Bending Spoons S.p.A., a mobile technology company based in Milan, Italy, has been rapidly expanding through acquisitions. Its recent acquisitions include companies such as Vimeo, AOL, and Eventbrite. The Italian technology conglomerate, which is privately held, acquires stagnating technology companies and attempts to turn them around.

Luca Ferrari, co-founder and CEO of Bending Spoons, has been focused on acquiring and revitalizing the growth of companies with strong brands but weakened growth prospects. Unlike a traditional private equity firm, which acquires struggling companies with the intent of eventually selling them for a profit once they have improved their operations, Bending Spoons acquires companies with the intention of permanently holding them.

Founded in 2013, the company’s name was inspired by “the Matrix bending spoon,” a famous scene from the Matrix science fiction movie. The company’s portfolio of digital technology products and platforms include brands such as Meetup, Evernote, and Remini. The acquisition of Evernote, a note-taking and task management app, was the Italian technology company’s first major deal. Announced in 2022, the Evernote deal closed in early 2023.

Bending Spoons kicked off the 2025 year with the acquisition of Loomly, a social media management platform. The company then raised $600 million from investors in a March 2025 debt funding round.

In September 2025, Bending Spoons announced entry into a definitive agreement to acquire Vimeo, an AI-powered video hosting platform, for $1.4 billion in cash. The acquisition of Vimeo, which closed in November 2025, resulted in Vimeo becoming a privately held company.

In October 2025, Bending Spoons signed a deal to acquire AOL Inc. from the private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $1.5 billion. AOL, the American internet pioneer, still has a sizable user base.

“AOL is an iconic, beloved business that’s in good health, has stood the test of time, and we believe has unexpressed potential. By our estimation, AOL is one of top ten most-used email providers in the world,” stated CEO Luca Ferrari. “We intended to invest significantly to help the product and the business flourish. Bending Spoons has never sold an acquired business—we’re confident we’re the right long-term steward for AOL, and look forward to serving its large, loyal customer base for many years to come.”

In connection with the AOL acquisition, Bending Spoons closed a $2.8 billion debt financing facility. The financing package includes Term Loan A and Term Loan B facilities as well as a revolving credit facility.

In December 2025, Bending Spoons announced plans to acquire Eventbrite for approximately $500 million in cash. Founded by Julia Hartz in 2006, Eventbrite is a global events marketplace that operates in nearly 180 countries.

Other companies have adopted a similar business strategy of acquiring software companies with stalled growth prospects and revamping their operations. Examples of these so-called “venture zombie” companies include Constellation Software, Arising Ventures, Curious, and Calm Capital.

The co-founders of Bending Spoons—Luca Ferrari, Matteo Danieli, Luca Querella, and Francesco Patarnello—recently became billionaires following a successful fundraising round that valued the company at more than $11 billion. With its exploding valuation and notable recent acquisitions, Bending Spoons has solidified its reputation as a formidable technology deal maker.