Orrick’s Corporate Partner Attilio Mazzilli participates in Futura’s €1.8M funding round

Attilio Mazzilli, a Corporate Partner at Orrick, is among the business angels who participated in the €1.8 million funding round for Futura, the largest in Italy’s education sector. With the capital raised, the startup aims to pursue an ambitious growth project, aiming to become the leading player in the European market for test preparation and tutoring.

Attilio Mazzilli (Orrick) backs Futura’s AI-driven education solutions

Artificial intelligence has made its way into the education sector through the success of Futura, a highly accomplished startup that secured a €1.8 million founding round. Attilio Mazzilli, a Corporate Partner at Orrick, is among the group of business angels supporting this transformative project. Founded by three young entrepreneurs under the age of 25, Futura was established in 2020 with a vision to leverage new technologies and develop an AI system capable of designing personalized learning journeys for students. Its primary objective is to assist students in preparing for university admission tests and provide personalized tutoring sessions. The startup offers curated courses facilitated by expert instructors, ensuring tailored paths that cater to individual learning needs. Students can subscribe to the platform on a monthly basis, gaining access to cutting-edge educational resources and personalized support to reach their academic goals. The startup, supported by Attilio Mazzilli, initiates its process by assessing individual skills and crafting personalized study plans. In under two years, it has achieved remarkable milestones, boasting more than 1,500 enrolled students and experiencing a monthly growth rate of 20%. The team has expanded from three members to 15, exemplifying its dedication and ambition. This success has captured the attention of national and international investors, including United Ventures, Exor Seeds, Ithaca Ventures, and LVenture Group. Now, Futura sets its sights on international expansion, aiming to establish itself as a leading player in Europe for test preparation and tutoring.

Orrick’s Corporate Partner Attilio Mazzilli: a pillar of expertise

With a Law degree from the University of Milan, a Master of Laws in Business&Corporate Law earned at the University of Southern California, and admission to the Italian Bar Association in 2003, Attilio Mazzilli has forged a long and successful career in the legal field. Presently, he holds the position of Corporate Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, specializing in the realms of private equity, venture capital, and both domestic and cross-border M&A transactions. Within Orrick, he holds additional significant roles, serving as Co-Head of Italian offices, Head of the Italian Tech Group, and Member of the International Technology Companies Group. His extensive expertise proves invaluable to startups, venture capital firms, and tech companies alike, providing comprehensive guidance on matters of financing, corporate law, M&A, and listings. Throughout his career, Attilio Mazzilli has played a pivotal role in numerous significant transactions involving esteemed companies, including Gruppo Intesa San Paolo, Cattolica Assicurazioni, Teko Telecom, Octo Telematics, Prima Assicurazioni, and Bending Spoons. His expertise also extends to advising Banca Sella Holding and Fabrick on a joint venture agreement with illimity Bank regarding Hype, guiding Cerba HealthCare through its acquisition of Lifebrain from Investindustrial, and supporting Scalapay in both its Series B financing round led by Tencent and its Series A financing round led by Tiger Global. His contributions have garnered him prestigious recognition, such as the title of “Lawyer of the Year for Venture Capital” in the 2020 Legalcommunity Awards. Furthermore, his work has played a significant role in earning numerous accolades for Orrick, including “Law Firm of the Year 2021 for Venture Capital”, “Law Firm of the Year 2020 for M&A Small Cap” (BeBeez and PBV), and “Law Firm of the Year 2020 for Fintech” (TopLegal Industry Awards).

Orrick’s Partner Attilio Mazzilli reveals the current trends in the fintech sector

The rise of inflation and economic uncertainties do not stop Italian fintech from thriving. The expert and partner lawyer responsible for the Italian Tech Group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Attilio Mazzilli reveals that this positive trend does not affect only leading companies like Satispay or Scalapay.

