BC Partners' Cigierre bolts on Pony Zero

[Editor's note: BC Partners is the majority owner of Acuris, the parent company of Unquote]

The company will use the fresh capital to expand its service offering and enlarge its customer base.

BC Partners bought an 85% stake in Italian casual dining chain Cigierre from L Capital and Paladin Capital Partners in a €300m deal inked in November 2015. The company's CEO, Marco Di Giusto, sold his stake to the GP but reinvested substantially in the deal and continued to lead the business. BC Partners invested in Cigierre via its €6.5bn BC European Capital IX fund. In addition, a financing package was provided by UniCredit.

Previous funding
Pony Zero received seed funding in 2014 and 2015 from Club Italia Investimenti, Club Digitale and several angel investors. 

Company
Founded in 2013, Pony Zero specialises in environmentally friendly shipping and delivery for restaurants and grocery stores. The company is headquartered in Turin and has offices in Milan, Bologna, Genoa, Florence, Bari and Palermo. It employs 400 people. According to press reports, Pony Zero generates annual revenues of around €7m.

People
Cigierre – Marco di Giusto (CEO).
Pony Zero – Davide Fuggetta, Marco Actis (co-founders).

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