WDA - We Build Your Venture

What WDA - We Build Your Venture does

WDA S.r.l. (branded 'WDA - We Build Your Venture') is a Rome-based venture builder and CXO-as-a-Service firm founded in 2021 by Roberto Macina. The company operates two core service lines: Venture Building, in which WDA acts as co-founder to validate, create, and execute new digital ventures on behalf of startups, SMEs, and corporates; and CXO as a Service, providing fractional executive roles (CFO, CIO, COO, CLO) in either spot or continuous engagement modes. Its underlying delivery model is a three-phase methodology — Validation, Creation, Execution — delivered by a small team (1–10 employees) that integrates directly into client ventures, with the founder and General Manager Valentina Iannucci contributing both strategy and execution. Revenue is generated through professional service fees, with custom engagement terms scoped per project; no public pricing tiers exist, and all prospective clients are routed through a Google Calendar-based 'Book a Call' flow on the WDA website.

WDA has supported over 60 entrepreneurial projects and 34 startups across 13 verticals including SportsTech, FinTech, HealthTech, DeepTech, LegalTech, PropTech, AeroTech, GreenTech, IndustrialTech, NeuroTech, CyberSecurity, EventTech, and Neurodiversity. Named engagements include co-founding roles at Starcks (SportsTech blockchain platform) and Profit Farm (FinTech lending platform), and CXO engagements at Axon Medical, Clava Sports, Megaride, Bruno Editore/SAPG, GoalMind, CyberSA, Ticketoo, StimPlavim, SFS, Junker App, Kulta/Nello Spettro, Immoveo, and Intuos. Notable client outcomes include WDA's support in closing a €400,000 seed round for Ticketoo and assisting Profit Farm in becoming the only ESMA-authorized and CONSOB-supervised lending crowdfunding platform in Italy. Beyond core engagements, WDA designs and delivers open innovation and pre-acceleration programs — notably ComNext for Comtel (92 applicants, 4 selected startups) and the Enactus Italy Pre-Acceleration Program — and runs 'The Builder's Brief' newsletter on Substack as a content channel. In late 2024, Next4 - The Innovation Group acquired a 51% stake in WDA at a 5x projected EBITDA multiple with an option to acquire the remaining 49% by 2027; Roberto Macina joined Next4's board, Valentina Iannucci was appointed General Manager, and WDA continues operating under its own brand as a strategic component of Next4's innovation platform.

Name

WDA - We Build Your Venture

Legal name

WDA S.r.l.

Website

https://wda.company

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WDA is a Rome-based venture builder and CXO-as-a-Service firm founded in 2021 that acts as co-founder or fractional executive (CFO, COO, CIO, CLO) for startups, SMEs, and corporates, having supported over 60 projects and 34 startups across 13 verticals; majority-acquired by Next4 in late 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Venture Building Services: WDA acts as co-founder and operational partner for new ventures, providing validation, creation, and execution services. Revenue is generated through professional service fees, equity stakes in co-founded ventures, or a hybrid model combining retainer fees with success/fundraising-linked compensation.
2. CXO as a Service: WDA provides fractional executive roles (CFO, COO, CIO, CLO) to startups and SMEs. Offered in spot mode (targeted interventions) or continuous mode (permanent embedded team members). Revenue is generated through service retainer agreements or per-engagement fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WDA is an Italian venture builder that designs, launches, and scales new ventures for founders and organizations. Its core services are end-to-end Venture Building engagements and CXO as a Service, providing fractional C-suite executives (CFO, CIO, COO, CLO) to early-stage and growth-stage ventures. Supporting programs include the ComNext program and the Enactus Pre-Acceleration track.

Product overview

WDA operates as a venture builder company offering two primary service lines: Venture Building (acting as co-founder for startups from idea validation through execution and launch) and CXO as a Service (providing part-time executive leadership including CFO, CIO, COO, and CLO). Additionally, WDA delivers Open Innovation programs (such as ComNext for Comtel) and Pre-Acceleration programs (such as the Enactus program). WDA's portfolio includes ventures built in-house across multiple verticals including SportsTech, FinTech, HealthTech, PropTech, LegalTech, NeuroTech, CyberSecurity, EventTech, GreenTech, AeroTech, DeepTech, and IndustrialTech. The company was acquired by Next4 in 2024 and continues to operate under its own brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venture Building

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ entrepreneurial projects created in 4 years (2021–2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SAPG (Bruno Editore)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAPG is Bruno Editore's LegalTech initiative. WDA supported SAPG through a four-phase CXO engagement including market analysis, business planning, investor deck creation, and fundraising negotiation support. The engagement helped position the company in the early-stage investment ecosystem.
• ComtelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComtel — a listed ICT services company — engaged WDA to design and deliver ComNext, an open innovation program connecting high-potential startups with Comtel's industrial ecosystem. WDA led targeted scouting (92 applications, 16 international), rigorous selection, and a 6-week structured acceleration program for 4 winning startups (CyLock, Tiledesk, TrueScreen, PugliAI).
• Enactus ItalyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnactus Italy partnered with WDA to design and run a Pre-Acceleration Program for Impact Entrepreneurship targeting university students across Italy. WDA delivered 8 sprints covering market analysis, MVP development, business model design, traction strategies, and pitch deck preparation. The winning team (Rewear) advanced to the Enactus World Cup 2025 in Bangkok. Special awards included the KPMG Challenge Award (Vimini) and BAITE Generation Hub Award 2025 (Purifas UNIPD).
• SocialFare | Center for Social InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocialFare was listed as a mentor/partner contributing to the Enactus Pre-Acceleration Program led by WDA, supporting social innovation and entrepreneurship among Italian university students.
• CyLock, Tiledesk, TrueScreen, PugliAIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour startups selected through the ComNext open innovation program to collaborate with Comtel, supported by WDA's 6-week acceleration program. Each startup received operational, organizational, and go-to-market support from WDA and Comtel managers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• SeedRocket: Italian startup accelerator and network. Comparable to WDA's early-stage startup support services within Italy, with a more program-driven (rather than co-founder) approach.
• LVenture Group: Italian listed venture builder and accelerator supporting early-stage digital startups. Overlaps with WDA's startup portfolio model within the Italian market.
• H-FARM: Italian innovation platform and venture builder listed on Borsa Italiana. Comparable to WDA's venture building and corporate innovation services within the Italian market, with a broader education and accelerator portfolio.
• Beta-i: Portuguese innovation hub and accelerator that runs corporate open innovation programs similar to WDA's ComNext. Comparable model of designing and delivering structured innovation programs.
• Building Global Innovators (BGI): Portuguese venture builder and accelerator that co-creates startups with corporate partners. Comparable venture building model and corporate open innovation focus, serving as a Southern European peer.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator with presence in many markets. Wider portfolio and brand than WDA, but overlaps in early-stage startup mentorship and corporate open innovation themes.

Direct peers

• Founders Factory: UK-based venture builder and accelerator that co-creates startups with corporate partners. Comparable to WDA's venture building model, especially around the corporate open innovation programs that WDA designs (e.g., ComNext).
• Antler: Global venture builder that co-founds startups across multiple geographies and stages. Directly comparable to WDA's model of co-founding and supporting early-stage ventures, with a similar Founder-as-a-Service positioning.
• HighAlpha: US venture studio that partners with founders to build B2B SaaS startups from scratch. Comparable to WDA's Founder-as-a-Service model and three-phase venture building methodology.

Emerging players

• Toptal: Global platform for fractional and freelance executive-level talent. Comparable to WDA's CXO-as-a-Service offering, though with a much broader talent base and marketplace model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WDA - We Build Your Venture