Fondo Italiano d’Investimento SGR, via its technology growth fund FITEC, invests USD10 million in Apparound,
a cloud-based software platform for digital sales processes
Milan, January 27th, 2022 - Fondo Italiano Tecnologia e Crescita - "FITEC", a tech growth equity fund managed by Fondo Italiano d’Investimento SGR, invests USD10 million in a capital increase to acquire a minority stake in Apparound, a leading CPQ (Configure, Price and Quote) software company. Funds are aimed at supporting the international growth and R&D investments.
Apparound all-in-one SaaS platform is routinely used by a large number of customers in different sectors, including Telecommunications, Utilities, Business Services, Manufacturing, Food & Beverage and Media, to make sales organizations more profitable while working smarter and more efficiently.
In 2021, Apparound was included in the Magic Quadrant ™ of Gartner ® for CPQ applications for the fourth consecutive year.
"We are very proud of this financing round. The resources raised from FITEC will allow us to expand in other markets, and to support our international growth with national and international partnerships", said Gianluca Cagiano, founder and CEO of Apparound.
Antonio Pace, CEO of Fondo Italiano d'Investimento said, "We firmly believe in the potential of Apparound, that will benefit from FITEC's capital and sector expertise, to further accelerate its growth in domestic and international markets”.
"The management team of Apparound has been able to develop a world-class software product and to achieve an outstanding market position, successfully competing with large global players in the software industry" - added Claudio Catania, Senior Partner of FITEC, who will join Apparound Board of Directors.
With the investment in Apparound, the FITEC fund completes its seventh tech growth investment. Other companies in its portfolio are BeMyEye (Marketing Technology), Everli (E-grocery), Healthware (Digital Health), Inxpect, (radar sensors for robotics and industrial safety), Seco (industrial IoT), and Termo (green tech).
Studio Pirola Pennuto Zei & Associati acted as advisor to FITEC. GOP and studio Craia assisted Apparound. Klecha & Co acted as financial advisor.
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Contacts:
Fondo Italiano d’Investimento:
Roberto Del Giudice
Fondo Italiano d’Investimento SGR
Tel. +39 02 63532.1
roberto.delgiudice@fondoitaliano.it
Lavinia Borea
LB Partners
Tel. +39 335 6583925
lavinia.borea@lbpartners.net
Apparound S.p.A.
External Relations and Communication
Tel. +39 050 775849
marketing@apparound.com
Apparound S.p.A.
Apparound was founded in 2008 in Pisa with the aim of improving the productivity of commercial processes with advanced and integrated platforms.
Its software, based on cloud technology and delivered as SaaS on tablets, smartphones and on the web, is extremely easy to use and supports business salesforces during the entire process from the presentation of marketing material (brochures, videos, etc. ...) to the configuration of the offer, from the generation of the contract to the closing of the negotiation with electronic signature.
Fondo Italiano d’Investimento SGR
Fondo Italiano d’Investimento SGR (“Fondo Italiano” or “FII SGR”) was founded in 2010 on the initiative of the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF). Its shareholders include CDP Equity, Intesa Sanpaolo, Unicredit, Abi and Confindustria. Funds managed by FII SGR have a strategic, long-term outlook, and invest patient capital in Italian companies to support their innovation and competitiveness
FII SGR - with Assets Under Management in excess of € 3 billion - manages 13 closed-ended direct investment funds or funds of funds. FII SGR considers sustainability a fundamental value and is committed to integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into its investment activities.
FITEC is a tech growth fund managed by Fondo Italiano d'Investimento SGR. It made its first closing in September 2017 with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti as its Cornerstone Investor. Today it manages € 133 million and invests in small and medium-sized innovative Italian tech companies with revenue between € 5 and € 70 million to support their growth, product development and commercial competitiveness.