Participated · Equity · Mar 2019

Mindesk provides a platform for modeling CAD in VR/AR that allows users to create and modify tridimensional objects in real time. The platform is available as plug‑ins for McNeel Rhinoceros, Grasshopper and Dassault SolidWorks and is mainly used in engineering, the naval industry and the creative arts. The company recently introduced a Rhino plug‑in with Unreal Editor, developed in partnership with Epic Games, to add photorealism to CAD 3D modeling for AEC use cases. Founded in 2015 and led by CEO Gabriele Sorrento, Mindesk is headquartered in Bari and has opened an office in San Francisco after completing Vive X, HTC Vive’s AR/VR accelerator. The company says it will continue to develop software in both Italy and the USA and use the new funding to expand operations and development efforts. Mindesk develops a virtual reality-powered immersive 3D CAD modelling interface aimed at architects, engineers and designers. Its platform lets users connect modeling projects in the third dimension, edit them in virtual reality mode, and collaborate in real time. The company is based in Bari, Italy, and also maintains an office in San Francisco. Mindesk was co-founded by Gabriele Sorrento, Sergio Giorgio and Vittorio Bava. It has been selected to participate in HTC’s Vive X acceleration program and has attracted interest from Microsoft, Samsung and Facebook. The company raised €670K to continue development of the technology, implement further CAD solutions, and support mass production and distribution efforts.

Participated · Seed · Dec 2018

Endostart is a Certaldo (Florence, Tuscany, Italy)-based startup focused on reducing the complexity of endoscopic procedures through ferrofluid- and magnetic-field technologies. Its lead product, Endorail, is an endoscopic magnetic guidewire composed of a balloon guidewire, a ferrofluid prefilled syringe and an external magnet to guide a colonoscope and avoid incomplete colonoscopies. The company says the technology can shorten procedural time, reduce patient pain and discomfort, and lower healthcare-related costs. Endostart raised a €1m seed financing led by Panakès Partners with participation from Estor, A11 Venture and business angels. The funds will be used to develop an entire new family of devices based on ferrofluid and magnetic fields and to advance Endorail. The founding team includes Alessandro Tozzi MD, who left his medical director role to serve as CEO, and Alberto Bruni, president of Special Electronic Design Srl, who brings business administration and finance experience.

Led · Equity · Dec 2016

Adabra provides a marketing automation platform that helps e-commerce businesses and retailers increase sales by delivering personalized shopping experiences. The platform analyzes user behavior and shows the most relevant products for each user using proprietary technologies that collect, aggregate and normalize data from multiple sources and follow customers across channels and devices. Led by CEO Gian Mario Infelici, the company was incubated within NanaBianca and maintains offices in Arezzo and additional offices in Manno and Chiasso, Switzerland. In December 2016 Adabra raised €1.1m in funding from investors including A11 Venture. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations, open a new office in Milan, and hire additional staff.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2016

Armadio Verde operates an online marketplace and exchange platform for children’s clothing where parents send unused items for quality assessment. The company’s team analyzes received pieces and assigns a quality score expressed in stars. Parents can use that score to exchange for clothing from the online store (paying a €5 service fee per piece) or buy items directly from the site collection. In its first twelve months the platform recorded 500k unique visitors, with 100k visits in January 2016, and 2.7k transactions in total. Co-founded by Eleonora Dellera and David Erba and based in Milan, the company plans to use new funding to continue platform development, increase marketing and recruitment, and expand in Italy and across Europe.

Participated · Equity · Dec 2015

Neuron Guard, founded in 2013 and based in Modena, Italy, develops an emergency brain‑protection medical device for patients with Acute Brain Damage (ABD). Its solution comprises a refrigerating collar and a collar control unit that achieves and maintains therapeutic hypothermia of the head district. The company obtained an Italian patent in January 2015 and extended protection to the US, Europe, UAE, Qatar, China, Russia, Brazil, India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, and Israel in April 2015. Neuron Guard has raised €656k in funding, with backers including A11 Venture and other private investors, in addition to €250k from founders and €96k from public sources. It intends to use the funds to start production of the first devices in partnership with Italian and international companies and to conduct a pilot study with Cambridge University. The company is seeking additional capital with a target of €2.5m to reach the market within 24 months.