Investor Profile: United Ventures — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Milan's independent venture capital flagbearer has been backing Italian tech for over a decade. United Ventures funding has powered companies from Moneyfarm to Musixmatch and FACEIT — both of which exited in 2022 at more than 10x returns. Founded in 2013 by Massimiliano Magrini and Paolo Gesess, the firm is now investing from its third early-stage fund with a €150M target, writing initial tickets of €1–8M.

Thesis & focus

'We invest in people and technology' is the firm's motto: an independent VC supporting visionary entrepreneurs to reinvent industries through technology. United Ventures specialises in innovative companies in software and digital technologies, focusing on early-stage Round A investments.

Sectors & stages

The focus is software, digital media and consumer internet, with investments spanning fintech, information technology, enterprise applications and high tech. The firm primarily invests at seed and Series A, with its latest fund targeting early-stage European technology companies developing innovative solutions for yet-to-digitise sectors. Geography is Europe-first with Italy at the core — the firm hunts for Italian founders building global businesses — plus selective bets in the United States, such as Electra Vehicles.

Fund size & cheque size

The sequence runs from UV1 (2013), through UV2 — first close at €75 million in December 2017 with a €120 million target, anchored by Fondo Italiano d'Investimento, the European Investment Fund, Banca Mediolanum and others — to United Ventures III, a €150 million early-stage fund whose first closing completed in July 2023. Fund III will back 15 to 18 companies with initial tickets of €1–8M, and total funds under management will reach €500M. Separately, UV T-Growth — a €150 million late-stage fund with TIM Ventures subscribing €60 million — targets 5G, IoT, AI and cyber-security.

Notable portfolio & United Ventures funding highlights

The portfolio is a roll call of Italian tech: Moneyfarm, Musixmatch and FACEIT (the latter two exited in 2022 at over 10x), Cloud4WI, MainStreaming and Cazoo. United Ventures funding has led headline rounds too: Young Platform's €3.5M Series A, Electra Vehicles' $21M round, Babaco Market's €6.3M round and — in May 2026 — Algorithmiq's €18M round, described as Italy's largest-ever VC investment in a quantum startup. Recent bets include Cleafy, Seltz and Beelzebub.

Partners & team

Founders Massimiliano Magrini and Paolo Gesess — who combined Annapurna Ventures and JVCapital to create the firm — remain at the helm as Managing Partners. The partnership includes Mario Mariani, Fabio Pirovano, Giulia Giovannini, Marco Zoccati, Jacopo Drudi, Damiano Coletti and Alessandro Pasin, with the team spanning Milan, London and beyond.

How to apply for funding

United Ventures does not advertise a public pitch form on its website, so founders should reach the team through the contact details on unitedventures.com. The firm looks for Italian entrepreneurs building global companies in software and digital technologies at seed to Series A — if that is you, a crisp deck and a warm introduction through the Milan ecosystem are the strongest routes in.