Gedi aims to expand the portfolio of digital products and services and joins forces with Stardust, an innovative media specialized in social media communication. The publishing group controlled by Exor of the Agnelli family, the first daily news group in Italy, leader in print and digital media with publications such as La Repubblica, La Stampa, Il Secolo XIX and nine other local newspapers and other periodicals, has acquired the 30% of the startup founded in May 2020 by Simone Giacomini, Antonino Maira and Fabrizio Ferraguzzo. Gedi thus wants to expand the portfolio of digital products and services and conquer new audiences, adding a fundamental element in its development strategy in the production of digital content distributed through social platforms.
The agreement reached provides for the right for Gedi to increase its shareholding until it reaches a stake of between 60 and 100% in the period 2023-2025 and to exercise as of now broad rights of representation in the governance of the company. The transaction was carried out by acquiring equity stakes from some business angels and from Alchimia, the company’s initial lender venture capital vehicle, which will remain in part a shareholder and will retain a representation in the governance of Stardust.
Stardust is the first Italian company born with the idea of evolving influencer marketing starting from the principle: “People are Media”. In just two years it has become a media that unites an extremely heterogeneous audience of millions of people with the study of the best communication message. The company today produces around 1,200 original content per day, and attracts over 500 creators, influencers and ambassadors, whose business generates over 15 billion views per year and 20 million interactions per month. Thanks to a completely new way of understanding influencer marketing and communication, Stardust in 2021 alone managed about 300 social campaigns for 70 brands, which allowed for rapid growth in revenues.
Maurizio Scanavino CEO GEDI and Simone Giacomini co-Founder and president of Stardust
“Over 70% of Italians use social media today and their number is constantly growing – comments the CEO of Gedi, Maurizio Scanavino – Generation Z and Millennials, in particular, spend just under 3 hours a day on different platforms. With Stardust, our digital strategy takes a decisive step forward because it allows us to distribute our content to new audiences – in the news, audio and entertainment sectors – and to deepen the dynamics and languages of digital communities so far not reached by the offer of Gedi ».
And again: “Thanks to their entrepreneurial talent, Simone (president of Stardust) and Antonino (ceo) have laid the foundations for a solid and dynamic project, a real media made up of people capable of reaching a vast and diversified audience. , involving the new generations and beyond. By combining Gedi’s consolidated editorial and creative skills with the native supervision that Stardust ensures on the new digital platforms, we will now be able to create innovative products and multiply the effectiveness of the existing portfolio ».
In turn, Giacomini underlines the phase of cultural change underway and adds: «We are happy that in such an important phase, Gedi is at our side to help us meet the challenges of the future. For Stardust, after joining its Alchimia shareholding, the alliance with Gedi represents a fundamental chapter of a growth path, which has had the constant support of the lawyer Francesco Marotta and the EY Advisory team “.