Vitis Capital, an Italian search fund promoted by Francesco Contento and Daniele Zagnoni and backed by a group of Italian and international investors, has announced that it has finalised the raising of capital for the search phase for an SME to acquire and actively manage in the long term. With a commitment to cover research costs of €680,000, Vitis Capital is now the leading search fund based in the Veneto region.
A search fund is an investment vehicle through which promoters identify, acquire and directly manage a single target company, with the aim of ensuring its continuity and development in the long term. The model, now widespread in the United States and several European countries, is also finding increasing application in Italy.
Vitis Capital’s fundraising is supported by a group of investors specialising in the ETA model and characterised by strong geographical and professional diversification. In addition to representing the first search investment of the first Italian institutional investment fund dedicated to the model, Eureka! Venture, Vitis is backed by international funds, family offices, entrepreneurs and experienced investors, including Moonbase Global, Inseta Partners, Inversiones Cabiedes, EPA Investissement, Phidias Capital, Turtle Capital, Iniginy Capital, Colca Capital, Ventus Capital, Linta Partners, Monforte Capital, as well as leading individual investors in the sector such as Simon Webster, Pierre-Paul Benoit, Loris Lanzellotti and Giovanni Toffolutti.. All investors contribute to the growth of the project with capital, experience and networks, sharing the vision of supporting entrepreneurial continuity in Italian SMEs.
The project stems from the complementary professional backgrounds of its two promoters, who have worked in the United Kingdom and Italy over the last decade in the financial, commercial, operational and business management sectors. After gaining experience abroad, Contento and Zagnoni decided to bring their acquired skills back to Italy to contribute to the development of the national business fabric, establishing the project in Veneto, one of the most dynamic and industrially advanced regions in Europe.
In Italy, there are over 60,000 companies with revenues ranging from €5 million to €60 million, many of which represent excellence with strong specialisation, international positioning and the ability to generate stable value over time. At the same time, a significant number of these companies are currently facing crucial issues such as generational change, the transition to more structured organisational models and increasing competitive complexity. According to the AUB Observatory, over half of the entrepreneurs at the helm of Italian SMEs are over 60 years old, highlighting a growing need for managerial continuity.
In this scenario, Vitis Capital intends to identify and acquire an Italian SME with a turnover of between €5 million and €60 million, characterised by robust margins, stable cash flows, recurring or semi-recurring revenues and a strong competitive position in its sector. The aim is to preserve the company’s identity and accompany it on a path of structured growth, maintaining an approach geared towards business continuity.
“Our commitment is to take care of an existing business, ensuring its stability and long-term prospects,” said Francesco Contento and Daniele Zagnoni, co-promoters of Vitis Capital (pictured), in a statement. “After years spent in the United Kingdom, we have chosen to return to Italy and invest our skills in the region. Veneto is a unique industrial ecosystem, with companies that are extraordinary in terms of quality, history and innovative capacity: we believe that some of the best opportunities for a long-term business project such as a search fund can be found here.”
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