Zakeke, a leading SaaS company in the visual commerce landscape, offering brands advanced tools like live product personalization, superior 3D visualization, augmented reality, and virtual try-on, successfully finalized a €2 million SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) investment round, championed by private equity fund Berrier Capital, driving forward Zakeke’s ambitions for expansive global growth.
The SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) financing approach, popular in Silicon Valley, offers investors a glimpse into potential equity without delving into immediate valuation complexities. The use of a large-scale SAFE agreement marks a significant shift in the Italian investment landscape, given its limited prevalence in the country.
This new investment round for Zakeke brings another update. Stefano Venturi, currently serving as the President of Cefriel, and formerly the CEO of both Hewlett Packard Enterprise Italy and Cisco Systems Italy, has taken a seat on Zakeke’s Board of Directors. His commitment underscores the startup’s remarkable growth trajectory, a claim further substantiated by robust metrics, including an expansive portfolio of over 8.000 clients globally and an impressive growth rate of 98% in the past year.
Angelo Coletta, CEO & Founder of Zakeke, expressed his deep enthusiasm for the recent milestone achieved: “I am immensely pleased with securing new capital for Zakeke in this SAFE investment round, a valuable instrument still underutilized for startups like ours in Italy. Additionally, I am honored and thrilled to have a distinguished professional like Stefano Venturi on board, who, with his standing personality and deep expertise, can assist Zakeke in our ongoing growth process.”
With the closing of this significant investment round, Zakeke sets its sights on continued global growth, setting even more ambitious goals for the upcoming months. The company aims to establish itself as the foremost visual commerce platform across the globe, catering to brands of all scales and providing a comprehensive array of visual commerce solutions on a singular, all-inclusive platform.
Leading the round is Berrier Capital, an investment firm with a focus on unlisted innovative companies. With a commitment to a meticulously diversified portfolio, Berrier Capital selects its investments from a vast array of potential proprietary deals each year, ensuring each meets their rigorous standards after thorough due diligence processes.
Alberto Craici, Equity and Founding Partner of Berrier Capital, said: “We have been increasingly investing in Italian companies with a strong preference for innovation, managers with a proven track record, easily scalable business model, global presence in the relevant market niche and high export propensity, alongside a compelling growth strategy. I’m happy to say that Zakeke, with its disruptive potential, meets all our investment requirements.”
“I am pleased to contribute my three decades of experience as a CEO in American big corporates to an Italian startup that has a global presence and considers the US one of its main target markets. I believe that the blend of expertise and innovation can lead to significant success and encourage continuous ambitious growth.” Stefano Venturi remarks, sharing his thoughts on his new role within Zakeke’s Board of Directors.
Founded in 2017, Zakeke’s comprehensive suite seamlessly integrates with any eCommerce platform or brand’s back-end, enhancing the shopping experience and boosting conversions, while streamlining operations.
Regarding this transaction, Zakeke was advised by Lawyers Alessandro and Valentina Casella from the Casella & Associati Law Firm; Berrier Capital was represented by Lawyer Carlo Scaglioni from the Greenberg Traurig Santa Maria Law Firm.
