The 8a+ Real Innovation fund leads the capital increase by the company specialised in AI solutions for businesses.
The deal confirms Banca Generali’s commitment to bridging the gap between private investors and the real economy.
Banca Generali is stepping up its commitment to supporting Italian businesses by participating in the growth process of one of Italy’s most interesting AI companies. Through the 8a+ Real Innovation fund, the investee management company 8a+ Investimenti SGR is acquiring an interest in Datrix S.p.A., a company that operates in the fields of Augmented Analytics and Machine Learning, developing proprietary solutions for business growth.
At a financial level, the transaction involved the 8a+ Real Innovation fund as lead investor subscribing for a €2 million share of the total capital increase of €2.5 million. Banca Generali acted as advisor to the management company in the transaction, the goal of which is to finance Datrix’s ambitious growth plan to be developed in the coming months according to both an organic and non-organic approach.
“We are pleased to have contributed to supporting Datrix in this development process, which we hope may lead Italy to play a leading role in the major global challenges relating to digital evolution, such as fintech, machine learning and monetisation. Datrix’s strength lies in its nature as a digital-native company capable of combining the technological expertise of its professionals with a natural focus on sustainability elements that are integrated into its business model and range of services. These are all reasons for which this is a target company in line with our BG4Real project and that allow us to increase the quality of the fund portfolio in which our customers are able to invest” commented Maria Ameli, Head of Equity Private Investments at Banca Generali.
“We are delighted to work with Banca Generali and 8a+ Investimenti SGR, which have an extensive network of national and international relationships that are fundamental to robust, lasting, long-term growth. Today, our great challenges are expansion on foreign markets with a particular focus on the United States and Northern Europe and the extension of the customer base to SMEs, including through strategic acquisitions of tech companies with businesses complementary to our current operations. We want to ensure that Italy is known not just for fashion and food, but also for advanced digital technology with a direct, substantial impact on the returns of the companies that adopt it” stated Fabrizio Milano d’Aragona, Co-Founder and CEO of Datrix.
The transaction is part of BG4Real, the project developed by Banca Generali to bridge the gap between private investors and the real economy.
BG4Real
Launched in June 2020, BG4Real is the investment instrument programme developed by Banca Generali to bridge the gap between private investors and the real economy. The project has a twofold objective: on the one hand, meeting households’ needs to seek out value in long-term investments, and, on the other, meeting the growing demand for credit and private capital from businesses and the economic system.
To identify the most interesting and deserving investment opportunities in Italy and Europe, Banca Generali has created an ecosystem of partnerships with research centres, venture capital funds and companies that is capable of promptly identifying trends and changes.
This is the context for the funds established by 8A+ Investimenti SGR distributed by Banca Generali:
- 8A+ Real Innovation, an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) dedicated to innovative Italian and European SMEs;
- 8A+ Real Italy Eltif, a European Long Term Investments Fund focusing on investments in Italian SMEs.
Both instruments adopt a multi-manager and multi-asset approach, while also enabling investors to benefit from the incentives introduced by Article 38 “Reinforcing the system of innovative startups” and Article 136 “Incentives for investment in the real economy” of the Relaunch Italy Decree, converted with amendments by Law No. 77 of 17 July 2020.
Banca Generali
Banca Generali is a leading private bank in Italy that offers its customers financial planning and wealth protection services, leveraging its very solid network of Financial Advisors and Private Bankers that stand out for their experience and professionalism. The Company’s strategy is based on four key elements: qualified advice from professionals specialised in households’ wealth protection and investment planning support; a portfolio of banking, financial and insurance solutions tailored to individual needs; innovative wealth management services; and innovative digital tools that use technology to build on the relationship of trust between Financial Advisor and customer. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since November 2006, the Bank manages assets of over €77.5 billion on behalf of over 300,000 customers (figures as at 31 March 2021). Banca Generali operates according to an open-banking approach based on advanced digital tools. Since 2019, Banca Generali has been operating in Switzerland through BG Valeur, offering personalised advisory and management services.