Fedrigoni Group invests in IoT firm SharpEnd for innovation boost
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The Fedrigoni Group has acquired a minority stake in SharpEnd/io.tt, an IoT solutions and consulting company led by Cameron Worth, the CEO and founder. This acquisition was made through a capital increase and is part of Fedrigoni’s new corporate venture capital program.
The deal aims to identify innovative start-ups and accelerate the company’s innovation process and acquisition of new technologies. It also includes an initial investment with the potential to acquire the entire capital of SharpEnd/io.tt in the future.
SharpEnd, founded in 2015, is a company dedicated to assisting brands in enhancing their products, packaging, and customer engagement through connected solutions. They have developed a proprietary SaaS platform called io.tt, which was launched in 2019. This platform is currently managing billions of touchpoints across packaging and retail for global brand owners in various industries, including drinks, beauty, wellness, fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) and luxury fashion.
“The world of connected products is increasingly strategic for us, and this highly complementary and synergic transaction with the recent bolt-on acquisitions of Tageos, a French company specialised in the manufacturing of UHF and NFC inlays (acquired in 2022), and the Grenoble Research and Development Centre, will enhance our solutions portfolio in the world of smart labels and papers,” says Marco Nespolo, a CEO at the Fedrigoni Group.
He added that SharpEnd provides solutions and consulting services to support major brands, particularly in the luxury and FMCG sectors, in the creation of smart products and packaging, which are essential for product safety, authenticity and traceability but also to provide end users with increasingly engaging shopping experiences.
“Fedrigoni and SharpEnd/io.tt is a perfect match in this connected world that strengthens our position in the global market to develop new products and high-performing integrated solutions,” according to SharpEnd/io.tt’s Worth. “The potential synergies with the Group’s two businesses of specialty papers and premium labels are countless, and Fedrigoni’s network and global footprint in more than 130 countries will be a strong growth accelerator for us.”
Worth added that he is “excited and very proud to welcome Fedrigoni to our Cap Table as a strategic investor, and close partner, as we make our io.tt platform the glue across the packaging ecosystem.”
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