CAPITAL INCREASE OF EURO 450,000 IN STARTUP PRESTIAMOCI BY DIGITAL MAGICS AND MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS
The incubator and current investor shareholders continue to support the first and only Italian financial startup dedicated to the peer-to-peer lending
Through this funding, Prestiamoci will focus on growth by launching marketing and communication campaigns and activities, strengthening brand awareness, and acquiring new lenders and borrowers
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Milan, 19th September 2014 – Digital Magics, certified incubator of innovative start-up listed on AIM Italia — the Italian stock market, symbol:Â DM –, and other important Italian and international investors signed a capital increase of Euro 450,000 in Prestiamoci, the only Italian start-up authorized as a financial service by the Bank of Italy for the management of a social lending platform (personal loans amongst individuals on the Internet).
The venture incubator participated in this operation investing Euro 107,000, continuing to support this innovative start-up together with Prestiamoci’s Board of Directors and other investors, including European and American private and institutional traders, experts in the field of P2P lending, and members of Digital Magics Angel Network, who participated in the previous capital increase on October 2013 (see Press Release).
Digital Magics Angel Network is a network of over 100 private individuals, institutional, industrial, and financial investors, who side Digital Magics in the selection, mentorship and investment in digital start-ups that offer high technological value content and services.
After a turnaround completed few months ago, and thanks to this capital increase, Prestiamoci will focus on growth and development of disruptive and innovative business. The start-up team is already working to implement communication plans and strategic marketing activities, to strengthen brand awareness, and to increase the number of users who want to get a loan (applicants) and who want to invest money (lenders) on www.prestiamoci.it.
Federico Provinciali – who last year served Prestiamoci as a consultant for the design and implementation of the end-to-end credit and risk managment – joins the Board of Directors, buying a stake in the company, and becoming Chief Risk Officer of Prestiamoci. For over 20 years Federico worked in finance: he held the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Officer in key Italian and international banks such as UniCredit Clarima and Barclays.
“We are very proud that investors decided to stand by our start-up again. Prestiamoci continues on its growth path according to plan; lately we have also noticed a strong interest at national and international level in social lending ” said Michele Novelli, Partner of Digital Magics and Managing Director of Prestiamoci “After a year of successful cooperation we welcome Federico Provinciali, who decided to join our board and to play an operational role in the company: further confirmation of the importance of the project and the strength and value of our team”.
“P2P lending is a great idea that allows all parties involved, lenders and applicants, to receive benefits thanks to the transparency and the ability to compare options: a fortunate situation that does not happen very often” states Federico Provinciali, Chief Risk Officer and Board Member of Prestiamoci, “I decided to devote my energies to Prestiamoci as I believe that the really efficient social lending practice needs a very sophisticated capability to assess the risk profile of the applicants, assigning to each of them the right price. We have already done a lot in this direction and I am determined to contribute further to make Prestiamoci an outstanding operations”.
This announcement is available online on www.digitalmagics.com under the section Investor Relations – Press releases.
Digital Magics – www.digitalmagics.com
Digital Magics is a certified venture incubator of innovative digital start-ups that offers high technological value content and services. Digital Magics is quoted on AIM Italy, the Alternative Capital Market dedicated to small and medium-sized Italian enterprises with high growth potential, organised and managed by the Italian Stock Exchange. Digital Magics builds and develops internet start-ups, working alongside their founders, investing equity and providing acceleration services. Starting from talent and ideas, it transforms them into successful disruptive businesses in the Italian and international digital economy. The incubator promotes a culture of entrepreneurship and risk, contributing to economic growth and the employment of young people. Digital Magics offers services to support the innovation, creation and development of digital start-ups, and it supports them in the search for new Italian or international private and public investors to fund the successive stages of development. The Digital Magics model is unique in Italy and is based on the Digital Magics LAB: the team which identifies, analyses and launches new initiatives, providing innovative start-ups with digital business acceleration services for company’s development. Digital Magics has a portfolio of over 45 investments in startups. It has achieved 6 exit, and only 4 write-offs. To date, the incubator has invested approximately 13 million euro, of which 5 million has come from the exit. Currently, the average investment is around 300,000 euro.
Prestiamoci – www.prestiamoci.it
Is the leading platform for loans between individuals in Italy. A trademark of Agatha SpA, a registered financial intermediary company. Approved in 2009 by the Bank of Italy, Prestiamoci aims to develop the market for loans between people (P2P) that allows investors to lend money to individuals and companies. Prestiamoci facilitates the making of the loan while providing only a portion of the total financing.
Integrae SIM acts as a Nomad and a Specialist under the AIM Italy Issuers’ Regulations. For communication transmission, Digital Magics makes use of the SDIR-NIS circuit, managed by BIt Market Services, a subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group.
For further information:
Digital Magics – Press Office
Giorgio Bocchieri – Email: giorgio.bocchieri@digitalmagics.com
IR Top – Financial Communications and institutional
Floriana Vitale – Email: f.vitale@irtop.com
Dominico Gentile – Email: d.gentile@irtop.com
Integrae SIM – Nomad
Luca Di Liddo – Email: luca.diliddo@integraesim.it
