The Week in Italian Startup

Giacomo Mollo
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The Week in Italian Startup discusses and analyzes the latest news from the Italian startup ecosystem. Giacomo Mollo is a former academic in philosophy turned tech investor. He is co-founder and partner of iN3 Ventures, a corporate innovation and VC firm. Niccolò Sanarico is an Oxford MBA and a software engineer with a passion for innovation and startups. He is currently an Investment Manager at Primo Ventures SGR, a venture capital firm based in Italy.

  1. FEB 13

    Inside Newcleo’s MOX-Fuel SMR Bet: Turning Nuclear Waste Into Power #192

    The episode breaks down Newcleo’s €75M growth round and why nuclear is inherently capital-intensive, with a bold timeline toward prototypes and operations. The episode clarifies key nuclear concepts—SMRs for deployability, MOX fuel for circularity (recycling nuclear waste into energy), and the difference between megawatt thermal vs megawatt electric as an efficiency lens. The episode also highlights why Newcleo’s cap table matters: industrial investors signal credible demand from heavy industries like steel, chemicals, and shipping. The episode then shifts to Italy’s infrastructure wave: major investments in AI-ready data centers around Milan and strategic consolidation in fiber/subsea connectivity (including Retelit’s BT Italia deal). (retelit.it) . A sharp “next moat” angle emerges—heat reuse as a competitive advantage for data centers, plus distributed compute/heating experiments. Finally, Omney stands out as a traction story: a financial education startup attacking Italy’s low financial literacy, reportedly matching its pre-seed raise in revenue within a week and scaling an audience fast. Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠Listen to all episodes on audio:Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠Get in touch:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠Email: giacomo@in3.ventures#venturecapital #italy #startup

    18 min

  2. FEB 5

    CrowdFundMe becomes a startup and SME financing player; TeamSystem in Spain; Genenta evolves #191

    The discussion opens with the Smart Capital, CrowdFundMe, and WeAreStarting reverse merger, highlighting how a publicly listed SME finance platform could act as a “finance operating system” rather than a traditional crowdfunding play. The hosts unpack regulatory mechanics like the Whitewash Clause and minority shareholder protection, explaining why this structure accelerates consolidation. Attention then shifts to TeamSystem’s acquisition of AIG Classic in Spain, framing accounting software as a compliance-driven SaaS gold rush. The conversation escalates with Genenta Science’s radical transformation into a biotech, defense, aerospace, and national security consolidator. The episode closes by connecting dual-use technology, geopolitics, and government intervention, showing how investor sentiment and public markets are rapidly realigning. Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠Listen to all episodes on audio:Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠Get in touch:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠Email: giacomo@in3.ventures#venturecapital #italy #startup

    20 min

  3. JAN 29

    110M for D-Orbit changing space logistics, BRUM, ITA VC Report 2025 #190

    The discussion starts with early-year funding momentum in Italy, highlighting structured club deals and their role in smaller and mid-size rounds. A major focus is D-Orbit’s €110M growth round, led by Azimut, showcasing how accredited investor networks and Luxembourg-based SPV vehicles are reshaping capital aggregation. The hosts analyze why advanced fund structures outside Italy enable faster execution and regulatory clarity. The conversation then shifts to Brum, a mobility-tech startup digitizing driver’s license processes, and why Italian Founders Fund’s rapid deployment matters. The episode concludes with insights from 2025 ecosystem reports, revealing Italy’s strong growth rates but structurally smaller early-stage round sizes compared to other European markets. The key takeaway: Italy’s venture ecosystem is maturing fast, but scaling capital efficiency remains the real unlock.

    13 min

  4. JAN 21

    AI Materials Discovery Is the Real Engine Behind Climate Tech Innovation #189

    The discussion opens with fresh 2025 VC barometer data, highlighting Italy’s structural gap in VC funding per capita relative to GDP despite improving deal activity. The conversation then dives into climate deep tech, examining how AI-driven materials discovery could address rare earth bottlenecks and enable next-generation clean technologies. A featured case is Rara , a university spin-off applying AI to novel materials research, showing how data and experimentation become the true moat. The episode also analyzes a major digital health growth round combining equity, bank financing, and M&A strategy as a repeatable European pattern. It closes with reflections on Italian funds investing abroad and what this signals for the maturity and international reach of Italy’s VC ecosystem. Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠Listen to all episodes on audio:Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠Get in touch:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠Email: giacomo@in3.ventures#venturecapital #italy #startup

    12 min

  5. JAN 19

    Inside Italy’s 2025 VC Data: Growth, AI, Robotics, and Institutional Power #188

    talian startup funding, venture capital trends, AI, biotech, robotics, and institutional investors define this episode’s deep dive into the 2025–2026 ecosystem outlook. The discussion highlights how 2025 became the second-best fundraising year after 2022, driven by a record-breaking Q4 with several mega-rounds. The hosts analyze why round size—not volume—explains the rebound, and how late announcements skew quarterly data. They explore Italy’s structural reliance on institutional capital, particularly CDP, and debate whether this slows or stabilizes ecosystem development. Key sectors like biotech, robotics, and enterprise AI alignment emerge as long-term strengths, supported by strong academic tech transfer. The episode also unpacks Italy’s seed-heavy funding profile and what it implies for future Series A and B growth. Overall, the conversation frames cautious optimism: momentum is real, but maturity will take time. Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠Listen to all episodes on audio:Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠Get in touch:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠Email: giacomo@in3.ventures#venturecapital #italy #startup

