## The Shadow Conglomerate: Unmasking Bending Spoons, Tech’s Silent Powerhouse
For over a decade, a Milanese tech powerhouse named Bending Spoons has been subtly reshaping the digital world, acquiring beloved brands like Meetup, WeTransfer, and now, Eventbrite. Yet, despite its vast portfolio and profound reach—serving over a billion people with 300 million monthly active users—this formidable entity remains largely an enigma to the general public.
Bending Spoons isn’t your typical private equity firm. Its mandate is distinct: to identify popular yet underperforming tech brands, acquire them, and then meticulously re-engineer them for amplified efficiency and user value. This transformative process often involves dramatic organizational shifts, including significant layoffs, and controversial overhauls to cherished products, as seen with Evernote and WeTransfer.
Nevertheless, Bending Spoons continues its relentless expansion. Join us as we pull back the curtain on this secretive giant, exploring its origins, its unique operational blueprint, and the ever-growing list of iconic brands it’s bringing under its influential wing.
## Unmasking the Digital Alchemist: Who is Bending Spoons?
Bending Spoons describes itself as a company dedicated to acquiring and revitalizing digital businesses. With a team of 400 to 500 employees, affectionately known as “Spooners,” its core expertise lies in refining and optimizing existing products and services.
### From Humble Beginnings to Acquisition Kingpins
The company’s journey began far from its current acquisition-focused strategy. Its founders initially ventured into creating their own applications. The lesser-known backstory traces back to the remnants of Evertale, a Copenhagen-based startup that made an appearance at Disrupt SF 2011’s Startup Alley with its photo-sharing app, Wink. After Evertale’s eventual failure, its founders and a few key employees continued to collaborate. They initially focused on developing in-house apps before pivoting to their first acquisition, a move that would define their future, as revealed by CEO and co-founder Luca Ferrari in a rare interview on the 20VC podcast.
In a singular departure from its usual strategy, Bending Spoons developed and donated Immuni, Italy’s official COVID-19 contact-tracing app in 2020. Beyond this altruistic endeavor, the company has meticulously honed a precise blueprint: pinpointing popular digital products ripe for improvement, then acquiring them from owners who have exhausted their potential.
### The Bending Spoons Blueprint: Efficiency Through Transformation
Once an acquisition is complete, Bending Spoons is anything but a passive owner. It dives deep, implementing comprehensive changes across every facet of the acquired business. This includes:
* **User Experience (UX) and Features:** Overhauling interfaces and introducing new functionalities.
* **Underlying Technology:** Modernizing and streamlining the technical infrastructure.
* **Monetization Strategy:** Re-evaluating and adjusting pricing models and revenue streams.
* **Team Organization:** Restructuring staffing, which has frequently led to significant headcount reductions.
While this relentless pursuit of efficiency and revenue generation bears similarities to private equity strategies, Bending Spoons asserts a fundamental difference: its explicit goal is to “hold forever,” a commitment highlighted by its track record of never divesting an acquired business. It aims to cultivate a living, evolving portfolio, rather than merely salvaging digital relics or presiding over a graveyard of forgotten apps.
The companies targeted by Bending Spoons aren’t necessarily failing enterprises. Many still boast substantial user bases and revenue streams. However, they consistently share a common trait: they are often stagnant, neglected, or their current owners are actively seeking an exit. These are the opportunities Bending Spoons seizes, transforming them into more dynamic and profitable ventures.
## A Growing Empire: Bending Spoons’ Landmark Acquisitions
Bending Spoons’ acquisition journey began several years ago, but its most high-profile deals have materialized in recent years, signaling a rapid acceleration of its expansion strategy.
### Early Forays and Strategic Expansions (2014-2021)
From 2014 to 2021, Bending Spoons quietly built its portfolio, including the notable acquisition of Remini, an AI-powered photo enhancer that showcased its early interest in digital enhancement tools.
### The Acquisition Spree Intensifies (2022-Present)
The pace quickened dramatically from 2022 onwards, marking a period of aggressive expansion and strategic consolidation:
* **2022:** The company acquired **Filmic**, known for its popular video and photo-editing applications, subsequently laying off the entire staff in December 2023. Also in 2022, Bending Spoons announced the acquisition of **Evernote**, the once-$1 billion note-taking app. The deal, finalized in early 2023, was followed by widespread layoffs and significant cuts to Evernote’s popular free offering.
* **First Half of 2024:** This period proved exceptionally active, with Bending Spoons securing **Meetup**, the community-building platform; app maker **Mosaic Group**; and **StreamYard** from Hopin, all within six months.
* **July 2024:** The expansion continued with the acquisition of the publishing platform **Issuu** and the prominent file transfer service **WeTransfer**. Post-acquisition, WeTransfer saw staff reductions and stricter limits imposed on its free plan. These changes drew public criticism in December 2025 from WeTransfer co-founder Nalden, who announced plans to build an alternative service.
* **November 2024:** Bending Spoons committed $233 million in an all-cash, take-private deal for the video platform **Brightcove**.
* **2025:** The acquisitions continued apace, bringing route planner **Komoot** and management software maker **Harvest** into the fold. Later that year, Bending Spoons announced its intent to acquire **Vimeo** in a substantial $1.38 billion all-cash transaction, followed shortly by the acquisition of **AOL** from Yahoo for an undisclosed sum. (Notably, both AOL and Yahoo are former owners of TechCrunch, with Yahoo retaining a minor interest). While these deals were expected to close by the end of 2025, subject to regulatory and stockholder approvals (Vimeo’s stockholders recently granted theirs), layoffs at Vimeo were subsequently confirmed by Bending Spoons to Business Insider.
