The discussion opens with fresh 2025 VC barometer data, highlighting Italy’s structural gap in VC funding per capita relative to GDP despite improving deal activity. The conversation then dives into climate deep tech, examining how AI-driven materials discovery could address rare earth bottlenecks and enable next-generation clean technologies. A featured case is Rara , a university spin-off applying AI to novel materials research, showing how data and experimentation become the true moat. The episode also analyzes a major digital health growth round combining equity, bank financing, and M&A strategy as a repeatable European pattern. It closes with reflections on Italian funds investing abroad and what this signals for the maturity and international reach of Italy’s VC ecosystem.

Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠Listen to all episodes on audio:Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠Get in touch:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠Email: giacomo@in3.ventures#venturecapital #italy #startup

talian startup funding, venture capital trends, AI, biotech, robotics, and institutional investors define this episode’s deep dive into the 2025–2026 ecosystem outlook. The discussion highlights how 2025 became the second-best fundraising year after 2022, driven by a record-breaking Q4 with several mega-rounds. The hosts analyze why round size—not volume—explains the rebound, and how late announcements skew quarterly data. They explore Italy’s structural reliance on institutional capital, particularly CDP, and debate whether this slows or stabilizes ecosystem development. Key sectors like biotech, robotics, and enterprise AI alignment emerge as long-term strengths, supported by strong academic tech transfer. The episode also unpacks Italy’s seed-heavy funding profile and what it implies for future Series A and B growth. Overall, the conversation frames cautious optimism: momentum is real, but maturity will take time.

Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠Listen to all episodes on audio:Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠Get in touch:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠Email: giacomo@in3.ventures#venturecapital #italy #startup

This episode explores Italian startups, venture capital, deep tech, robotics, AI cybersecurity, and European scale-up financing at the close of 2025. The hosts break down how Italian startups reached approximately €1.4B in raised capital, driven by a strong Q4 and increased deep-tech momentum. A major focus is Generative Bionics, a humanoid robotics spin-off from the Italian Institute of Technology, highlighting the rise of physical AI and industrial robotics applications. The discussion then shifts to AI-driven cybersecurity, emphasizing continuous automated security testing as a response to increasingly sophisticated AI-powered attacks. The episode also analyzes a €70M European Investment Bank scale-up debt deal, showing how hybrid debt-equity instruments are reshaping European growth financing. Throughout the conversation, the speakers underline a “European-first” scaling mindset and the strategic importance of coordinated public-private capital deployment. The episode closes with reflections on upcoming opportunities in space tech and European innovation ecosystems.

Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠

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Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠

Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠

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Get in touch:

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Email: giacomo@in3.ventures

#venturecapital #italy #startup

The hosts start by reviewing how Italian startup funding is rebounding toward €1.5B and why that matters versus previous years. They then dive into Bending Spoons’ $500M acquisition of Eventbrite at roughly a 90% premium, unpacking why a flat-revenue, legacy events platform can still be a powerful margin-optimization play. The conversation moves to Shop Circle’s $100M credit facility and how “acquire, optimize, hold” might become a distinctly European scaling archetype, different from hyperscale VC rounds. They debate whether debt-backed acquisition platforms can become a true alternative to traditional venture capital for profitable but non-hyperscaling companies stuck in “European limbo.” From there, the episode shifts into the future of SEO in an AI-first world, contrasting monitoring tools with execution platforms powered by agents. The guests argue that agent-driven execution is far stickier than pure analytics, because it embeds directly into creators’ and brands’ workflows. Finally, they highlight ontology and structured, machine-readable brand memory as the real long-term moat for SEO in an era where AI agents, not humans, increasingly navigate the web.

Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠

Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠

Listen to all episodes on audio:

Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠

Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠

Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠

Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠

Get in touch:

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠

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Email: giacomo@in3.ventures

#venturecapital #italy #startup

The hosts start by recapping Slush, explaining why it remains one of Europe’s top startup events and how to get real value by planning meetings and side events early. They then dive into the hot question of whether we’re in an AI bubble, debating if and when it might burst and whether investors can realistically stay long innovation while trying to short the AI trade. The conversation shifts to Italy, highlighting how 2025 is shaping up as one of the strongest years ever for Italian VC with robust round volumes. A major focus is a biotech spinoff from Imperial College working on biopesticides, leveraging more than 15 years of gene-editing research and tailwinds from EU plans to cut chemical pesticide use by 2030, backed by new climate-tech fund Algebris. They also cover a deep-tech water measurement startup that uses cosmic neutrons to monitor soil moisture and water flows, opening applications in agriculture, drought management, landslide prevention and leakage detection in city infrastructure. Finally, they unpack the rise of defense tech and dual-use technologies in Europe, including a large new European defense and security fund supported by the European Investment Fund, and reflect on what this means for future Italian dealflow.

Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠

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Listen to all episodes on audio:

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Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠

Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠

Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠

Get in touch:

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠

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Email: giacomo@in3.ventures

#venturecapital #italy #startup

The hosts discuss how Italy crossed the €1.2 billion equity fundraising threshold, driven by major players such as Bending Spoons and rapidly growing biotech companies. They explore AAVantgarde Bio’s €122M Series B round, highlighting its gene therapy innovation and strong international investor mix. The conversation then shifts to Atoptronics, a robotics spin-off developing electrostatic gripping technology with applications in space, logistics, and manufacturing. The hosts emphasize the rising quality of Italian deep-tech and how university spin-offs are becoming viable global contenders. Finally, they unpack TPG’s €1B offer for Nexi’s digital banking assets, analyzing valuation dynamics, interest-rate correlations, golden-power risks, and why the timing could be strategic for TPG. The episode concludes by noting how Italy’s tech landscape is maturing across biotech, robotics, and fintech.

Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠

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Listen to all episodes on audio:

Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠

Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠

Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠

Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠

Get in touch:

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠

Email: giacomo@in3.ventures

#venturecapital #italy #startup

This episode dives into Bending Spoons, venture capital, startup financing, and crypto infrastructure. The hosts analyze Bending Spoons’ massive $270 million growth round and $2.8 billion debt package, which push its valuation to $11 billion. They unpack how the mix of primary and secondary capital offers liquidity to early shareholders while fueling global expansion and M&A — including the acquisition of AOL. The discussion compares Bending Spoons to Canada’s Constellation Software, highlighting key differences in consumer vs B2B roll-up models and integration strategies. The conversation then shifts to Hercle, a crypto infrastructure startup that raised $10 million equity and a $50 million credit facility from F-Prime Capital, Fidelity’s venture arm. The hosts note how both Bending Spoons and Hercle blend equity with debt to scale faster and attract institutional investors. They close by discussing Italy’s emerging role in tech and how global funds are finally recognizing its innovation ecosystem.

Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠

Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠

Listen to all episodes on audio:

Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠

Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠

Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠

Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠

Get in touch:

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠

Email: giacomo@in3.ventures

#venturecapital #italy #startup

The episode discusses Caracol’s $40M Series B round, Europe-wide venture capital momentum, and deep-tech additive manufacturing. The hosts underline how Italian startups must stop thinking locally and begin raising from pan-European investors early to scale properly. They highlight Omnes and Move Capital as examples of sophisticated European deep-tech investors backing the deal. The conversation then dives into Caracol’s industrial 3D printing traction — especially a 77% cost reduction in marine parts via additive manufacturing pilots, and the shift from polymer to metal. They stress that this deal is not another AI SaaS hype wave but a “real-tech, atoms-not-bits” case. The episode also covers Maia Ventures’ €55M food/agri-tech fund launch as a counter-cyclical signal in the Italian market. Finally, they discuss whether Europe will match last year’s overall VC deployment, and how deal announcements often lag closing dates, causing misleading end-of-year “spikes.”

Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠Listen to all episodes on audio:Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠Get in touch:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠Email: giacomo@in3.ventures#venturecapital #italy #startup