Snelix, an Italian biotech startup that turns snail mucus into bio‑active peptides for cosmeceutical and nutraceutical applications, raised more than €1 million through three public grant schemes, minimizing equity dilution while advancing its product pipeline.
Italian deep‑tech startup PhotonPath, founded in 2019 as a spin‑off from Politecnico di Milano and backed by several European investors, was acquired in full by US‑listed company Ciena. The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, marks a new development phase for the Milan‑based photonics company, which will keep its staff and headquarters in Italy.
Aiom is urging US biotech company Revolution Medicines to launch a compassionate‑use program for daraxonrasib, a targeted therapy that has doubled survival in a pancreatic cancer trial. While the drug received FDA approval in the United States, no similar early‑access program exists in Europe, and Revolution Medicines has not submitted a registration dossier to the European Medicines Agency. Aiom and Italian oncologists argue the drug should be provided free of charge to Italian patients pending approval, citing ethical concerns over high import costs.
Drita Capital Partners, founded by former Polimi Graduate School of Management students Nazario Monzillo and Yll Luma, announced the creation of Italy’s first search fund. The fund raised €640,000 from a network of institutional and private investors to spend a 24‑month scouting period aimed at acquiring a high‑potential Italian family‑owned SME in sectors such as ICT, healthcare, manufacturing or food & beverage.
Italian startup Bending Spoons announced it will acquire collaborative whiteboard platform Miro for $1.355 billion, planning to invest heavily in product performance and long‑term growth.
Italian food‑safety startup Biorsaf secured €5.2 million in a funding round led by P101 SGR and bought Bologna‑based RegTech platform Cooki. The combined entity will offer the first end‑to‑end AI‑driven solution for food compliance, traceability, labeling and cost analysis across Italy’s food, workplace and water safety sectors, aiming to grow from 40 to 120 employees and expand its user base beyond 10,000 active users.
Italian Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida announced that the baby‑food brand Plasmon, owned for 62 years by Kraft Heinz, has been reacquired by the Italian company NewPrinces, highlighting the return of quality Italian food production to national ownership.
Planet Farms partnered with Swiss Life Asset Managers in a joint venture that brings up to €125 million of capital to develop new indoor farms in Europe, marking a shift of vertical farming toward an infrastructure asset class rather than a pure startup model.
The article discusses the potential of the women’s sport market and highlights the creation of Spike Media, a new venture launched in 2025 by the Italian Women’s Volleyball League together with NJF Holdings. The newco aims to transform media rights into a direct commercial operation, achieving over two billion views and 61.5 million interactions, and doubling commercial revenue in its first year.
Italian Instagram page “Berlusconismo nostalgico”, which amassed over 100,000 followers, filed a trademark registration for the brand covering multiple product categories, aiming to protect the page and expand into editorial and merchandising activities.