Italian Founders Fund was established to bring together the 100 most successful digital entrepreneurs in our country to invest in future entrepreneurs during pre-seed and seed rounds, supported by entrepreneurial experience and vision. With additional capital, support will be extended throughout the early-stage phase of startups, including follow-on and later-stage operations.
The new capital pocket will be IFF Expansion, born from the partnership between Italian Founders Fund (IFF) – the first Italian VC for founders, launched in 2024 – and the Digital Transition Fund of CDP Venture Capital Sgr, a vehicle dedicated to supporting Italy's digital transition, also utilizing PNRR resources. This adds an additional €35 million to the amount previously raised by IFF, bringing the total amount of the project to €90M.
In less than two years, Italian Founders Fund has invested in 14 startups founded by Italian entrepreneurs across Italy, the UK, the US, and Singapore. In four cases – including Jet HR and SAVA – it has also participated in subsequent rounds, demonstrating the growing maturity of the national ecosystem and a strong ability to attract capital quickly. Investments in these rounds have been made in co-investment with prominent international funds such as Base10, Picus Capital, Balderton, Dutch Founders Fund, KFund, Y Combinator, further strengthening the connection between the Italian ecosystem and major global hubs. With IFF Expansion, the ability to support foreign startups planning to enter the Italian market is further enhanced, with the aim of creating value locally.
Koinos Capital SGR (an independent management company) launched Italian Founders Fund, integrating it into its platform to strengthen its multi-strategy approach. With IFF Expansion, Koinos further strengthens its Venture Capital capabilities, attracting increasing capital to support the growth of startups.
A key milestone in the growth of this activity is the appointment of Irene Mingozzi – former Principal at Italian Founders Fund – as Partner at Italian Founders Fund and Koinos Capital SGR, confirming the central role she has played in the development of the VC strategy of the SGR and the positioning of Italian Founders Fund as a reference platform for Italian innovation.
Enrico Filì, Head of the Digital Transition Fund at CDP Venture Capital, stated: “The investment in IFF Expansion represents a strategic step for us to more strongly support the development of Italy’s best digital startups. We firmly believe in the country’s innovative potential, and, thanks to IFF’s international network, we aim to attract capital and expertise from abroad, in line with the objectives of the PNRR. IFF is a solid partner for startups, guaranteeing support both on the entrepreneurial and technological fronts.”
Lorenzo Franzi, Partner at Italian Founders Fund and Koinos Capital SGR, commented: “We are very pleased with the opportunity this partnership with CDP Venture Capital Sgr and its Digital Transition Fund opens up. This is the right time to give entrepreneurs and their startups an extra push, as demonstrated by the track record IFF has been able to build in a short period. The Italian ecosystem is changing its skin: it’s more mature, more attractive, more international. With IFF Expansion, we want to strengthen this trend, supporting not only the best Italian ideas but also international ones that want to build in Italy.”