🇮🇹🚀 Ciao Italia Earlier this week, we held the official launch event for Founders Factory Italy, with our two partners @FASTWEB and @mediobanca, bringing together some of the best and brightest in Italian tech and VC. 100+ joined us for aperitivi and networking, hearing from a panel featuring Italy sector director @sal_matteis, @gian_gram (co-founder of @shopcircleco), and @EmiliaGarito (founder of Quantum Leap & Deep Ocean Capital). Afterwards, we held an intimate dinner for some of Italy’s top CEOs, VC partners, and business leaders. 👏 Thank you to all who joined us across both events, including representatives from @gucci, Mediaset, @OctopusEnergy, @GENERALI, @TernaSpA, @Italgas and many more. Our Italian adventure is only just beginning. If you’re interested in joining our team, we are currently hiring: bit.ly/3PqjFYK #italy #startups #founders #networking

@shopcircleco (FF Accelerator 2021) has just closed a $120m Series A round, led by @645ventures and @threeVC , with participation from previous backers @QEDInvestors and @NFX Here’s five reasons we’re so excited by this e-commerce software platform 👇 --- 1. Their story so far Having chosen to build the company initially in stealth mode, founders @CartechiniLuca and @gian_gram had their work cut out for them with hiring, fundraising, and building a brand. When they did emerge, their team numbered over 50, they’d acquired 20+ apps, and had raised a whopping $65m in pre-Series A funding 2. The team Luca and Gian embody founder market fit for this problem. Gian had years of experience at @amazon , with a strong overview of the ecommerce industry well and understanding merchants’ pain points. Luca came from VC, bringing a macro perspective of trends and where opportunities lie. It’s no wonder they were named in Forbes 30 Under 30 last year. 3. Their suite of tools They’ve spent the last few years growing their suite of tools to build a comprehensive software solution for ecommerce merchants (primarily on @Shopify), from loyalty points to smart segmentation to dynamic video background tools. 4. Their holistic approach to supporting founders On top of their suite of tools, they recently launched a consulting service, leveraging AI and hyper personalised data-driven insights to optimise brands’ tech stacks. Gian says: “With our tech stack review program, we are able to help e-commerce companies unlock their true potential by shedding unneeded tech and costs, enabling long-term success and scale.” 5. Their trajectory In just a few years, Shop Circle has gone from strength to strength. They’ve raised $185m in funding to date, accumulated 30+ apps on their platform, and are already seeing 360% year-on-year growth. The future is bright. ➡️ Read all about their fundraise here in @Forbes: bit.ly/44FWpLV