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With more than 150 million monthly active users and revenues exceeding $ 600 million, Bending Spoons is one of the essential but unknown actors in European tech. Founded in 2013 by Luca Ferrari And its team, this Italian company has built a unique model: to acquire existing digital services to optimize them and give them a new growth trajectory.
An extraordinary acquisition strategy
Between the Search Fund and the Startup Studio, Bending Spoons operates as a development platform which aims to redefine the startups they buy. “We are not a passive buyer. We reinvent the product, technology, marketing and organization to create more value, ”explains Luca Ferrari, CEO of the company.
This model is based on targeted acquisitions. In 2024, the company raised $ 150 million, promoting the company to more than $ 2.5 billion. Their targets are generally in a price range between $ 50 million and $ 1.5 billion.
“We have examined more than 3,000 companies in the past 12 months, but we only make an offer if we are convinced that we can significantly improve the product,” adds Luca Ferrari.
This approach, which implies care by multidisciplinary teams and rigorous operational execution to transform its acquisitions into commercial success.
Flagship products and controlled diversification
Among the products that make up its portfolio of more than 100 applications, the solution Remini is ahead. This AI -based photo editing tool is second most used generative product in the worldbehind Chatgpt, with more than 100 million monthly active users. “Remini represents around 20 % of our income,” says Luca Ferrari.
Other notorious products include flagship startups of the late 2010s, Evernote,, Splice, Streamyardor recently Wetransfer, who are experiencing a new youth under the direction of Bending Spoons. The three to four largest contributors represent around 50 to 60 % of the company’s total income. This development strategy allows diversification and risk reduction. “Our model is based on a balanced portfolio. Having several efficient products gives us resilience that few companies may have, ”explains the CEO.
A culture of excellence and continuous improvement
Bending Spoons mainly recruits young, freshly graduated talents. “We have a particular expertise to transform raw talents into exceptional professionals, and that faster than most companies,” he said.
Each year, around 100 new employees join the company after a rigorous selection process which can ask the candidates up to 15 hours of effort. This culture of excellence is accompanied by a culture of continuous improvement inspired by the Japanese “Kaizen” model. “We firmly believe that it is possible to improve every day, even by marginal gains. In the long term, these incremental improvements make all the difference, ”adds Luca Ferrari.
AI as a strategic lever
Artificial intelligence plays a key role in Bending Spoons’ strategy. The startup integrates AI into solutions that were devoid of it, based on particularly seasoned development teams. According to Luca Ferrari, “AI strengthens performance differences: the best talents become even more efficient thanks to these tools”. This ability to integrate AI into their products offers them a unique competitive advantage, especially in the face of competing solutions that are struggling to adapt.
“We explore new ways to use AI, including in segments such as company software, where we see immense potential,” says the manager.
A long -term vision and challenges
Bending Spoons plans to expand its horizon increasing its wing in the field of corporate software. “We are far from having exploited our full potential. There are always ways to improve, ”concludes Luca Ferrari.
On the financial level Bending Spoons also plans an IPO, probably on the Nasdaq, in order to find capital and the means to make acquisitions by exchange of action. A step that will not fail to strengthen the Bending Spoons model role “We want to inspire other entrepreneurs in Italy and beyond, show that it is possible to create a global technological business, even from Milan”.
If he remains polite on the subject of the European ecosystem, Luca Ferrari admits the limits of Europe’s capacities, “entrepreneurs are often hampered by the fear of failure or regulatory constraints. But that is gradually changing, “he said.
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