2100 Ventures Research
Overview
2100 Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund built to help the next generation of European heroes defy the odds and build century-defining businesses. Founded in 2022, the firm operates from Milan (Italy) and London (UK), with a particular focus on Italian and broader European startups.
The fund is backed by the Benetton family via Edizione and 21 Invest, the private investment firm founded by Alessandro Benetton in 1992. Alessandro Benetton serves as Chairman. This connection provides portfolio companies access to a huge industrial network and decades of business-building experience across retail, manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain management.
The fund's tagline — "Big dreaming, Odds defying, Unapologetic Optimists" — captures its ethos of backing founders who believe they can build transformative businesses despite the odds against them.
Fund Details
- Fund Size: €30M (launched 2023)
- Check Size: €200K - €500K
- Stage: Pre-seed, Seed, Series A (primarily Seed)
- Portfolio Size: 17+ companies across 8 European countries
- Founded: 2022
- Location: Milan, Italy / London, UK
- Contact: [email protected]
- Address: Via Giuseppe Mazzini, 9, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
Team
Founding General Partners:
- Andrea Gennarini — Founding GP, based in Italy
- Andrea Casasco — Founding GP, based in London
Partners:
- Andrea Gurnari — Partner, based in London
- Enrico Laghi — Partner
Venture Partners:
- Stefano Bernardi — Venture Partner (ex-500 Startups, well-known European VC)
- Luca Ascani — Venture Partner
- Raffaele Terrone — Venture Partner
Chairman / Backer:
- Alessandro Benetton — Chairman, via Edizione/21 Invest (Benetton family office)
The fund has 7 team members including 4 Partners.
Portfolio
As of November 2025, 2100 Ventures has invested in 17 companies with 7 new investments in the last 12 months. The portfolio spans Enterprise Applications, Consumer, HealthTech, Industrial Goods, Retail, and ClimateTech.
Notable Portfolio Companies:
Enterprise / B2B SaaS:
- Swap (swap.eco) — Returns intelligence for e-commerce businesses. UK-based, raised $149M Series C (Jan 2026). Investors include Iconiq Capital, DST Global.
- Autone — Enterprise software (follow-on investment)
- Orbio — Spain-based, raised Series A (Sep 2025). Investors include Visionaries Club.
Robotics & Manufacturing:
- Mimic Robotics — AI-powered robotic manipulation systems. US-based, raised $20M Seed (Nov 2025). Uses foundation AI models for universal manipulation across industries.
- Saeki Robotics — Large-format additive manufacturing for complex geometries. Switzerland-based, raised $9M Seed (Feb 2025). Serves automotive, construction, aerospace.
ClimateTech / Energy:
- Crosstown H2R — CO2 burner for power generation, zero-carbon solutions for gas turbines. Switzerland-based, raised ~$4M Seed (Jul 2025).
- Ewake — France-based, Seed round (Oct 2025)
- Hyperdrives — Germany-based, Seed round (Sep 2025). Investors include Rethink Ventures.
HealthTech:
- Lupa Pets — AI-powered veterinary operating system. UK-based, raised $25M Series A (Oct 2025). 77 employees. Investors include Firstminute Capital, Singular.
- Juniper — Health/benefits platform. Acquired by Fertifa in July 2025 (2100 Ventures' first exit).
Other Notable:
- Foreverland — Notable investment (details TBD)
- Cubbit — Notable investment (details TBD)
Investment Activity
Year-by-Year Investment Trends:
- 2025: 7 investments (all first-time investments)
- 2024: 7 first-time investments, 1 follow-on = 8 total
- 2023: 2 investments
Stage Distribution (first rounds):
- Seed: 13 investments
- Series A: 2 investments
- Series B: 1 investment
Average round sizes:
- Seed: ~$4.93M
- Series A: ~$8.03M
- Series B: ~$12.5M
Geographic Focus
Portfolio by Country:
- Italy: 6 investments (home market strength)
- United Kingdom: 4 investments
- Switzerland: 2 investments
- France: 1 investment
- Germany: 1 investment
- Others: 2 investments
The fund has invested across 8 European countries total.
Sector Focus
Portfolio by Sector:
- Enterprise Applications: 11 investments
- Consumer: 4 investments
- HealthTech: 3 investments
- Industrial Goods & Manufacturing: 3 investments
- Retail: 3 investments
- Others: 15 investments across additional sectors
Stated Focus Areas:
- SaaS (Software-as-a-Service)
- AI (Artificial Intelligence)
- Fintech & Data
- ClimateTech
- B2B focus
Exits
- Juniper — Acquired by Fertifa in July 2025 (2100 Ventures' first portfolio exit)
Lead Tendency & Decision Process
Lead Tendency: Both — 2100 Ventures leads rounds when appropriate and participates alongside other investors.
Decision Process: Partnership — decisions made by the founding GPs collaboratively.
Decision Timeline: Typically around one month for proper due diligence.
Approach: Focuses on European entrepreneurs driving the new golden age of industrial innovation. Leverages the Benetton family network for portfolio support.
Co-Investors
Top Co-Investors:
- Exor — Co-invested in 4 companies
- Founderful — Co-invested in multiple deals
- Visionaries Club
- Firstminute Capital
- Singular
- Connect Ventures
- Rethink Ventures
- Elaia
- Climate Insiders
Notable downstream investors:
- Iconiq Capital (invested in Swap after 2100 Ventures)
- DST Global (invested in Swap after 2100 Ventures)
- Portfolio Ventures
Strategic Advantage
The Benetton family backing through Edizione/21 Invest provides:
- Industrial Network: Access to manufacturing, supply chain, and retail expertise
- Patient Capital: Family office backing means no pressure from LP fund cycles
- Long-term Perspective: Can support companies through multiple rounds
- Enterprise Relationships: Connections to large European enterprises
Contact
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: 2100.vc
- Address: Via Giuseppe Mazzini, 9, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/2100-ventures-vc