes to financing new entrepreneurial initiatives at an early stage. In addition to being fast, we must also accept the risk of failure, because the next Italian unicorn will be born precisely from a mix of courage and energy. Something that the Italian entrepreneurial system has lacked, and that Exor Seeds now intends to change ».
In Exor they argue that Italy is at a turning point: successful cases emerge, which in turn fuel other projects, strengthening the development of the founders’ network. Many Italian professionals who have gained experience in Silicon Valley have returned to the country to launch new startups and support other young entrepreneurs. University programs are also attracting additional talent from abroad. Several incubators have recently been launched to support pre-seed stage entrepreneurs, including “Vento”, Exor’s venture origination program. Italian Tech Week and other events bring together investors and entrepreneurs from all over the world, inspiring young people to develop more ambitious projects.
Noam Ohana, Managing director of Exor Seeds commented: «The Italian ecosystem of startups is in the same position as the most important European countries were 5-7 years ago – comments Noam Ohana, managing director of Exor Seeds – Today we are at a turning point. Attitudes and ambitions are changing. The quality of the entrepreneurs we are supporting is truly remarkable. We invite every Italian entrepreneur who is building his dream to get in touch with us ». How? Using this web address: www.exorseeds.eu. Nebuly, Impssbl, Serenis, Teta and Nova are the names of the first startups supported by Exor Seeds.