It promises to be a record year. There is no lack of liquidity on the market and investments in innovation and technology have become essential. Two factors that will lead to close 2021 with a record level of deals both in terms of number of operations and in terms of capital.
Deal at the highest level of the last decade
Already the first half of the year saw a notable increase (+ 157%) to 156.2 billion dollars invested in 7,751 operations. This is the highest level in the last ten years. The twelve months, therefore, according to Cb Insight estimates, should close with € 292.4 billion invested in 15,227 deals.
Hi-tech and digital sectors in focus
«Investments in innovation have seen an explosion, also because the pandemic has shown the need to accelerate on the technology front. Hi-tech and digital are the sectors in which venture capital is investing the most, as well as in healthcare “comments Innocenzo Cipolletta, president of Aifi, who adds:” Italy is following this phenomenon, at lower levels compared to other countries, because our starting point was lower. If we take the percentage changes, however, we have rates not dissimilar to the international ones, but in absolute terms we are still behind despite having made significant steps forward compared to the past. This year we should reach investments close to one billion euros. More than double what recorded last year ».
The VentureUp Forum kicks off in Turin
The prospects for the sector in Italy will be discussed today, Tuesday 12 October, during the VentureUp Forum to be held in Turin, organized by Aifi in collaboration with the Compagnia San Paolo Foundation, the CRT Foundation and the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center.
The data relating to the first nine months of 2021 will be disclosed, which highlighted 157 initial transactions and an amount invested (between initial and follow on in start-ups based in Italy) of 530 million. The Vem-i index, developed by the Liuc Università Cattaneo Business School and which captures the trend of initial investments, remains at low levels at the end of September, reaching 1,300, against the peak of 1,950 recorded at the end of 2020.