ClubDealOnline Closes an Agreement with Prometeia

The Italian private crowdfunding portal ClubDealOnline has signed an agreement to make the companies selected for its ESG-friendly campaigns with Prometeia, one of the leading European companies in risk and wealth management solutions. Under this agreement, the innovative startups and SMEs examined by ClubDealOnline will also be analyzed from the point of view of sustainability, adopting a framework created ad hoc by Prometeia, inspired by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations General Assembly.

In particular, the integration of ESG issues in the analysis and selection process of ClubDealOnline will take place on two distinct levels. The first involves the systematic exclusion from the investable universe of all corporate initiatives that violate or have a negative impact on even one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as companies operating in sectors considered controversial by ClubDealOnline, such as tobacco production and/or trade, gambling, and equivalent activities. ClubDealOnline is also proactively committed to selecting companies that are sensitive to the 2030 Agenda, with the primary objective of proposing companies that represent an interesting investment opportunity to its community. In addition, ClubDealOnline will constantly monitor compliance with the ESG criteria of the companies presented on its platform and will inform investors through a periodic report.

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In detail, during the evaluation phase of the selected investment opportunities, ClubDealOnline submits a special questionnaire to the target companies

Subsequently, the ESG analysis is deepened with an assessment at the level of products and services, through a scoring system that takes into account the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This process will have the immediate effect of excluding from the investable universe initiatives that violate or have a very negative impact towards even one sustainable development goal, or that operate in sectors considered controversial by ClubDealOnline as a result of the analysis.

“We developed an ESG approach that would sit seamlessly alongside ClubDealOnline’s processes, calibrating it appropriately to the platform’s target scale-ups and SMEs,” commented Gianmatteo Guidetti, principal at Prometeia and coordinator of the project. Claudio Bocci, partner of Prometeia and head of asset management, added: “Attention to sustainability is growing rapidly in the Italian market and is recognized as an element of value in the processes of investment and risk analysis, as seen in the projects we have carried out for numerous private market operators. ClubDealOnline has taken an important step forward with respect to these issues and stands as a best practice among private crowdfunding platforms”.

Cristiano Busnardo, CEO of ClubDealOnline, explained: “ESG issues are destined to increasingly permeate the evaluation of companies in which to invest. This trend, which began in the world of asset management, has also reached the private market, where information gathering and data analysis are more complex. This is why we have decided to make use of Prometeia, which has defined a solid and efficient ESG scaffolding on which our consolidated origination process now rests. The next step of our attention to sustainability will be within our company; we have in fact decided to integrate ESG instances into our business management, promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions, creating a healthy workplace while respecting human rights and following good corporate governance”.

ClubDealOnline launched its new Round as a Service – RaaS in October 2020

The company is chaired by Roberto Ferrari, former general manager of CheBanca! (Mediobanca group) and former chief digital and innovation officer of Mediobanca. The platform, authorized by Consob to operate in equity crowdfunding, aims to select the best scaleups and SMEs on the market to offer the most interesting businesses to the investing public. The selection is entrusted to iStarter (an Italian accelerator based in London) and to partners specialized on SMEs. The model provides for the registration of shares by a trustee and allows investors to aggregate investments in a single entity, optimizing tax management and making the shares more liquid.

In October 2020, ClubDealOnline launched its new Round as a Service – RaaS. RS Production, owner with Portobello spa of the publishing house Web Magazine Makers (which has licensed the Rolling Stone brand for Italy), has already used RaaS. Portobello and RS Production last June also launched Immediate, the first vertical business accelerator in the world of media and entertainment in Europe. Also in October 2020, the company acquired a stake in ClubDealOnline Blue Financial Communication (BFC Media), a digital and media company listed on the Aim Italia segment of the Milan Stock Exchange and publisher of, among others, the Italian version of the Forbes magazine. Its stake in ClubDealOnline this month flowed into startup enabler BFC Ventures Studio, along with those of Notarify. In December 2020, ClubDealOnline and Almaviva launched the digital trust company ClubDeal Fiduciaria Digitale.

Last January, ClubDealOnline bought iStarter, an Italian accelerator based in London, specialized in the international scaleup of the best entrepreneurial realities of our country. The operation was configured as a reverse merger. The 80 or so equity partners of iStarter became direct shareholders of ClubDealOnline. In March 2021, ClubDealOnline and Pambianco, a historic consulting firm and leader in assisting companies in the made in Italy sectors, signed a partnership to finance scaleups and SMEs in the made in Italy sector, i.e. in the fashion, design, beauty, food and beverage, and tourism sectors. The partnership has given rise to a strategic collaboration in which, through its network and its communication channels, Pambianco will make its expertise available for the research and preliminary assessment of projects that meet the targets of ClubDealOnline. Furthermore, as lead partner of the selected scaleups, Pambianco will offer its consulting services to the companies and act as a constant point of reference between the community of investors and the companies after the closing of the club deals. Last April, ClubDealOnline launched the Do-It-Yourself Alternative Pir for its digital fiduciary clients.

Last June, ClubDealFiduciaria simplified the management of co-investments thanks to My Syndicate, a service that allows those who participate in a string of investors to bypass bureaucratic steps such as the establishment of a vehicle and related obligations, with great savings in time and money, plus zero governance risks, while maintaining all the clauses that regulate the relationship between the target company and investors, which follow international standards and are repeated for each investment. The trust was launched last December as a partnership between ClubDealOnline and Almaviva (an Italian company active in digital transformation).

Also last June, ClubDealOnline entered into an agreement with Growthub, a reality that unites professionals, investors, business angels, and startup enthusiasts who wish to make their skills and knowledge available to startuppers. Growthub, linked to the Turin-based firm of accountants CMFC, offers services aimed at the different phases of the startup’s life: business plan, establishment, work for equity, organization and, indeed, raising capital. Through the Round As A Service, launched in October 2020, ClubDealOnline makes its platform available to Growthub, hosting its capital raising rounds.

At the beginning of July, ClubDeal spa, the Italian fintech company behind the crowdfunding portal for HNWIs ClubDealOnline and the online fiduciary company ClubDealFiduciaria, decided on: a $1.8 million (€1.5 million) capital increase; the appointment of three new board members; and the conclusion of the share buyback plan. The capital increase will be aimed at taking ClubDeal spa into a further phase of development, consolidating its market positioning and preparing the ground for growth on a larger scale. The three new directors who have joined the company are: Gianfranco Scalabrini, managing partner of 3HPartners and university professor; Mirco Coccoli, CEO of MPD Partners; Alessandro Scala, managing partner of Advbeca Ltd. Their entry aims to strengthen the structure of ClubDeal spa in a phase of strong expansion and to support future projects, bringing together the different technical, scientific and financial skills gained during their careers.

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(Featured image by Appolinary Kalashnikova via Unsplash)

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