Alven leads $16m series-B for Freeda Media

The round saw participation from investor club U-Start and venture capital house Endeavor Catalyst, as well as family offices and other private investors. The financing includes a debt facility of $3m provided by Italian bank Unicredit.

Since its launch in September 2016, Freeda has raised more than $30m in total.

The company intends to use the fresh capital to strengthen its presence in Italy, Spain and South America, and further boost its international expansion, primarily in the UK – where it will open a new office in the coming months – and subsequently in North America.

Previous funding
Following a $4.3m seed round raised in September 2016, Freeda received a $10m series-A funding round led by Alven in May 2018.

Some angel investors also took part in the investment, including Stefano Sala, the CEO of Publitalia '80 and a board member of Mediaset; Paloma Castro Martinez, managing partner at Darwin Associates; Khaled Helioui, who has previously invested in Deliveroo and Uber; Sebastian Picardo, vice-president and chief operating officer at Lane Crawford, and an early investor in FarFetch and Business of Fashion; and Henri Moissinac, the former head of Facebook Mobile.

Company
Launched in 2016 and based in Milan, Freeda generates interactions across women-focused media brands on social platforms, and produces content aimed at millennial women.

The startup works with international brands and companies across different sectors such as fashion, beauty and consumer goods. It employs 160 staff and claims to have more than 5 million women engaging with its content every day.

People
Alven Capital – Guillaume Aubin (managing partner).
Freeda Media – Andrea Scotti Calderini, Gianluigi Casole (co-founders).

Advisers
Equity – Orrick (legal).
Company – Gattai Minoli Agostinelli & Partners (legal).

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