Bending Spoons: Owners of AOL and Vimeo Go Public on Nasdaq

The Italian technology conglomerate Bending Spoons launched its IPO on the Nasdaq stock exchange this week. The company was met with significant market interest, with its valuation exceeding $25 billion shortly after launch. This figure is more than double the $11 billion valuation the company held while in the private sector. This is reported by Techcrunch.com reports .

Founded in Milan, the company has gained attention in recent years for acquiring world-famous digital brands such as AOL, Vimeo, Meetup, Eventbrite, and WeTransfer. Although Bending Spoons' strategy resembles that of private equity funds, unlike them, the company does not resell the acquired brands; instead, it retains them within its portfolio and modernizes them using AI.

Strategy and Controversial Decisions

Bending Spoons has also faced significant criticism throughout its operations. In particular, after acquiring popular services like Evernote, price hikes and mass layoffs caused dissatisfaction among users. However, in an interview with TechCrunch, co-founder Matteo Danieli emphasized that despite all the changes, customer loyalty remains stable.

According to reports provided by the company, as of March 2026, more than 500 million active users utilize projects in its portfolio monthly. Additionally, over 9 million customers are paying for subscriptions. These figures prove that the view that Bending Spoons only buys "dying" brands is incorrect.

From Failure to a Major Empire

Interestingly, today's giant company was born from the foundation of the failed startup Evertale. Founded in Copenhagen, the startup closed in 2011, but its founders and team did not disperse and continued working on new projects. Initially creating their own apps, the team later developed a formula for acquiring ready-made products and integrating them into a centralized system.

Today, Bending Spoons is also demonstrating its financial stability. In 2025, the company reported revenue of $1.31 billion. Investors highly value the company's potential to breathe new life into old internet brands through AI and data analysis.

Beyond its core business, the company also demonstrated its social responsibility in 2020 by developing the Immuni app for the Italian government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic for free. Currently, Bending Spoons is cementing its position in the global technology market as a unique "brand collector."