Zest
Venture capital · Rome, Italy · Europe
Zest is an Italian venture capital firm formed from the merger of Digital Magics and LVenture Group. It makes early-stage investments, runs startup acceleration programs, and provides Open Innovation and Corporate Venturing services to companies and institutions.
Invests inAI & Machine Learning
In its own wordsartificial intelligenceurbantechcleantechhealthtechfintechopen innovation
Your fit with Zest
Four questions about your startup
See how your round matches what it backs, point by point.
Or find every investor that fitsZest lists 172 checked portfolio companies on its own site and is named in 7 funding rounds, 1 of them as lead. Its most frequent entry is Seed, 100% of the companies with a known first round. Its largest themes are AI & Machine Learning (17%), Fintech (11%) and Education (7%). 80% of its companies are based in Italy. It invests most often alongside CDP Venture Capital, Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka and B Heroes.
Counts come from funding rounds that name Zest, complete from mid-2025: earlier rounds appear only when they were reported later. Round amounts and full round histories are on Fundup AI.
Round figures show recent activity, not Zest's whole history. Rounds on record name 7 companies; its own site lists 172. Funding rounds are complete from mid-2025, so counts and the yearly trend undercount a firm that invested before then. The portfolio, themes and places come from its own site and are not affected.
Entry stage
share of companies by the stage of its first roundShow as a table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Pre-seed | 0% |
| Seed | 100% |
| Series A | 0% |
| Series B | 0% |
| Growth | 0% |
Activity by year
rounds it joined, last 10 yearsShow as a table
| Total | Rounds it led | |
|---|---|---|
| '17 | 0 | 0 |
| '18 | 0 | 0 |
| '19 | 0 | 0 |
| '20 | 0 | 0 |
| '21 | 0 | 0 |
| '22 | 0 | 0 |
| '23 | 0 | 0 |
| '24 | 0 | 0 |
| '25 | 3 | 0 |
| '26 | 4 | 1 |
Investor profile
percentile among all firmsShow as a table
| Measure | Percentile of all firms | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio size | 98th | 172 companies |
| Recent activity | 82th | 4 rounds in 12 months |
| Early stage | 100th | 100% of entries at pre-seed or seed |
| Evidence | 54th | 2% of companies confirmed by a round |
| Sector focus | 6th | 17% in its largest sector |
| Reach | 96th | 11 countries |
Investment themes
share of its checked companiesThis firmAll checked companies
Show as a table
| This firm | All checked companies | |
|---|---|---|
| AI & Machine Learning | 17% | 18% |
| Fintech | 11% | 12% |
| Education | 7% | 7% |
| Healthcare & Biotech | 7% | 15% |
| Industrial & Manufacturing | 7% | 7% |
| Real Estate & Construction | 7% | 3% |
| Enterprise Software | 6% | 8% |
| E-commerce & Marketplaces | 6% | 6% |
Invests most often with
firms sharing its portfolio companiesShow as a table
| Share | |
|---|---|
| CDP Venture Capital | 16 |
| Startupbootcamp Scale Osaka | 9 |
| B Heroes | 7 |
| Startup Wise Guys | 5 |
| 40Jemz Ventures | 4 |
| Impact Hub SB | 3 |
| Padda Health | 3 |
| RoundX | 3 |
Its portfolio companies
where they are based, and what their own sites showSite status
- Site answers16998%
- No longer answers00%
- Points to another company32%
- Parked or sold domain00%
A site that stops answering three checks in a row is counted as no longer answering; that is not proof of closure. A site that points to another company is often an acquisition.
Co-investor network
who it backs companies with, and who they back togetherAll co-investors or Compare portfolios with CDP Venture Capital
Compare Zest head to head
portfolio size, rounds, entry stages, themes and the companies both backThree or more firms at once: portfolio overlap.
Recent portfolio activity
when companies last raised with Zest| Date | Company | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 2026 | Seed | |
| 22 Sept 2026 | Seed | |
| 11 Apr 2026 | Seed | |
| 6 Nov 2025 | Seed | |
| 2 Sept 2025 | Seed | |
| 11 Aug 2025 | Seed |
Round details for Zest
Amounts, full round histories and every co-investor in Zest's rounds are on Fundup AI. VCinfo covers investors and their portfolios.
Portfolio
172 companies checked against their own sites| Company | What it does | Themes | First round with it | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2hire enables businesses to build innovative services around connected vehicles | Mobility & LogisticsFintech | Portfolio page | ||
| Portfolio page | ||||
| AiChat delivers advanced AI solutions to enhance engagement, simplify processes, and fuel business growth. | AI & Machine LearningConsumer | Portfolio page | ||
| Alteredu offers online certified courses for professionals | Education | Portfolio page | ||
| AmbiensVr develops and implements XR applications that connect physical spaces, digital systems, and real-world interaction. | Media & EntertainmentReal Estate & Construction | Portfolio page | ||
| Apical supports activism and social innovation in Italy by helping organizations generate positive impact on society and the climate | EducationClimate & Energy | Portfolio page | ||
| Aptus develops and provides an AI-powered legal assistant for law and compliance professionals | Legal & ComplianceAI & Machine Learning | Portfolio page | ||
| Arxax provides green refuelling and recharging solutions to help companies accelerate their journey toward zero emissions | E-commerce & MarketplacesSpace & Defense | Portfolio page | ||
| Astrakode provides a low-code blockchain development platform for businesses to build trustless solutions | FintechReal Estate & Construction | Portfolio page | ||
| Aura System produces and sells air-purifying green walls and other products for indoor air quality improvement | Industrial & Manufacturing | Portfolio page | ||
| Auting allows users to book a car from a private owner for one or more consecutive days | Robotics & HardwareMobility & Logistics | Portfolio page | ||
| The company connects clients with certified lawyers for personalized legal assistance | Legal & Compliance | Portfolio page | ||
| AWorld is an enterprise engagement and education platform leveraging AI, behavioral science, and gamification | EducationFintech | Portfolio page | ||
| BeSafe Rate provides insurance solutions for travelers, hotels, and tour operators to protect against trip cancellations and interruptions. | FintechLegal & Compliance | Portfolio page | ||
| Bikeroom is a marketplace for buying and selling premium bikes | E-commerce & Marketplaces | Portfolio page | ||
| The company provides services and tools for individuals and businesses to buy, store, and use Bitcoin in Italy. | FintechCrypto & Web3 | Portfolio page | ||
| Portfolio page | ||||
| The company provides a subscription-based service that delivers tailored, cleaned, and ironed shirts to customers' homes on a weekly basis. | E-commerce & MarketplacesConsumer | Portfolio page | ||
| Candle Street creates handmade scented candles and home fragrances in Italy. | Consumer | Portfolio page | ||
| CityZ offers a smart parking service that provides real-time information on parking spot availability | Mobility & Logistics | Portfolio page |
About this data
site last read 5 Nov 2026- Site
- zestgroup.vc
- Last read
- 5 Nov 2026
- Watching since
- 5 Nov 2026
- Rounds since
- 11 Aug 2025
- Companies checked
- 172
Rates come from what VCinfo has observed since observation_start. Firms tend to remove companies that closed, so early rates understate reality. A company leaving a portfolio page does not mean it closed or exited. An unreachable site means our checks failed, nothing more.
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