UVET GROUP JOINS THE SHAREHOLDING STRUCTURE OF DIGITAL MAGICS TO LAUNCH A SHARED OPEN INNOVATION PROGRAM DEDICATED TO ONLINE TRAVEL AND TOURISMÂ
The tourism distribution hub boasting a turnover of 2.2 billion euro and the certified venture incubator of innovative startups commit to co-invest in new digital ventures through an industrial partnership
Milan, 30 January 2014 – During the 2014 Disruption Day, a meeting dedicated to the Digital Magics Angel Network which was held yesterday, the Uvet Group – a leading tourism distribution hub active in Italy since 1950 and major provider of services and solutions for leisure travel, business travel, mice and pharma – and Digital Magics, a certified venture incubator of digital innovative startups listed since July 2013 on AIM Italia of Borsa Italiana (ticker: DM) have announced the signing of an agreement concerning co-investments in startups to be made in the area of online travel and tourism.
At the end of December 2013, Uvet Group entered the shareholding structure of Digital Magics with a share of about 1.8% – by investing 500,000 Euro – and joined the Angel Network. As a member of this exclusive Digital Magics shareholders’ community, the Uvet Group will collaborate in the selection, mentorship and co-investment of the projects conceived by the incubator while putting forward also new ones.
Digital Magics and Uvet Group will develop a joint investment and innovation program: an Open Innovation Advisory service. The incubator will make a regular and systematic scouting and select startups, research projects, patents and digital innovation in the online travel and tourism industry.
Digital Magics will periodically submit the Uvet Group – also with dedicated events – the best business ideas which provide high-tech services and contents, including highly scalable and international models. The Uvet Group will make the decision to support – together with Digital Magics and with the other Angel Network investors of the incubator – the ventures selected by co-investing and providing professional skills and competencies in order to accelerate the growth process of the relevant startups.
The first operation within this agreement places the Uvet Group among the investors that have shown their interest for the financing of Plannify – an innovative startup incubated by Digital Magics – a search engine for events, public performances and shows in Italy and abroad with social features. Through its technology platform, Plannify provides over 300,000 activities every month and suggests day by day the events most appealing to users according to the place where users are located and according to their tastes, hobbies and likings. The members can schedule their own agenda, share and comment the choices made and invite friends.
“Since the late nineties – said Luca Patanè, Chairman of  UVET Group – we have always believed in digital economy and fostered projects related to travel or marketplace portals. Today  our group can rely on companies specialized in digital travels such as Tns, Traxall; we can also leverage the Swedish flygpoolen.se portal we have recently taken over. With a share of 43%,  tourism is the online service most sold in our country. Consequently, this investment in Digital Magics – explained Patanè – is a natural outlet for a company looking forward to a more and more European futureâ€.
“Online travel and tourism are distinguishing and growing segments of the Made in Italy business †– said Enrico Gasperini, Founder and Chairman of Digital Magics – “The collaboration with the major Group in Italy, leader in the travel and tourism industry, is a strategic partnership: the qualified skills, competencies and expertise of Uvet will allow Digital Magics to strengthen its  presence in key industries of the Italian economy, just starting from tourismâ€.
This press release is available online at www.digitalmagics.com in the Investor Relations section.
Gruppo Uvet – www.uvet.com
The Uvet Group is a tourism distribution hub boasting a turnover of 2.2 billion euro, active in Italy since 1950. The Group includes the following companies:
- Uvet American Express, a market leader in Travel Management Services and Solutions for business travel, Â incentives, meetings and events. In 2012 its turnover amounted to 375 million euro.
- Uvet Itn Travel Network, a  network of 1,300 partner travel agencies with an Italian-wide presence.
- Uvet Viaggi e Turismo, the first company of the Group founded in 1950 and active in the Consumer industry.
- Uvet Romania, active in Eastern European markets for the outsourcing of travel services.
- Congress Lab provides solutions for training events and congresses in the medical-scientific and pharma industry.
- Avexia Voyages, a French subsidiary active in the business travel segment for SMEs. In 2012 the company generated a turnover of 100 million euro.
- TNS, system integrator with a specific know-how in interactive travel solutions and Group preferred partner.Â
- TraxAll, specialized in cost management, it provides business process virtualization services through IT systems usable  through cloud computing.
- Tkt, headquartered in Milano and Treviso, it is specialized in the management of corporate fleets and represents the EuroFleeting European network in Italy.
- Flygpoolen, one of the main Online Travel Agencies in Sweden boasting a turnover of 100 million euro for air tickets sold.
Digital Magics – www.digitalmagics.com
Digital Magics is a certified venture incubator of innovative digital startups which provide high-tech contents and products. Digital Magics is listed on AIM Italia, the Alternative Capital Market for small and medium-sized Italian enterprises with high growth potential organized and managed by Borsa Italiana (Italian Stock Exchange). Digital Magics sets up and develops Internet-based startups supporting founders, investing equity capital and providing acceleration services. It starts from talents and ideas, thus transforming them into successful, disruptive businesses operating in the Italian and international digital economy. The incubator fosters a culture of entrepreneurship and risk, thus contributing to economic growth and increasing the youth-employment rate. Digital Magics provides services aimed at fostering the establishment and development of digital startups and supports them in the search for new private and public – both Italian and foreign – investors financing the next development stages. The Digital Magics model is unique in Italy and is based on Digital Magics LAB, a team of professionals in charge of identifying, analyzing and launching new initiatives; it provides innovative startups with mentorship as well as with Finance, Administration, Strategy, Logistics, Technology, Marketing and Communication services, besides delivering a Business Management support able to speed up the business growth process.
Integrae SIM acts as Nomad and Specialist under AIM Italia Rules for Companies (Regolamento Emittenti AIM Italia). For the transmission of communications Digital Magics uses the SDIR-NIS circuit, managed by BIt Market Services, a company of the London Stock Exchange Group.
For further information:
Gruppo Uvet –Marketing & Communication Manager
Mario Mazzei – Mail: mario.mazzei@uvetamex.com | marketing@uvetamex.com
Tel. 02 81838212
Sec Relazioni Pubbliche e Istituzionali – Uvet Group Press Office
Angelo Vitale – Mail: vitale@secrp.it – Mob. 338 6907474
Luigi Santo – Mail: santo@secrp.it – Mob. 349 4426014
Lorenzo Mazzoni – Mail: mazzoni@secrp.it – Mob. 349 8450008
Digital Magics – Ufficio Stampa
Giorgio Bocchieri – Mail: giorgio.bocchieri@digitalmagics.com
Tel. 02 52505202 – Mob. 334 6853078
Burson-Marsteller – Digital Magics Press Office
Fabio Caporizzi – Mail: fabio.caporizzi@bm.com – Mob. 340 5250566
Rossana Pastore – Mail: rossana.pastore@bm.com – Mob. 340 1790470
Luca Fumagalli – Mail: luca.fumagalli@bm.com – Mob. 348 4586948
Integrae SIM – Nomad
Luca Di Liddo – Mail: luca.diliddo@integraesim.it
Tel. 02 78625300 – Mob. 334 6501346