Attilio Mazzilli: the numbers of other fintech companies

Insurtech, regtech, welltech, payment and blockchain companies are all thriving at the moment. According to “Startup Italia”, the fintech sector received around 996 million euros in investment during the first half of 2022. A total investment of 100 billion dollars was registered in Europe the previous year, which is three times more than the amount invested in 2020. The team of lawyers at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe was able to witness it first-hand. The global law firm managed over 500 transactions worth 20 billion dollars in 2021 and in the first half of 2022, it handled eight fintech rounds, exceeding a value of 850 million euros. Partner Attilio Mazzilli, who is also a Member of the International Technology Companies Group at Orrick, explained that “the competition among investors for the best deals was a trend that emerged last year, given the high liquidity in circulation”. “Even in 2022,” – he added – funds continued to have significant liquidity to invest, and there are no signs of change despite economic uncertainties”. Satispay and Scalapay are a guarantee but there are so many promising fintech companies that are worth to invest in. An example is Bkn301, a company that emerged from the acquisition of assets of the former Payment Institute of the Republic of San Marino and which aims to become a cross-border open-market operator in open banking and digital payments. Another one is Wallife, which launched the first policy to protect digital identities after closing a 12 million dollars investment round.

Attilio Mazzilli: what does the future hold for the fintech sector?

Attilio Mazzilli has been Head of the Italian Tech Group and Member of the International Technology Companies Group for a long time now. Partner of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe since 2015, he specializes in private equity and venture capital and has long expertise in domestic and cross-border M&A transactions. He primarily advises on M&A, private equity and venture capital transactions and support startups and venture capital firms when it comes to financing, corporate law, M&A, and listings. When asked about his opinion on whether or not this positive trend in the fintech sector will keep going, Attilio Mazzilli acknowledges that there is a chance that venture capital will come across some difficulties. “The first half saw operations that were prepared beforehand, but the second half of the year could experience a slowdown of up to 10% for operations that are inevitably riskier”, he explained. But he also reassured that the interest in fintech operations will remain high. Thanks to his work, Attilio Mazzilli contributed to a number of awards for Orrick, including “Law Firm of the Year 2021 for Venture Capital”, “Law Firm of the Year 2020 for M&A Small Cap” (BeBeez and PBV), and “Law Firm of the Year 2020 for Fintech” (TopLegal Industry Awards).

Nuo’s entry into Italian food sector: Attilio Mazzilli’s support

With Attilio Mazzilli’s assistance, Nuo becomes a minority shareholder in Andriani, marking a significant step in the company’s expansion plans.

 

Attilio Mazzilli: the new partnership between Andriani and Nuo

Nuo, the financial holding company set up by the partnership between Exor and World-Wide Investments, has entered the Italian food sector through a recent collaboration. Andriani, a company known for its top-notch gluten-free pasta made from exceptional raw materials and based in Puglia, has partnered with Nuo under the guidance of CEO Tommaso Paoli. Attilio Mazzilli, Corporate Partner of Orrick, played an important role in assisting the Italian group in this agreement. With this new collaboration, Nuo will become a minority shareholder in Andriani, holding a 26.4% stake. However, the majority share capital will remain with the Italian Group, while Michele and Francesco Andriani will continue to lead the company’s management. This strategic move will accelerate the industrial development plan of Andriani, focusing on expanding into the American and Asian markets.

Attilio Mazzilli among the key players

Alongside this expansion, the new partnership between Andriani and Nuo includes substantial investments in innovation, supply chain projects, and long-term sustainability goals such as achieving carbon neutrality by 2025 at the manufacturing plant. During the deal, Andriani sought assistance from both PwC for vendor due diligence and Orrick, where partner Attilio Mazzilli led a team of professionals. On the other hand, Nuo received guidance on tax aspects from Chiomenti and Gitti and Partners. While UBS mid-market served as a financial advisor for this transaction.

