The Venture Codex

Participated · Series C · Oct 2020

WISE develops implantable, stretchable electronic electrodes using its proprietary Supersonic Technology to create ultra-thin elastomeric foils that aim to improve tissue conformability, softness, adhesion and signal sensing versus rigid electrodes. Its lead product in the round, the Heron lead, is a spinal cord stimulation device designed to deliver targeted directional stimulation via a minimally invasive percutaneous implant technique and to combine the precision of paddle leads with the procedural ease of cylindrical leads. WISE also markets the WISE Cortical Strip, a soft and stretchable electrode for intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring that has CE marking under MDR, FDA clearance, and is commercially available in Europe, the U.S., and Australia. The company plans to use the Series D proceeds to complete the Heron lead’s regulatory certification pathway, fund a first-in-human study, and scale commercialization of its electrode portfolio across target markets. The company positions its technology to support higher energy efficiency, improved anatomical coverage, better neural signal sensing, and reduced lead migration. The financing coincided with governance updates, including the appointment of Laura Iris Ferro as Chairperson and the addition of Giuseppe Corvino to the board.

Participated · Equity · Dec 2016

Sellf is a personal mobile CRM application co-founded by Diego Pizzocaro, Filippo Zanella and Franco Roman. The app helps salespeople, freelancers and small teams reach sales goals and manage their business by reminding users what to do next, monitoring results and correlating them with activities to enable quick decisions. It is available for iPhone, iPad, Android and the web. Clients include Unicar and Waldner, among others, and the product is used by a total of 100k people. The company raised approximately €400k in venture capital and is using the funds to grow the team and expand its sales and inbound marketing efforts. Sellf develops a mobile CRM application designed for SMEs, freelancers and sales professionals to manage clients, deals and day-to-day sales activities while on the move. The product emphasizes strong UX/UI and avoids complex, desktop-based CRM workflows. Key features include tracking daily activities, recording new contacts and deals in the field, and relating sales performance to actual activity. The company is led by Filippo Zanella and the team includes Diego Pizzocaro, Fabio Maran, Franco Roman, Renato Riva and Miriam Bertoli. Sellf has completed a seed funding round and plans to use the proceeds to hire new staff to develop and launch the product. Backers include Club Italia Investimenti and H-Farm Ventures, which also incubates the company.

Participated · Equity · Oct 2016

CoContest is a crowdsourcing platform dedicated to interior design projects that allows users to launch contests to create and restyle houses and offices. Designers submit proposals which users can visualize and interact with throughout the contest, and a winner is selected to receive a cash prize. The company was founded in Rome and is now based in San Francisco; it was incubated at Luiss Enlabs and accelerated at Startup Chile and 500 Startups. Co-founded by CEO Filippo Schiano Di Pepe, COO Federico Schiano Di Pepe, and Head of Sales Alessandro Rossi, the company currently has a team of nine and plans to add five more hires. It raised $1.89M in funding and will use the proceeds to increase headcount and expand operations worldwide. COO Federico Schiano Di Pepe was named to Forbes' European 30 Under 30 in 2015. CoContest operates an online interior-design marketplace that uses a contest method, letting customers choose the best designer based exclusively on project quality. The platform enables customers to receive dozens of different design proposals at a fraction of the price of traditional designers. It reports 20,000 architects and interior designers registered from over 90 countries. The company was co-founded in Rome, Italy by Filippo Schiano di Pepe, Federico Schiano di Pepe and Alessandro Rossi. CoContest has incorporated in Silicon Valley and aims to expand its business in the U.S., connecting its large community of European architects with American clients. Financially, the company will receive $100K in convertible notes from 500 Startups and previously raised $200K in seed funding in 2013. CoContest is a Rome, Italy-based crowdsourcing platform that lets users launch competitions among interior designers to obtain renovation projects. The service connects clients with designers worldwide to provide multiple affordable interior-design ideas, while helping designers find clients and real estate companies illustrate renovation outcomes. The company is co-founded by brothers Federico and Filippo Schiano di Pepe. CoContest raised $200k in seed funding led by LVenture with participation from two angel investors. It was also selected for Startup Chile’s 7th batch and will receive $40k in non-equity funding. The company plans to use the proceeds to improve the service, expand operations, and open an office in New York City in the coming months.

Led · Seed · Mar 2014

Cellply develops analytical tools for cell therapy and regenerative medicine, with its flagship VivaCyte platform at the center of its commercial strategy. VivaCyte combines patented microfluidic technology, AI-powered automated image analysis, comprehensive automation, and dedicated software to enable characterization of immunotherapies and cell-based therapies at single-cell resolution. The company is prioritizing international expansion of VivaCyte and the development of automated functional testing solutions to improve cell potency assessment and streamline batch release for ATMPs. Cellply framed these quality-control solutions as critical to enabling scalability, sustainability, and broader patient access to complex and personalized medicines. The company has strengthened its board with the addition of Miro Venturi as it scales commercially. Cellply aims to become a global leader in analytical tools for research and quality control in the cell therapy and regenerative medicine sectors.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2014

Plannify is an event search engine co-founded by Enrico Gennari, Carlo Scabin and CEO Luigi Gioni and also led by newly named president Massimo Fregnani. The platform aggregates events (shows, concerts, restaurants, experiences, sports, etc.), enables sharing and commenting on social networks, and supports online ticket purchases. The company is focused on improving its search engine to collect the highest number of events possible. Plannify intends to develop a smartphone and tablet app, release new agenda features and launch new versions in Europe. It plans to expand abroad and hire developers, designers, content editors and sales professionals to support product development and growth. The company raised €725k in funding to finance these initiatives.