* **December 2025:** Bending Spoons made headlines again by announcing its acquisition of another household name: **Eventbrite**. The reported price tag of $500 million represents a significant discount from the event ticketing company’s $1.76 billion valuation at its 2018 IPO. However, the deal has faced hurdles, with Eventbrite stockholders filing a lawsuit in Delaware to challenge the take-private transaction over voting rights.
## The Billion-Dollar Question: What is Bending Spoons Worth?
Bending Spoons’ aggressive growth and strategic acquisitions have propelled its valuation into the stratosphere. As of October 2025, the company officially achieved “decacorn” status, signifying a valuation exceeding $10 billion. This milestone followed its latest funding round, which secured $270 million from a diverse group of investors.
As Bending Spoons continues its relentless pursuit of digital assets, its influence in the tech landscape grows, even as its operations remain largely behind the scenes. This silent giant is not just buying companies; it’s actively redefining how popular online services are built, managed, and monetized for a global audience.## Bending Spoons Soars to an $11 Billion Valuation, Catapulting Founders into Billionaire Ranks
Bending Spoons, the Milan-based tech powerhouse, has just made headlines with a staggering surge in its market valuation, now reaching an impressive $11 billion. This monumental leap follows a significant funding injection, solidifying the company’s position as a major player in the global technology landscape.
### A Fresh Wave of Investment Fuels Expansion
The latest capital infusion was spearheaded by T. Rowe Price, a leading global asset manager. This round also saw continued support from an array of existing high-profile backers, including Baillie Gifford, Cox Enterprises, Durable Capital Partners, and Fidelity. Adding to the company’s robust financial standing, a substantial $440 million secondary share sale by existing shareholders further bolstered its liquidity and investor confidence.
This recent valuation marks a dramatic increase from its previous assessment of $2.8 billion in 2024. Such rapid growth underscores Bending Spoons’ accelerating trajectory and its ability to attract top-tier investment.
### The Rise of Tech Billionaires: Co-Founders Achieve New Status
The company’s meteoric rise has had a profound impact on its visionary leadership. As a direct result of this updated valuation, all four of Bending Spoons’ co-founders have officially joined the exclusive ranks of billionaires.
According to Forbes’ meticulous estimates, drawing from shareholder data published in the Italian Business Register, CEO Luca Ferrari’s stake in Bending Spoons is now reportedly valued at $1.4 billion. Close behind, co-founders Matteo Danieli, Luca Querella, and Francesco Patarnello each hold stakes worth an estimated $1.3 billion.
It remains unconfirmed whether any of the co-founders participated in the aforementioned secondary transaction by divesting shares, as Bending Spoons has chosen not to comment on individual founder stakes.
### A Star-Studded Investor Roster
While Bending Spoons initially embraced a bootstrapped approach, it has progressively attracted significant equity financing over the years, including rounds in September 2022 and early 2024. Beyond institutional investors, the company’s cap table boasts an impressive roster of VIPs from various industries. This includes sports legend Andre Agassi, Hollywood star Bradley Cooper, tech titans Eric Schmidt, Mike Krieger, and Xavier Niel, as well as music sensations The Weeknd, The Chainsmokers, and Maluma. Their involvement speaks volumes about the company’s perceived potential and market appeal.
## Strategic Vision: Acquisitions and AI at the Forefront
Upon announcing its latest funding in October 2025, Bending Spoons articulated a clear strategic roadmap: to aggressively pursue future acquisitions and significantly ramp up investment in its proprietary technology and cutting-edge AI capabilities. This fresh equity capital complements a substantial $2.8 billion in debt financing that the company previously disclosed, specifically earmarked to fund its acquisition of AOL and other upcoming strategic deals.
### Expanding its Digital Empire
Bending Spoons has made no secret of its intent to continuously expand its portfolio of consumer and enterprise digital products through strategic acquisitions. With its newly fortified financial position, the company is now equipped to target even more prominent entities. This ambition was recently underlined by its decision to acquire Eventbrite, a move that signals its readiness for larger-scale integrations.
The recent acquisitions of AOL and Vimeo represent a significant step up in terms of brand recognition compared to previous targets. While the specific terms of the AOL deal remain undisclosed, the acquisition brings substantial reach. Bending Spoons highlighted AOL’s enduring relevance, claiming it remains one of the world’s top 10 most-used email providers, boasting 8 million daily active users and 30 million monthly active users. Prior to the AOL acquisition, industry whispers also linked Bending Spoons to app maker Elysium and Typeform, the Barcelona-based SaaS company renowned for its innovative form creation tools.
## Future Growth: Talent Acquisition and a Potential IPO
To sustain its rapid expansion and ambitious acquisition strategy, Bending Spoons is actively scaling its internal teams. The company has numerous openings across various roles, with new hires initially based at its Milan headquarters before gaining the flexibility to work from offices in London, Madrid, and Warsaw, or even remotely.
### Attracting Top Talent
Despite candidly warning candidates that Bending Spoons operates within a “demanding environment,” the company’s appeal to top talent is undeniable. In 2025 alone, it reported receiving over 600,000 job applications, a figure that is expected to climb further as its recent high-profile deals garner additional attention and solidify its reputation as an industry leader.
### Eyeing the Public Markets
Beyond organic growth and acquisitions, Bending Spoons is also exploring a potentially monumental step: an initial public offering (IPO). Reports indicate the company is currently engaged in discussions with several financial institutions regarding a potential listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In November, CEO Luca Ferrari had previously conveyed to Reuters that should Bending Spoons decide to go public, a U.S. listing would be the most probable choice, citing the American market’s tendency to offer higher valuations for technology companies.
Stay tuned for further updates on Bending Spoons’ remarkable journey as this story, initially published in October 2025, continues to evolve.
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**Editor’s Note:** This article was curated and enhanced for our readers.
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