Attilio Mazzilli: a successful journey from law graduate to Orrick partner

After completing his Law degree, Attilio Mazzilli embarked on a successful career that led him to his current position as a Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

 

Attilio Mazzilli at Orrick: specializations and completed transactions

As partner at Orrick, Attilio Mazzilli focuses on M&A transactions, both national and cross-border, as well as private equity and venture capital sectors. He plays a central role in collaborations with major players in the technology industry, supporting founders at all stages of the company's lifecycle. Some of his completed transactions include those carried out by Scalapay (an Italian fintech company assisted in its mega-series B round led by Tencent), Blacksheep Ventures (supported in its investment in the UK startup ID Ward), and Scibids Technology (a French startup operating in digital marketing). He has also assisted Cazoo, Safety21 (majority stake sale to BU - Bregal Unternehmerkapital), Cerba HealthCare, Banca Sella Holding, and Fabrick. In the early months of the pandemic, Attilio Mazzilli collaborated with the Ministry of Innovation, the Finance Commission, and VC Hub in drafting urgent measures to support tech and innovative companies. In recognition of his professional commitment, he was awarded the title of “Venture Capital Lawyer of the Year” at the Legalcommunity Awards 2020.

Attilio Mazzilli's career before joining Orrick

Following a series of significant educational experiences, Attilio Mazzilli embarked on a successful professional path with particular expertise in private equity, venture capital, supporting companies specialized in the technology sector. Since 2015, he has been a Partner at the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where he is also the Head of the Italian Tech Group and a member of the International Technology Companies Group. He graduated in Law from the University of Milan and became a qualified lawyer in 2003. He further enhanced his education with a Master of Laws in Business & Corporate Law from the University of Southern California. Attilio Mazzilli began his professional career as an Associate at the law firm Pavia e Ansaldo in Milan and, after his experience in the United States, he returned to Italy and worked as a Senior Associate at the law firm Chiomenti. In 2011, he joined Studio Carnelutti as a Partner and Head of International Development, which was his last professional role before joining Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as a Partner.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP: insight on Corporate Partner Attilio Mazzilli

Lawyer specialized in private equity and venture capital, Attilio Mazzilli is a Corporate Partner at the global law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP with a long expertise in domestic and cross-border M&A transactions. He is also Co-Head of Orrick’s Italian offices, Head of the Italian Tech Group and Member of the International Technology Companies Group.

Attilio Mazzilli’s professional career

Attilio Mazzilli started his career after graduating in L.aw from the University of Milan where he presented a dissertation on “The insurance contracts in private international law”. Admitted to the Italian Bar Association in 2003, he got his first job as Associate at “Pavia e Ansaldo” law firm the same year in Milan. After a couple of years, he decided it was time to further his education at the University of California, so he moved to Los Angeles in 2006 and obtained a Master of Laws in Business & Corporate Law. Back in Milan a year later, he joined “Chiomenti” law firm’s team as Senior Associate. He practiced there for a while and then he changed working environment by moving to another important Italian law firm called “Carnelutti”. Here he served as Partner and Head of International Development from 2011 to 2015. In 2015 the experience of Attilio Mazzilli in “Carnelutti” came to an end and the adventure in Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP began. He has worked for the renown global law firm since then. He currently holds the position of Corporate Partner and Head of the Italian Tech Group as well as that of Member of the International Technology Companies Group. He mainly focuses on M&A, private equity and venture capital transactions, but also on advising startups and venture capital firms on financing, corporate law, M&A and listings. On top of that, Attilio Mazzilli supports leading tech companies’ founders at all stages of their life-cycle by operating as the companies’ consultant.

