ZNext (Zanichelli) acquires control of Factanza Media

Less than a year after its birth comes the first M&A operation of ZNext, created on the initiative of Zanichelli Holding. This company, which represents a new entrepreneurial project of Zanichelli Editore - and which will invest in high-potential technology companies with a EUR 60 million plan - has acquired a majority stake in Factanza Media in a EUR 5.1 million deal.

It is, as mentioned, the first M&A deal announced by this new company, but with all the history behind it of a publishing house that first translated The Origin of the Species in Italia in 1864. At the same time it represents a key test, given the type of assets Znext has decided to bring in. Factanza, founded by Bianca Arrighini and Livia Viganò in 2020, has in just a few years become a reference point for a young audience that wants to understand current affairs with less congealed language than traditional media. The company has built a community of almost two million people. "Bianca and Livia have done a difficult thing: they have taken complex topics and made them accessible to a young audience without making them trivial. This is an achievement that is not built with shortcuts, but with years of serious editorial work. This is exactly the kind of reality we want to build something lasting with,' says Elena Lavezzi, ceo of Znext with a past at Uber and Revolut.

The numbers help explain why the dossier has become interesting. Factanza presents itself as one of the most recognisable brands among GenZ and Italian Millennials, with almost two million followers on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok. And alongside editorial content, it has already opened up other lines of activity, from the Academy to the division that supports brands and organisations in their dialogue with younger people. In other words: not only media, but also training, consultancy and services. It is here that the connection with Znext becomes legible.

Marco Parente, Corporate Venture and M&A lead at Znext, puts it this way: 'When we evaluate a company, we do not only look at the numbers, but at the quality it has built up over time. Factanza Media combines a large and engaged community, proprietary content and editorial credibility. Our goal is to support its growth while maintaining what has made it one of the most recognisable new media outlets nationwide".

With the entry of Znext now opens for Factanza 'a phase that we have been eagerly awaiting and that will bring with it many new features,' says Bianca Arrighini. And she adds: "We will grow on the education front, with new products and training courses, we will strengthen our relevance as media, and we will further develop the agency model, alongside companies and large organisations that really want to talk to the new generations, not just reach them. We will remain at the helm, with the same identity and values as always, but with more tools to do even better".