Italy isn't traditionally thought of as part of Europe's tech cluster, but it has a growing collection of startups creating products and services that are used around the world.
Here's a list of some of the hottest startups on the scene right now.
11. BeMyEye — lets you earn money as a mystery shopper
BeMyEye is a crowdsourcing site that lets retailers pay people to check stores and act as mystery shoppers. The company operates in Italy, Germany, France, and the UK. Retailers can publish a job on BeMyEye, and then local users can fulfil the role of mystery shopper and check out what's going on in the store.
The company was started by former Motorola employee Gian Luca Petrelli in 2011, and has raised over $2.8 million in funding from Capital Bancorp, RedSeed Ventures, Pietro De Nardis and 360 Capital Partners.
- Total amount raised: $2.8 million
- Headcount: 38
10. Circle Garage — the touchless smart watch
Circle Garage is an Italian startup that produces hardware products. Its current product is the Hiris, a wearable device that sits on your wrist that you don't actually need to touch. Instead, you just have to wave your hand over the watch screen in a certain way for it to understand what function you want it to do, which makes it useful for people like snowboarders who have to wear gloves. The Hiris has raised over $87,000 on crowdfunding site Indiegogo, which is over its target amount.
- Total amount raised: Unknown
- Headcount: Eight
9. MoneyFarm — tailor-made financial advice
MoneyFarm is a Milan-based startup that can provide tailor-made financial advice. It helps customers create a portfolio of funds, and lets users track investments over time.
The company has received $5.6 million in investment from investors including United Ventures, Jupiter Ventures, Principia SGR, and Vittorio Terzi.
- Total amount raised: $5.6 million
- Headcount: 28
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