Attilio Mazzilli: acknowledgments and most remarkable operations

During his career, Attilio Mazzilli has played a key role in a great number of important transactions assisting very renowned companies. Intesa San Paolo, Cattolica Assicurazioni, Teko Telecom, Octo Telematics and Prima Assicurazioni are a few examples. Among the most remarkable transactions in which he played leading roles, there is the one regarding Banca Sella Holding and Fabrick’joint venture agreement with Illimity Bank on Hype, the acquisition of Lifebrain from Investindustrial carried out by Cerba Healthcare and Scalapay’s Series B funding round led by Tencent and Series A funding round led by Tiger Global. Attilio Mazzilli was also appointed by the Italian government to collaborate with the Italian Ministry of Innovation, the Finance Commission and VC Hub for the draft of urgent measures aimed at providing financial support to tech and innovative Italian companies, after the first outbreak of the pandemic. In the same period, the app developed by his client Bending Spoons, called Immuni, was selected by the Italian Ministry of Health to track spread of COVID-19 in Italy. In 2020 the lawyer was awarded “Lawyer of the Year for Venture Capital” at the Legal Community Awards. In addition to that, his work contributed to several awards for Orrick, including “Law firm of the Year 2021 for Venture Capital”, “Law Firm of the Year 2020 for M&A Small Cup” (BeBeez and PBV) and “Law Firm of the Year 2020 for Fintech” (TopLegal Industry Awards).

New partnership between Nuo and Andriani: Attilio Mazzilli (Orrick) assists Italian Group

The Italian based gluten-free pasta producer Andriani welcomes financial holding Nuo as minority shareholder. Andriani was assisted in the operation by Orrick with a team of professionals that included Attilio Mazzilli. Chiomenti and Gitti and Partners were Nuo’s advisors, while USB mid-market also acted as financial advisor for the operation.

Orrick, Attilio Mazzilli assists Andriani in welcoming Nuo as minority shareholder

Recently, the financial holding company created by Exor and The World-Wide Investment, Nuo, entered the Italian food sector by becoming a minority shareholder of Andriani, a company based in Puglia (Southern Italy) and specialized in the production of high-quality gluten-free pasta, starting from excellent raw materials. The Italian Group was assisted by Orrick’s Corporate Partner Attilio Mazzilli, who played a key role in the formation of a new partnership between the holding company run by CEO Tommaso Paoli and the gluten-free pasta producer. The agreement establishes that Nuo enters Andriani’s capital as a minority partner with a 26.4% stake. The Italian Group will hence continue to maintain the majority of the share capital, while brothers Michele and Francesco Andriani will lead the company’s management. This operation will help the Apulian company accelerate its industrial development plan, which aims to a rapid expansion into the American and the Asian markets. Included in the plan is also an increase of the investments in innovation and supply chain projects and in long-term sustainability projects, including the achievement of carbon neutrality by 2050.

The profile of Attilio Mazzilli, Orrick’s Corporate Partner and key player in the operation

Attilio Mazzilli was among the professionals that played a key role in the operation that led to the partnership between Nuo and Andriani. Partner of the global law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP since 2015, he is a lawyer specialized in private equity and venture capital transactions who provides counsel to companies, startups and venture capital firms on financing, corporate law, M&A and listings. He is Co-Head of Orrick’s Italian offices, Head of the Italian Tech Group and Member of the International Technology Company Group. Attilio Mazzilli participated in a significant number of major acquisitions and mergers, assisting renowned Italian companies such as Intesa San Paolo, Banca Sella Holding and Cerba Healthcare. He was the advisor in Scalapay’s last funding round led by Tencent as well as in the previous funding round led by Tiger Global. He also played an important role after the outbreak of the pandemic, since he collaborated with the Italian Ministry of Innovation, the Finance Commission and VC Hub to draft urgent measures that would financially support Italian tech companies. The app of one of his clients, Bending Spoons, was chosen by the Italian Ministry of Health to track spread of COVID-19 throughout the country. Attilio Mazzilli received several awards during his career and he was appointed “Lawyer of the Year for Venture Capital”. His work contributed to a significant number of awards for Orrick, including “Law Firm of the Year 2021 for Venture Capital” (BeBeez and PBV) and “Law Firm of the Year 2020 for Fintech” (TopLegal Industry Awards).

Attilio Mazzilli: Orrick, the #1 venture capital law firm in Europe. Pitchbook’s annual report

This is the seventh consecutive year that Orrick, of which Attilio Mazzilli is Co-Managing Partner for its Italian offices, has dominated the European market. According to Pitchbook’s 2022 annual report, the Group is the leading venture capital law firm in Europe, and top 5 globally.

