Bending Spoons' Remarkable Journey to the Top

Bending Spoons, the 13-year-old Italian company, has made headlines with its successful IPO, reaching a valuation of over $18 billion. The company's founder, Matteo Danieli, attributes their success to a unique approach that focuses on minimizing the role of luck in growth and success, instead emphasizing the importance of operational excellence and the strategic use of AI.

The company's story began with the failed startup Evertale, which aimed to create a diary of users' lives using machine learning. Although Evertale did not succeed, it taught the founders valuable lessons about the importance of talent, strategy, and perseverance. "Luck is a very big component of that equation," Danieli said, "So we developed an obsession for finding a strategy that would, as much as possible, reduce the role that luck plays in growth and success."

A Focus on Operational Excellence

Bending Spoons' approach to operational excellence is reflected in its acquisition strategy. The company has acquired a range of beloved internet brands, including Meetup, Eventbrite, and Vimeo, with the goal of transforming them through the use of AI and data-driven decision making. > "We want to place ourselves as an operator that takes beloved brands and makes them much better," Danieli said.

The company's use of AI has been a key factor in its success, with Danieli noting that "in the past year and a half, we've witnessed an incredible acceleration in the pace at which we were able to ship new features and create value for users." This focus on AI has also driven revenue growth, with the company's F-1 filing including a chapter called 'AI before it was cool'.

• The company's revenue per full-time equivalent employee increased from $1.12 million in 2023 to $2.57 million in 2025
• The company's focus on AI has driven the development of new features and products, including the AI-heavy v11 update of Evernote
• The company's approach to pricing is data-driven, with a focus on leveraging sophisticated data tracking and analytics infrastructure

A New Chapter for Bending Spoons

With its successful IPO, Bending Spoons is poised to continue its acquisitive strategy, taking advantage of slashed SaaS valuations to deploy capital and drive growth. As Danieli noted, "From a buyer's perspective and as a company that grows through acquisitions, that’s actually a great opportunity and moment to deploy capital." The company's future plans are likely to be closely watched by investors and industry observers, as it continues to evolve and grow in the rapidly changing tech landscape.