Italian Founders Fund (IFF), a first-ever Italian Venture Capital fund created by founders for founders, announced the launch of its debut €50 million fund. Backed by a diverse group of Italian entrepreneurs covering a range of generations and sectors, IFF is driven by a shared goal: empowering Italy’s next generation of exceptional talent and digital innovation.
With over €50 million of entirely private capital raised, the fund was born as a direct response to the Italian founders community’s desire to put Italy on the map of the best spots in Europe to open a company.
Italian Founders Fund’s investment strategy focuses on being the lead investor in the pre-seed and seed rounds of innovative startups led by Italian founders, whether operating in Italy or abroad, while also being able to target foreign startups interested in entering the Italian market.
IFF is led by Lorenzo Franzi, former partner at Global Founders Capital. Lorenzo brings a remarkable international professional background, ranging from investment banking to experience as the founder of a digital startup. After many years abroad, Lorenzo has returned to Italy to launch the fund by partnering with a group of the best Italian founders.
Lorenzo Franzi, founding partner at Italian Founders Fund, commented: “A new chapter has begun for the Italian Venture Capital ecosystem. We’ve brought over 100 founders onboard, including key figures from Italy’s entrepreneurial and innovation sector, and we also have representatives from the firmly established business owner/investor community. This positions us to set up a truly integrated system that can promote and support Italy’s promising ecosystem both at home and on the global map. We are convinced that by unifying the country’s ambitions and talents, we’ll help shape our future economy for the better.”
For Franzi, the launch of this fund is a significant sign of maturity for the Italian digital ecosystem, as seen in other countries where the presence of VC funds fueled by private capital and the experience of successful founders is a clear indication of a maturing and growing ecosystem. The fund, housed within the management company Koinos Capital SGR, stands out on the peninsula for its uniquely collaborative community approach.
In addition to funding, IFF offers its portfolio companies the expertise, experience, time, and network of a diverse and highly qualified investor base. Within the IFF, founder investors also actively participate in the process of identifying investment opportunities and analyzing them, allowing the investment team to gain an even deeper understanding of the sector and the challenges faced by target companies. By becoming the top investment network for ambitious Italian founders, IFF will serve as a privileged gateway for international funds looking to invest in Italy, facilitating co-investment from the earliest stages.
IFF aims to complete 25 transactions over its investment period, with initial investments ranging from €500,000 to €1.5 million and the possibility of accessing an additional €2.5 million in subsequent rounds.
Marco Morgese, CEO of the management company KOINOS Capital SGR, added: “This type of founder-led fund is already prevalent in markets where innovation is at the forefront of industrial development policies. We see them in the USA with Founders Fund, which has been around for almost 20 years, as well as in Europe where 10x founders operates in Germany, Galion.exe in France, ByFounders in Scandinavia, and Dutch Founders Fund in the Netherlands.”
