The Italian serial acquirer behind Evernote, WeTransfer, and AOL raises $1.68 billion and gets public-market currency to keep buying
July 1st, 2026: Trading begins on NasdaqNew here? Follow stories to track developments over time. Create a free account to get updates when stories you care about change.
Overview
Updated Jul 1Bending Spoons started trading on the Nasdaq on July 1 under the ticker BSP. The Milan company priced its shares at $29, above its target range, and raised about $1.68 billion.
The listing values Bending Spoons at roughly $18.4 billion, up 67% from the $11 billion it was worth in a private round in October 2025. The company buys aging software apps, cuts costs, and raises prices. Now it has public stock to fund the next deals.
Why it matters
The company owns apps millions use daily, including Evernote and WeTransfer. Its playbook: buy, cut staff, raise prices. Public money funds more of it.
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Timeline
January 2013 July 2026
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Trading begins on Nasdaq
Latest FinancialBending Spoons debuts under ticker BSP at an $18.4 billion valuation, up 67% from October.
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IPO priced at $29
FinancialShares price at $29, above the $26 to $28 target range, raising about $1.68 billion.
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Files to go public
RegulatoryThe company files for a US initial public offering on the Nasdaq, seeking a valuation near $20 billion.
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Eventbrite deal announced
AcquisitionBending Spoons agrees to acquire ticketing platform Eventbrite for roughly $500 million in cash.
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Private round at $11 billion
FundingThe company raises $710 million from investors including Durable Capital Partners, Baillie Gifford, and T. Rowe Price.
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WeTransfer acquired
AcquisitionBending Spoons agrees to buy the Dutch file-transfer service WeTransfer, then cuts about 75% of its staff.
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Evernote deal closes
AcquisitionThe company completes its purchase of the note-taking app Evernote. Layoffs and cuts to the free tier follow.
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Bending Spoons founded
OriginLuca Ferrari and three partners start the company with about $40,000 in seed capital.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
Constellation Software IPO (2006)
Canadian firm Constellation Software went public in Toronto. Led by Mark Leonard, it buys small vertical-market software companies and holds them forever, rarely selling.
The stock listed quietly and drew little attention outside Canada.
Constellation became one of the best-performing stocks of its era, compounding through hundreds of acquisitions and turning early holders into large gains.
It is the clearest public template for Bending Spoons' hold-forever, serial-acquirer model, and shows the strategy can reward public investors over years.
IAC/InterActiveCorp brand roll-up (2000s)
Barry Diller assembled a conglomerate of internet brands including Match, Expedia, and Vimeo, buying and later spinning off properties.
IAC grew into a sprawling owner of consumer web businesses under one public company.
Diller unlocked value mainly by spinning brands out, not holding them, the opposite of Bending Spoons' stated approach.
IAC shows a rival path for owning many internet brands, and raises the question of whether Bending Spoons can create value by holding rather than spinning off.
Yahoo's acquisition graveyard (2000s-2010s)
Yahoo bought dozens of consumer web companies, including Flickr and Tumblr, then let many decline through neglect and poor integration.
The deals brought users and headlines but little lasting profit.
Yahoo wrote down billions and became a cautionary tale about buying apps faster than you can run them.
It is the downside case for Bending Spoons: acquiring aging apps can destroy value if cost cuts drive away the users who made the products worth buying.
