Waveful, the community-based platform for making friends online, announces that it has closed a $2.1 million seed investment round, with participation from a16z Speedrun, Andreessen Horowitz’s programme dedicated to the best apps in the global consumer and gaming sector, Italian Angels for Growth (IAG), Vento Ventures, Zest, Vesper Holding and a select group of Italian and American business angels, including Andrea Ruosi, Vito Lomele, Nick Swift, Simone Cimminelli, Tommaso Tosi, Vincenzo Alagna, Omar Bertoni, Andrea D’Aietti and Jesse Chor.
Founded in 2020 by Steven and Dennis Motta (pictured), Waveful is a social platform that helps people forge authentic connections through shared passions. In a world where loneliness is increasingly prevalent, Waveful aims to build digital spaces for making new friends and meaningful communities.
The transaction, entirely in equity, represents an important step for the start-up, which has achieved significant results for a social platform created in Italy, both in terms of market performance and capital raised.
In less than six months, Waveful surpassed three million downloads, recording monthly growth of over 200% in the last year and reaching over one million dollars in sales in a fully B2C model. Its engagement and retention metrics place Waveful firmly in the top 10 per cent globally among social platforms, consolidating its position among Europe’s most promising consumer-tech projects.
The capital raised will be used to strengthen the company’s presence in the United States, with the aim of reaching half a million American users within twelve months and enhancing the product with new AI-based features, reinforcing Waveful’s position as a cutting-edge social platform. At the same time, the team will be expanded with the addition of 4-6 new members over the next three months, mainly in engineering, growth and marketing roles.
During the a16z Speedrun programme, Waveful stood out as the fastest-growing company, as well as the only entirely Italian start-up, and its founder as the youngest in the selected batch. Waveful thus confirms its position as one of the most dynamic Italian consumer start-ups, capable of revolutionising the way people build online communities and projected to consolidate its place among the world’s most relevant social entities, not only in terms of the size of the round, but also in terms of its ability to compete internationally with scalable products, fuelled by technological drive and solid, constantly growing market metrics.
“Being selected by a16z Speedrun as the only Italian company and becoming the fastest-growing start-up in the programme was an incredible recognition, both for the team and for the vision we have built from the beginning,” said Steven Motta, CEO, in a statement. “This round gives us the resources to accelerate our expansion in the United States, invest in AI-first technology and attract new talent.”
“We believe that the next generation of social apps will move from monetising attention to creating true marketplaces for creators and fans, where creators can directly monetise their activities. Waveful is building this future, and we are excited to support them on their journey,” says Robin Guo, investment partner at a16z.
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