Kairos Investment Management S.p.A., an Italian asset management firm, subscribed a capital increase of 5% in U-Start, a professional advisory firm.
The partnership, aimed at facilitating the matching between tech and digital companies and international investors, envisions the formation of U-Start Advisors Sim S.p.A. that will take place at a later time. Once authorized, U-Start Advisors SIM will enable Kairos’ customers to enter the U-Start Club, which now has over 70 members who invested over €10m 2015 in 14 operations implemented by U-Start, to expand their portfolios with operations in tech companies.
In addition, they will have access to training services and networking events exclusive to the members of the U-Start Club, aimed at providing a complete understanding of the dynamics of the digital world.
The activities include Investor Academy, a monthly magazine, webinars and meetings with digital entrepreneurs and investors.
To further strengthen this partnership, Kairos Investment Management is entitled, over the next four years, to subscribe an additional capital increases in U-Start, up to a maximum of 30%.
Co-founded by Stefano Guidotti and Andrea Colombo, U-Start offers advisory services to private investors, family offices, HNWIs and companies, aimed at signalling investment opportunities in the digital and technological space across Europe, Israel and the US, and giving members the possibility to co-invest along with global venture capitalists, including Rocket Internet, Project-A Ventures, Holtzbrinck Ventures, ProFounders Octopus Ventures, Koshla Ventures, Fidelity Growth Partners, Highland Capital, Y-Combinator and Google Ventures.
Shareholders include AngelLab, the venture capital holding of Angelo Moratti, as well as a group of family offices and international entrepreneurs.
Recent investments include US-based Airhelp, Paris-based La Belle Assiette, UK-based ZipJet and Hotelscan, a Swiss-based metasearch for hotels.
Founded in 1999 and led by Paolo Basilico, Kairos is an asset and wealth management firm with more than € 8 billion of assets under management. The firm, which has recently become part of the Julius Baer Group, currently counts 150 employees and 21 partners in offices in Milan, Rome, Turin and in the main international financial centres.
FinSMEs
11/04/2016