Led · Seed · Jun 2023

Hotiday is a Milan-based traveltech startup founded in 2022 that selects rooms within partner properties and adapts them to travellers’ needs while preserving each location’s character. The company combines services, technology, design and comfort with a proprietary revenue management system and advanced data analytics to help hotels optimize pricing and increase revenues. Hotiday monetizes natural unsold inventory to raise occupancy rates and generate passive income for properties. In the last year it hosted more than 33,000 people across more than 90 tourist destinations in Europe. The startup intends to use new funding to open locations in major European resorts and cities, broaden services offered to partner hoteliers and expand its team. Hotiday purchases unsold hotel rooms from partner facilities and resells them online under a proprietary “Hotiday Hotels” brand, operating as a decentralized, data-driven hotel chain. It uses a proprietary algorithm and an instant-buying logic to acquire rooms at the right price, offers cashback to travellers, and provides digital services such as online check-in and a digital concierge via an app. Since its founding in March 2022 the startup has grown rapidly and achieved a turnover of over €1 million by 2023 while serving multiple facilities across Italy. The company plans to invest new funds in technology to further enhance its algorithm and online platform, pursue new acquisitions, and expand its presence throughout Italy. Hotiday also intends to expand the team with hires including a product manager and a sales account to support growth. Founders include Vittorio Gargiulo (CEO), Federico Di Carlo (Chairman & CCO), and Federico Brunelli (CFO), all with hospitality experience.

Led · Series B · May 2023

Garantme builds insurance solutions targeted at professionals in the real estate sector. The company focuses on proptech insurance products designed to serve landlords, tenants and property professionals. It completed a €15 million Series B to support its growth plans. The financing round involved several venture capital investors, signaling institutional support for expansion. The article locates Garantme in France and describes the round as venture capital (Series B). No operating metrics or revenue figures are reported in the article.

Participated · Equity · Sep 2021

Frenetic specialises in the simulation, design, and production of high-frequency magnetic components used in devices that require power. The company’s technology aims to replace industry trial-and-error workflows, claiming three times the accuracy and a reduction of typical design timelines from nine months to one week. Frenetic’s solutions address a large market—the global magnetics market was valued at $38.3 billion in 2022 and is forecast to reach $49.3 billion within five years. The company has partnerships with Novasonix, Bosch, Sumida, and Thales Alenia Space, and its magnetics have been integrated into the International Space Station. Frenetic plans to scale into the US and open a Silicon Valley office to support more customers. The company recently completed a $12M Series A round led by Kibo Ventures, with existing backers participating. Frenetic uses artificial intelligence to design magnetic and electronic components—transformers and inductors—with high precision, targeting applications from EV chargers to aerospace. The company’s technology also searches stock and optimizes designs to mitigate chip and magnetic-component supply issues. Frenetic has launched a SaaS platform that customers adopted quickly, and cites client results such as reducing a magnetic component development time from six months to two hours and cutting manufacturing cost by 50%. Its customer roster includes Mercedes Formula 1, ABB, Apple and Siemens. Frenetic was supported in 2020 by the European Commission’s Accelerator Pilot program. The recent financing will be used to expand commercially and scale the customer base, including planned local subsidiaries.

Led · Equity · Nov 2020

Lifecole operates Spain’s first marketplace offering live, online extracurricular classes for children aged three to 18. The platform connects pupils, parents and experienced teachers to deliver innovative, live courses aimed at awakening curiosity, new skills and future-ready techniques. Founded and constituted in Barcelona earlier this year, the company was created by Belén Cabido, Fausto Escriga, Miguel Vicente, Gerard Olivé and Atresmedia Hub Factory. Lifecole raised €600,000 in its first round of financing and had a team of six professionals at the time of the announcement. It is starting in the Spanish market but aspires to become a European leader and later expand to Latin America in a phase-two roll-out, targeting some 293 million school-age children across both regions. The company cites more than €2 billion in annual Spanish family spending on extracurricular education as the market opportunity for its offering.

Participated · Equity · Aug 2019

Exoticca operates a traveltech platform that digitizes and sells complex multi-day tour packages combining flights, hotels, transfers and activities across 70+ destinations. The company is investing heavily in its proprietary AI-powered interconnectivity systems to synchronize services, personalize recommendations, optimize pricing and automate itinerary creation. Management says these AI capabilities improve matching between travelers and experiences while boosting operational efficiency and partner relationships. Exoticca is present in markets including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, Colombia and Mexico, and generates more than 75% of its business in North America. The company positions itself as a digital pioneer in the €100 billion multi-day tour package sector and is a portfolio company of several venture funds. Recent financings have strengthened its balance sheet to support further international expansion and technology investment. Exoticca runs a platform that integrates flights, hotels, meals, transfers, transport and local suppliers to simplify booking of complex multiday tour packages. The company says its model can reduce costs by as much as 30% compared with traditional offerings. Exoticca reports it has more than doubled sales year-over-year since 2015. It operates in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Mexico and Colombia through a network of online and offline travel and non-travel partners and offers 70 destinations from its Barcelona headquarters. Seventy-five percent of its business comes from the U.S. and Canada and the company targets middle- and upper-middle-class customers. Management says the objective is to expand into Latin America, the Middle East, India and China. Exoticca digitises high-complexity, big-ticket tours (multiple flights, hotels and activities) and offers them completely online with real-time availability, removing traditional brick-and-mortar intermediaries. Its platform speeds up purchasing and helps deliver more affordable prices for large trips. The company has expanded into Latin America, recently opening Mexico and Colombia, and plans to launch five more markets in the region by 2024. Exoticca reports rapid revenue growth: from €2 million in its first year (2015) to €200 million in 2023, and it expects to reach €300 million in sales by the end of 2024. To date the company has raised over €85 million in funding. Management positions the business for continued geographic expansion using digital distribution to scale. Exoticca, founded in 2013 and based in Barcelona, is a next-generation tour operator that enables online booking of complex multi-day trips by bundling flights, hotels, transfers and activities in one platform. The company uses technology to deliver a frictionless purchasing experience, real-time monitoring and enhanced in-destination customer support. It currently sells trips to over 60 destinations across seven markets (US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Spain and Mexico) and recently launched a B2B vertical for traditional travel agencies. Exoticca has reported sustained growth with an average compounded growth rate of over 100% since 205 and expects to close 2022 with €120 million in revenue. The platform raised a €20 million venture debt financing led by Claret Capital Partners and Sabadell Venture Capital, bringing the company's total funding to €66 million. Proceeds will be used to accelerate growth, increase investment in technology and product, and support expansion into the Americas. Exoticca operates a digital platform for multi-day package tours to long-haul destinations, enabling online purchase of complex packages with flights, hotels and activities. Its platform covers over 50 destinations worldwide. The company is based in Barcelona and currently operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain. Led by CEO Pere Vallès, Exoticca plans to use new funding to invest in technology and product to further automate the booking process and enhance travelers' experience. The company is also open to growing through acquisitions. Financially, Exoticca has raised a total of $53M to date after closing a $30M Series C.