 

Attilio Mazzilli: Orrick is #1 for European Venture Capital

Moreover, Pitchbook reports that Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, of which Attilio Mazzilli is also Corporate Partner and Head of the Italian Tech Group, completed 264 deals in Europe in 2022, which means more than 1.5 times the number completed by the second-place firm. The report confirmed that the global law firm also ranked first in France, and second not only in the United Kingdom & Ireland but also in DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland). Throughout 2022, the Group helped raise over 43 billion dollars globally in more than 57 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, by closing over 1050 transactions.

Attilio Mazzilli: the Orrick team's consolidated experience

As a Corporate Partner, Attillio Mazzilli leads the Orrick team that is committed to offering its customers comprehensive sector-specific financing, transactional, regulatory, and litigation solutions. The main purpose is to assist companies in scaling their operations, as well as representing financial advisors. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP mainly advices disruptive companies operating in the global tech market, with a particular focus on fintech, energy tech, biotech and life sciences, AI and cloud computing. The extensive experience gained over the years led the Group to be recognised as Law360's “Fintech Group of the Year” in 2022. The law firm was thus able to further consolidate its position as a global market leader.

Attilio Mazzilli: the professional bio of Orrick’s Corporate Partner

Attilio Mazzilli is a Corporate Partner at the global law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LPP. Here he also serves as Co-Head of Italian offices, Head of the Italian Tech Group and he is a Member of the International Technology Companies Group. His area of expertise is focused on private equity and venture capital, with particular attention to domestic and cross-border M&A transaction.

Attilio Mazzilli’s career from the first years to the current position at Orrick

Attilio Mazzilli starts with a Law Degree obtained from the University of Milan, which is then followed by a Master of Laws in Business&Corporate Law from the University of Southern California. In 2003 he was admitted to the Italian Bar Association and could finally begin his career as a lawyer. He got his first job as Associate at “Pavia e Ansaldo” law firm in Milan, which he paused in order to move to Los Angeles and get his LLM. When he came back to Milan, he joined “Chiomenti” law firm as Senior Associate. Shortly after he was in “Carnelutti” law firm as Partner and Head of International Development. He joined the global law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LPP in 2015. Since then, he has been responsible for cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions at the firm. He is now a Corporate Partner, Co-Head of Italian offices, Head of the Italian Tech Group and Member of the International Technology Companies Group.

Attilio Mazzilli: recent accomplishments and acknowledgements

Besides his activity in Orrick, Attilio Mazzilli also works as a consultant for leading tech companies supporting their founders throughout their life-cycle. He collaborated with the Italian Ministry of Innovation, the Finance Commission and VC Hub to draft urgent measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures were aimed at providing financial support to Italian tech and innovative companies. In addition, one of his clients was the developer of the app selected by the Italian Ministry of Health to track the spread of COVID-19 throughout the country. In the 22 years of his professional career, Attilio Mazzilli has played a key role in several significant transactions, by the side of renowned companies like Intesa San Paolo, Cattolica Assicurazioni, Teko Telecom, Octo Telematics and Prima Assicurazioni. He has been the advisor of Banca Sella Holding and Fabrick in the joint venture agreement with Illimity Bank regarding Hype, Cerba Healthcare on the acquisition of Lifebrain from Investindustrial and he has assisted Scalapay in its Series B funding round led by Tencent and in its Series A funding round led by Tiger Global. The value of Attilio Mazzilli’s work is also attested by the several acknowledgments he received. In 2020, for example, he was named “Lawyer of the Year for Venture Capital” at the Legalcommunity Awards. His work at Orrick was crucial for the achievement of awards like “Law Firm of the Year 2021 for Venture Capital”, “Law Firm of the Year 2020 for M&A Small Cap” (BeBeez and PBV), and “Law Firm of the Year 2020 for Fintech” (TopLegal Industry Awards).