The total investments in startups in 2022 amounted to 2 billion and 340 million. The figure (updated to 2 December) is up by 68% compared to 2021, when the sum stopped at just over one billion. The figure is also the result of 192 operations involving Italian startups, up by 16.3% compared to 165 in 2021. These are some of the numbers that emerge from the analysis presented by the online magazine StartupItalia, during the #SIOS22 winter edition – reloaded, an appointment held in collaboration with the Bocconi University of Milan and with B4i – bocconi for innovation, its acceleration platform. “Despite the growth we are still far from international ecosystems – explained Nico Valenti Gatto, Operating Director B4i – bocconi for innovation – just think of neighboring France which in many ways has characteristics similar to ours and which in 2021 recorded 11.6 billion in investments , while Germany travels around 16 billion. Spain in 2021 stood at around 6 billion. However, it should be noted that international venture capitals have doubled their investments in Italy: from 453 million to one billion, 1,029 million to be exact. A certainly positive signal that clearly needs to be supported more and more in terms of openness to foreign capital by the Government and all the Institutions”.
More than one billion invested in three rounds
From the picture it emerged that the rounds exceeding 100 million are growing, with Italian startups on the podium, which 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. The rounds that exceed 10 million euros also increase. If there had been 15 in all of 2021, today there are 22 (+46.6%).
Independent venture capital funds
Driving the growth of the ecosystem are independent venture capital funds, corporate venture capital funds and government venture capital funds whose contribution has increased by 44% compared to 2021, reaching 731 million. International ventures were also decisive, as they doubled their investments in Italy: from 453 million to one billion, 1,029 million to be exact, half of the figure raised throughout the year by the Italian ecosystem (data from the Startup Observatory hi -tech promoted by the School of management of the Milan Polytechnic in collaboration with InnovuP).
Scende l’equity crowdfunding
The weight of equity crowdfunding is decreasing. According to data from the crowdinvesting Observatory of the Milan Polytechnic, in fact, there were 143 campaigns successfully closed in 2022 (data at the end of October) with a total collection of 105.77 million euros. Numbers down compared to last year when there were 164 closed campaigns and the total figure of 108 million.
Software, fintech e biotech
There were 22 rounds that exceeded 10 million euro (11.4%), while 106 (the majority with 55.2%) transactions with a value below 10 million. The ranking is completed by 64 deals worth thousands of euro (33.3%). The startups that develop software attracted the most significant part of the investments, with 21 transactions completed (11.2%). Followed by fintech (17 deals with a weight of 9% of the total) and biotech, the protagonist (16 deals, 8.5% of the total). Followed by real estate (5.8%), energy and ecommerce (4.2%), foodtech (3.7%), work (3.2%), sport (2.6%), greentech, delivery and travel (2.1%) and space economy and food & beverage (1.6%).
The rounds that weighed the most
The first six months of 2022 saw the Scalapay operation, the fintech that allows purchases to be paid in installments (440 million euros raised in a single round). In addition to other noteworthy rounds such as the 53 million euro obtained from the financial advisory platform Moneyfarm, the 40 million euro from Vedrai, which develops artificial intelligence solutions, and the 30 million from Planet Farms which designs vertical cultivation systems. In the second half of the year, among the protagonists Satispay, the fintech that operates in innovative payments, which has become a unicorn, thanks to the 320 million euro round. In addition to fintech, noteworthy are the 400 million euros raised by Casavo, a proptech that speeds up the phases of selling and buying a property. And yet the 340 million dollars (about 304 million euros) of Bending Spoons, the startup focused on the creation of apps for smartphones. Finally, worth mentioning is the 75 million dollars (about 67 million euros) of Medical Micro Instruments, which deals with the creation of technologies which, thanks to robotics, allow an improvement in the clinical results of patients undergoing microsurgery.
Investments by region
The report also revealed that 105 transactions involved startups based in Lombardy (57.6%). Followed by Lazio (11.3%), Piedmont (8.1%), Emilia Romagna (4.8%). Then again Campania (2.7%) and on an equal footing Liguria and Puglia which attract 2.1% of total investments. Further back are Veneto, Calabria and Sicily and Trentino Alto Adige (1.6%) which precede Umbria and Friuli Venezia Giulia (1%). Bringing up the rear are Sardinia and Abruzzo (0.5%).