Smartness Secures Major Series B Funding
Smartness has raised €47 million in Series B funding. The round included primary equity, secondary equity, and debt. It was led by United Ventures and CDP Venture Capital. Existing investor Partech also joined the round. The raise brings total funding to more than €60 million.
The company is based in Trentino in northern Italy. It builds an AI driven platform for the lodging industry. It aims to help accommodation providers automate daily tasks. It also aims to reduce reliance on online travel agents. Its tools include property management, guest communication, CRM, and payments.
Smartness says the new funding will support expansion. It will invest in operations and system development. It wants to deepen its product stack. It also wants to grow its presence across global lodging markets. The company now serves more than 5,000 customers in 41 countries.
The company has grown quickly since its Series A round. It has reached more than €10 million in annual recurring revenue. It also reports monthly growth of around ten per cent. It has expanded its platform into several new product areas.
AI Platform Designed For Lodging Operators
Smartness describes its platform as agentic. The system focuses on outcomes rather than tools. It covers property operations, communication, payments, and pricing. It aims to free operators from manual tasks. It also aims to help them increase direct bookings.
The company believes automation is now essential. Many lodging businesses depend heavily on online travel agents. Manual workflows slow down operations. They also limit revenue growth. Smartness wants to replace fragmented software with unified systems.
Demand for automation is rising across the sector. Operators want to reduce operational complexity. They also want better control over guest engagement. Smartness says its modular platform gives them flexibility. They can adopt products at their own pace.
Smartness has also pursued acquisitions. The company integrated several teams and product lines. It took a different approach from typical start-ups. It built multiple products at once. It hired based on potential rather than experience. These moves attracted scepticism in the early years.
The company says those decisions strengthened its platform. Net revenue retention above 150 per cent supports this view. Customers expand usage across more modules. This helped the company scale quickly before the Series B raise.
Growth Strategy Backed By Strong Investor Confidence
Smartness’ growth journey, driven by strong investor confidence, rapid scaling, and a unique origin story rooted in an Alpine headquarters connected to Europe’s hospitality tech ecosystem. Source: Created by Ventureburn.
Investors say Smartness reached its growth stage under intense pressure. It nearly ran out of cash twice. It still built a fast-growing platform in a competitive sector. It also achieved rapid revenue milestones. It surpassed competitors in the European B2B lodging space.
The company presented its virtual data room for the new round. It received several term sheets within two weeks. This reflects stronger investor confidence. It also reflects momentum across the hospitality software market. European lodging technology companies have raised significant capital in recent years.
Smartness says its identity shapes its culture. It is headquartered in a small Alpine town. It was built far from typical European tech hubs. Its story has become part of its brand. It reflects persistence and unconventional decision making.
The company plans to use the new capital to scale engineering. It wants to expand its technical and commercial teams. It also wants to strengthen its agentic system. This system is built to connect operators with measurable outcomes. It aims to support lodging businesses of different sizes.
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Positioning For Global Expansion In Hospitality AI
The latest round positions Smartness at the front of vertical AI adoption. The hospitality sector has been slow to automate. It also depends heavily on legacy software. Smartness believes its platform can change this. It plans to expand beyond Italy into global markets.
The company sees strong potential in operational AI. Lodging businesses manage many daily tasks. Many processes rely on human input. Automation reduces labour pressure. It also improves service quality. Smartness aims to offer unified systems for these tasks.
The company believes it can scale toward €100 million in revenue. It also aims to become a category leader valued at €1 billion. The team says it has the right structure to support that growth. It plans to expand internationally. It also plans to compete with established vendors.
Smartness has grown more than six times since its Series A. It wants to build the first full agentic system for hotels and holiday rentals. The system will focus on outcomes rather than tools. It also aims to support faster digital transformation across the industry.
Demand for automation continues to rise. Hospitality companies want more efficient operations. They want unified workflows. They also want stronger control over revenue. Smartness aims to support this shift with its modular platform.
The company enters its next phase with strong backing. It has growing enterprise adoption. It has strong retention metrics. It also has a clear plan for global expansion. Smartness says it wants to help operators use AI to improve results. It also wants to help them scale sustainably.
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