    21 min

  6. 12/17/2025

    DeepTech in Italy is holding strong; Scale Up Debt as Source of Funding? #187

    This episode explores Italian startups, venture capital, deep tech, robotics, AI cybersecurity, and European scale-up financing at the close of 2025. The hosts break down how Italian startups reached approximately €1.4B in raised capital, driven by a strong Q4 and increased deep-tech momentum. A major focus is Generative Bionics, a humanoid robotics spin-off from the Italian Institute of Technology, highlighting the rise of physical AI and industrial robotics applications. The discussion then shifts to AI-driven cybersecurity, emphasizing continuous automated security testing as a response to increasingly sophisticated AI-powered attacks. The episode also analyzes a €70M European Investment Bank scale-up debt deal, showing how hybrid debt-equity instruments are reshaping European growth financing. Throughout the conversation, the speakers underline a “European-first” scaling mindset and the strategic importance of coordinated public-private capital deployment. The episode closes with reflections on upcoming opportunities in space tech and European innovation ecosystems. Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠ Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠ Listen to all episodes on audio: Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠ Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠ Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠ Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠ Get in touch: Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠ Email: giacomo@in3.ventures #venturecapital #italy #startup

    16 min

  7. 12/11/2025

    Bending Spoons and Shop Circle: Are Credit Deals Beating Venture Capital?; LLM Executing #186

    The hosts start by reviewing how Italian startup funding is rebounding toward €1.5B and why that matters versus previous years. They then dive into Bending Spoons’ $500M acquisition of Eventbrite at roughly a 90% premium, unpacking why a flat-revenue, legacy events platform can still be a powerful margin-optimization play. The conversation moves to Shop Circle’s $100M credit facility and how “acquire, optimize, hold” might become a distinctly European scaling archetype, different from hyperscale VC rounds. They debate whether debt-backed acquisition platforms can become a true alternative to traditional venture capital for profitable but non-hyperscaling companies stuck in “European limbo.” From there, the episode shifts into the future of SEO in an AI-first world, contrasting monitoring tools with execution platforms powered by agents. The guests argue that agent-driven execution is far stickier than pure analytics, because it embeds directly into creators’ and brands’ workflows. Finally, they highlight ontology and structured, machine-readable brand memory as the real long-term moat for SEO in an era where AI agents, not humans, increasingly navigate the web. Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠ Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠ Listen to all episodes on audio: Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠ Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠ Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠ Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠ Get in touch: Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠ Email: giacomo@in3.ventures #venturecapital #italy #startup

    23 min

  8. 11/26/2025

    Biocentis raising 11M, Finapp, Keen Ventures EU Defense Fund #185

    The hosts start by recapping Slush, explaining why it remains one of Europe’s top startup events and how to get real value by planning meetings and side events early. They then dive into the hot question of whether we’re in an AI bubble, debating if and when it might burst and whether investors can realistically stay long innovation while trying to short the AI trade. The conversation shifts to Italy, highlighting how 2025 is shaping up as one of the strongest years ever for Italian VC with robust round volumes. A major focus is a biotech spinoff from Imperial College working on biopesticides, leveraging more than 15 years of gene-editing research and tailwinds from EU plans to cut chemical pesticide use by 2030, backed by new climate-tech fund Algebris. They also cover a deep-tech water measurement startup that uses cosmic neutrons to monitor soil moisture and water flows, opening applications in agriculture, drought management, landslide prevention and leakage detection in city infrastructure. Finally, they unpack the rise of defense tech and dual-use technologies in Europe, including a large new European defense and security fund supported by the European Investment Fund, and reflect on what this means for future Italian dealflow. Niccolò's newsletter: ⁠⁠http://dealflowit.niccolosanarico.com/⁠⁠ Watch on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@giacomomollo⁠ Listen to all episodes on audio: Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3fVynsQ⁠⁠ Google Podcast: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3thf9RC⁠⁠ Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Elhykq⁠⁠ Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/9Dtd9⁠⁠ Get in touch: Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/giacxxx⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/giacomomollo⁠⁠ Email: giacomo@in3.ventures #venturecapital #italy #startup

    14 min
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About

The Week in Italian Startup discusses and analyzes the latest news from the Italian startup ecosystem. Giacomo Mollo is a former academic in philosophy turned tech investor. He is co-founder and partner of iN3 Ventures, a corporate innovation and VC firm. Niccolò Sanarico is an Oxford MBA and a software engineer with a passion for innovation and startups. He is currently an Investment Manager at Primo Ventures SGR, a venture capital firm based in Italy.

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