SECO investeert in Kunstmatige Intelligentie

SECO SPA, a leading company in the high-tech sector specialized in computer miniaturization and IoT software solutions, with shareholder Fondo Italiano Tecnologia e Crescita fund managed by Fondo Italiano d'Investimento SGR, has signed an agreement to acquire the majority shares of Hopenly Srl, an innovative data science SME. The transaction involves a quota acquisition for a total of 70% of Hopenly through a mix of both capital increase and shares acquisition. The shareholder, founders and managers Barbara Vecchi and Roberto Grassi will continue, together with SECO, to manage the company.
 
Founded in Vignola (MO, Italy) and specialized in machine learning and artificial intelligence projects with a team of 10 data scientists and AI developers, Hopenly offers its customers open source services for data extraction, data processing and creation of predictive models. Its business is based on close collaboration with customers, mainly for organizations in the insurance, fashion, food and banking sectors, for which it develops customized solutions and services for image recognition, risk analysis, forecasting and IoT analytics.
 
The transaction fits the SECO strategy for the development of a services platform aimed at the management and use of data collected on spot in the Iot field, accelerating in the direction of the implementation of AI and machine learning skills. Hopenly thus integrates the offering of the Italian Company, which is now approaching the IPO, by providing a service that starts from data entry up to data processing and analysis useful for the development of innovative and effective business strategies.
 
"Hopenly is an excellence in the Italian innovation scene - stated Massimo Mauri, SECO SpA’s CEO - This operation is closely linked to the one carried out this summer with Ispirata and is important because it completes the evolutionary process of SECO's business model by integrating the sale of high value-added software services. Thanks to Hopenly's skills, we can now create an IoT software suite that will allow us to extract relevant information from the data collected in the field and use it to improve the profitability of our customers' business. With the recent acquisitions of Hopenly and Ispirata, we have completed the evolution of our technological offering by becoming a complete IoT partner to which any company can entrust its digital transformation".
 
“We started seven years ago with a courageous belief in Data Science with the aim of making the numbers speak and, through them, helping companies, managers and entrepreneurs to optimize investments and eliminate waste. We did it believing that innovation is not much about having technological means but rather an open mind capable of receiving and using technology to its full potential. For this reason, Hopenly is characterized by a heterogeneous team understanding that different backgrounds lead to better performances” says Barbara Vecchi, CEO and Founder of Hopenly. "We had the opportunity to carry out interesting and particularly innovative projects in various sectors: banking, insurance, food, fashion, HR and above all healthcare, where the application of AI supported the study of a rare genetic disease and infertility. The fact that an important group like SECO has recognized our value is a source of pride, a recognition of our commitment to a transparent, responsible and impartial use of data".
 
For the acquisition, SECO was supported by Value Track as Financial Advisor and by Deloitte for the due diligence, by the law firm Ristuccia Tufarelli & Partners and by Studio Lomarini.