Bending Spoons Founders on Buying Airtable, AOL, Vimeo & Eventbrite
Sep 14, 2026 · 1:17:47
Bending Spoons CEO Luca Ferrari and co-founders Francesco Patarnello and Matteo Danieli join AOL GM Valentina Jerusalmi to tell Molly O'Shea why the company buys businesses like AOL, Airtable, Vimeo, Evernote, and Miro and never sells them. Patarnello recounts the failed 2019 Grindr bid, worth $20B at today's scale, that built financing muscle from a $1–2M loan in 2017 to US term loans in 2025, then explains selecting 5–10 of 1,000 yearly targets on value-unlock, scale, and predictability. Dropping vesting and annual tenders keep churn under 1%, while founders sell for a forever home without lock-ins. Danieli explains stepping down as CPO for a stronger hire—every role, even CEO, is up for grabs—and 'startup mode' revivals. Jerusalmi covers the Yahoo carve-out and A/B testing.
