Investing in the most promising seed and post-seed startups, fostering open innovation and industrial collaboration, this is the mission of OpenT, a joint venture equally owned by Tinexta S.p.A., a leading company in Digital Trust, Cybersecurity, and Business Innovation listed on Euronext STAR Milan, and Zest S.p.A., Italy’s leading early-stage venture capital, open innovation, and corporate venturing player, listed on Euronext Milan. OpenT has officially launched its activities with its first two investments.
OpenT will invest in digital innovation startups, with a focus on IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Cybersecurity. The goal is to identify, support, and fund tech companies that, through open innovation, can enhance Tinexta’s offering while strengthening Italy’s innovation ecosystem.
OpenT’s investment strategy includes initial tickets of €250,000, with potential follow-on investments up to €750,000, while maintaining a strong focus on ESG criteria aligned with Tinexta and Zest’s commitments.
With an initial capital of €5 million, OpenT will focus on investing in cutting-edge technologies, starting with Artificial Intelligence, in synergy with Tinexta Group’s core business.
The joint venture has already closed its first two investments in Zest portfolio startups, both accelerated through Magic Mind, Zest’s AI-focused acceleration program:
Crono: a SaaS sales automation platform that leverages AI to help B2B sales teams identify new leads and automate personalized omnichannel interactions;
Keplera: a Legal Tech startup that developed LexHero, a comprehensive AI-powered solution for managing legal documents. LexHero offers intelligent editing, storage, sharing, and digital signature capabilities, streamlining the legal documentation process.
"At Tinexta, our mission is to drive digital transformation and innovation for Italian SMEs. OpenT strengthens this commitment by creating a bridge between startups and the country’s entrepreneurial landscape, accelerating the adoption of advanced technological solutions even among smaller enterprises.
Our first investments in Crono and Keplera highlight the strategic potential of this collaboration—these innovative solutions can seamlessly integrate into our offerings, generating value for Tinexta and the broader Italian tech ecosystem. Through this joint venture with Zest, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering emerging technologies that will reshape Digital Trust, Cybersecurity, and Business Innovation", said Pier Andrea, Chevallard, CEO of Tinexta.
"OpenT is born from a shared vision with Tinexta on innovation, digital transformation, and the need for a strong industry-wide ecosystem. We are proud of this joint venture, which represents a strategic step toward accelerating frontier technologies through an industrial and open innovation approach, creating concrete and long-lasting impact. Our goal is to generate value not only for Tinexta but also for our portfolio companies and the entire innovation ecosystem, strengthening the competitiveness of enterprises.
These first two investments confirm the work Zest has been doing in Artificial Intelligence, demonstrating how our startups can act as innovation catalysts, turning research and development into market-ready solutions", said Marco Gay, Executive Chairman of Zest.
The joint venture has already completed its first two investments in AI-driven startups: Crono, an all-in-one platform that automates sales workflows through AI, and Keplera, a comprehensive solution for managing legal documents digitally.
The Board of Directors of OpenT is chaired by Paola Generali (Board Member, Tinexta) and includes: Marco Gay (Executive Chairman, Zest), Valerio Zappalà (Group Chief M&A and Integration, Sales and Marketing Officer, Tinexta), Ludovico Facchini (Portfolio & Operations Manager, Zest Investments).
The Investment Committee, chaired by Francesco Beraldi (Chairman, O2e), is composed of: Marco Sanfilippo (General Manager, Warrant Hub – Tinexta Group), Danilo Cattaneo (CEO, Infocert – Tinexta Group), Fabrizio Vacca (Security Solution Director, Tinexta Cyber), Gabriele Ronchini (CEO, Zest Investments), Edmondo Sparano (Chief Digital Officer & Head of Scouting, Zest Investments), Ludovico Facchini (Chief Operations Officer & Head of Portfolio, Zest Investments), Federica Cardona (Senior Portfolio Manager, Zest Investments).