Vento
Vento is an Italian early-stage venture capital fund headquartered in Torino, backed by Exor and chaired by John Elkann. It invests pre-seed and seed capital, primarily in Italian founders globally, and runs the annual Italian Tech Week conference as its ecosystem anchor.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersTorino, Italy
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Vento does
Vento is an early-stage venture capital fund headquartered in Torino, Italy, founded in April 2022 by CEO Diyala D'Aveni with John Elkann as chairman. Backed by Exor, the Agnelli family holding company, the firm positions itself as Italy's leading pre-seed and seed investor and operates a three-pronged platform: direct equity investments in startups, in-house venture building, and the annual Italian Tech Week conference, which Vento organizes as the flagship event for the Italian tech ecosystem.
The fund invests across AI, healthcare, fintech, legaltech, robotics, foodtech, and edtech, with a strong recent tilt toward AI-native vertical SaaS and AI infrastructure. Vento deploys capital through standardized tickets of approximately €150,000 per company from Fund II and primarily participates as a co-investor alongside international funds such as a16z Speedrun, United Ventures, Speedinvest, B Capital, Entourage, and Italian Founders Fund. The 100-startup portfolio includes names such as Bee, JetHR, Qomodo, Lexroom.ai, Waveful, Cyberwave, Bricks.sh, and Always Friday.
Fund II was launched in March 2025 with a €75 million commitment over five years, supporting a planned portfolio of up to 375 investments and an explicit mandate to back Italian startup founders globally, evidenced by recent deals in the UK, Estonia, and with US-linked syndicates. Revenue is derived from conventional venture fund economics: management fees on committed capital and, over time, carried interest on successful exits. As a private fund vehicle, financials are not publicly disclosed.
Vento firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vento
- Legal name
- Vento
- Website
- https://vento.ventures
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Vento is an Italian early-stage venture capital fund headquartered in Torino, backed by Exor and chaired by John Elkann. It invests pre-seed and seed capital, primarily in Italian founders globally, and runs the annual Italian Tech Week conference as its ecosystem anchor.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vento industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Venture Capital Fundraising Placement (FSAEALAC)
Keywords
Where Vento is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Torino
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Vento business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Fund Management: Vento operates as an early-stage venture capital fund managing investor capital. The fund generates returns through equity investments in startups, with a three-pronged approach combining direct investment, venture building, and the annual Italian Tech Week conference.
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Vento product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vento is an early-stage venture capital fund that invests equity capital (approximately €150,000 per ticket under Fund II) into Italian and Italy-connected startup founders across sectors such as AI, healthcare, fintech, legaltech, and food technology. In parallel, the firm runs an active venture-building program and convenes the annual Italian Tech Week conference chaired by John Elkann, providing portfolio companies with operational support and ecosystem access in addition to capital.
Product overview
Vento is a venture capital fund and does not offer products or services in the traditional technology product sense. It operates as an early-stage investment fund, making investments in startups rather than developing technology products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Vento Fund II (€75M Seed Fund) An early-stage venture capital fund committing €75 million over five years to back Italian startup founders globally, with a standardized €150,000 ticket size and a target of approximately 375 investments. The fund is the firm's primary vehicle for deploying capital into pre-seed and seed-stage companies.
- Venture Building Program An active venture-building service for portfolio companies that provides operational assistance, strategic guidance, and ecosystem connections beyond the capital invested, forming one of Vento's three core offerings alongside direct investment and the Italian Tech Week conference.
- Italian Tech Week The annual Italian Tech Week conference, organized by Vento and chaired by John Elkann, serving as a flagship ecosystem event that connects Italian tech founders, investors, and operators. It functions as both a brand-building platform for Vento and a top-of-funnel sourcing channel for new investment opportunities.
Companies that use Vento
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Vento technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Vento partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Italian Tech WeekcoreVento organizes the annual Italian Tech Week conference chaired by John Elkann, serving as a flagship event for the Italian tech ecosystem and a key platform for venture building activities.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Vento competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CDP Venture Capital: Italy's largest venture capital investor, backed by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. It is the closest direct peer because it deploys capital into Italian early-stage startups across multiple sector funds, competing head-to-head with Vento for the same founder pipeline and LP relationships in Italy.
- United Ventures: Italian early-stage VC that has led multiple rounds Vento has participated in (Qura, Cyberwave). It is a direct peer because both funds focus on Italian founders at pre-seed and seed stages across digital and deep-tech themes.
- Primo Ventures: Italian venture capital firm that led Bricks.sh's round in which Vento participated. It is comparable because it invests at seed and Series A stages in Italian founders, often writing similar ticket sizes to Vento's standardized €150K.
- Italian Angels for Growth: Italy's largest business angel network that has co-invested alongside Vento in deals like Waveful and Qura. It is a direct peer because it provides early-stage capital and support to Italian founders, often at pre-seed stages with comparable ticket sizes.
- Club degli Investitori: Italian angel investment club that has co-invested with Vento in deals such as CiaoDott. It is a direct peer because it pools capital from Italian investors to back early-stage Italian founders, overlapping with Vento's origination and investment activity.
- P101: Italian early-stage venture capital firm investing in Italian and Southern European tech startups. It is comparable to Vento because it targets similar founder profiles, ticket sizes, and sectors at pre-seed and seed stages.
- Innogest Capital: Italian venture capital firm focused on early-stage digital and deep-tech startups in Italy. It is a direct peer because it competes for the same Italian founder pool and writes similar early-stage tickets with active portfolio support.
- LVenture Group: Italian-listed venture capital firm and accelerator that invests in and incubates Italian early-stage startups. It is a direct peer because it combines acceleration, venture building, and seed investing for Italian founders — directly mirroring Vento's three-pronged model.
Broad incumbents
- Speedinvest: Pan-European early-stage VC with multiple sector-specific funds and significantly larger AUM than Vento. It is comparable as a broad incumbent because it actively invests in Italian founders (e.g., leading Seltz's round that Vento joined) and competes across the same European early-stage opportunity set.
Emerging players
- a16z Speedrun: Andreessen Horowitz's seed-stage accelerator program for AI and gaming startups. It is an emerging player peer because it has begun investing in Italian founders (e.g., Waveful), competing for the same early-stage AI-enabled companies Vento targets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vento social profiles
Digital presenceVento financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vento leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Vento funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vento M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments52 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vento
What does Vento do?
Vento is an early-stage venture capital fund that invests equity capital (approximately €150,000 per ticket under Fund II) into Italian and Italy-connected startup founders across sectors such as AI, healthcare, fintech, legaltech, and food technology. In parallel, the firm runs an active venture-building program and convenes the annual Italian Tech Week conference chaired by John Elkann, providing portfolio companies with operational support and ecosystem access in addition to capital.
Is Vento a public or private company?
Vento is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Vento founded?
Vento was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Vento based?
Vento is headquartered in Torino, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Vento make money?
One revenue line is on record: fund Management.
Who are Vento's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CDP Venture Capital, United Ventures, Primo Ventures, Italian Angels for Growth, Club degli Investitori, P101, Innogest Capital and LVenture Group. Speedinvest is listed as a broad incumbent. a16z Speedrun is listed as an emerging player.
Does Vento have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vento.
What industry is Vento in?
Vento's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of FSAEALAC, Venture Capital Fundraising Placement. Its NAICS code is 525 and its SIC code is 6199.