Italy’s technology sector accelerated its growth during the first half of 2026, attracting US$652 million in venture capital as investment rebounded and the country’s tech ecosystem approached a record enterprise value of US$140 billion.
New figures from Dealroom, released ahead of the Wave by Vento conference in Turin, highlighted rising investor confidence and the increasing global profile of Italian technology companies, led by landmark successes including Bending Spoons’ recent public market debut.
Italian start-ups secured US$652 million in venture funding during the first six months of 2026, representing a 29% increase compared with the same period in 2025. The performance followed Italy’s second-strongest year for venture investment on record and reflected continued momentum across software, Artificial Intelligence, aerospace and advanced manufacturing.
The report found the combined enterprise value of Italy’s technology companies had climbed from US$63 billion in 2022 to US$139.9 billion. The country’s unicorn ecosystem was valued at US$57.3 billion, underlining the emergence of a stronger pipeline of high-growth businesses capable of competing internationally.
Italy’s progress mirrored a broader resurgence across Europe. Venture capital investment reached US$44.2 billion during the first half of 2026, with the second quarter alone attracting US$25.2 billion, the continent’s strongest quarterly performance since 2022. Artificial Intelligence continued to dominate funding activity, with European AI companies raising US$24.5 billion in six months, already surpassing the US$21.1 billion invested during the whole of 2025.
Europe is now home to 717 unicorn companies with a combined value of US$2.8 trillion, demonstrating the region’s expanding ability to produce globally competitive technology businesses.
Italy’s own AI sector also continued to expand. AI companies raised US$204 million during the first half of the year, while the sector’s enterprise value reached US$8.2 billion, almost three times its 2022 level. The industry now supports approximately 25,000 jobs, reflecting growing demand for AI expertise across the economy.
Among the country’s largest funding rounds were WeRoad, D-Orbit, Smartness, Lexroom, Niulinx, Subbyx, MDOTM, Webidoo and Dronus, highlighting investor appetite for companies spanning travel technology, AI, enterprise software, autonomous driving, space technology and advanced manufacturing.
Diyala D’Aveni, CEO of Vento, said Italy’s ecosystem was benefiting from increasingly ambitious founders and a broader range of successful technology businesses reaching international scale. She added that Bending Spoons’ public listing would strengthen the country’s innovation ecosystem by inspiring new founders and attracting additional investment.
The findings were released ahead of Wave by Vento, which returns to Turin in October and will bring together founders, investors and technology leaders from across Europe. New speakers include Revolut CEO Nik Storonsky alongside Bending Spoons co-founder Luca Ferrari, reflecting the conference’s growing influence within Europe’s innovation community.
