MILAN, May 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Italy is estimated to hold more than 1.3 million small arts and crafts companies, employing 3 million people. In an increasingly globalized world where design is a commodity, craftsmanship is gaining importance for highly demanding customers and sector experts. Artemest is disrupting this industry by supporting craft businesses and creators and connecting them to global customers looking for unique, handmade pieces.
Ippolita Rostagno launched Artemest after a visit to Florence, where she realised many of the local artisans were going out of business as their customer base increasingly shopped online. Joined by Marco Credendino, they set out to create a global network connecting local businesses with affluent individuals across the globe.
Artemest today has become the realisation of this vision: six years after launching, they connect 1,300+ Italian artisans and creators - offering 60,000+ products - with thousands of customers and design professionals across the globe. Artemest's catalogue looks more like an art museum than an interior design shop; offering a curated selection of home décor, art and furniture.
Ippolita Rostagno said, "Craftsmanship has been central to the development of the civilized world and has coalesced generations around the idea that art matters. Our ambition is to further this tradition by bringing beauty into people's everyday lives".
Artemest has now secured €15 million in funding, led by specialist fund IRIS Ventures and Olma Luxury Holdings. The marketplace will use this funding to accelerate growth, with a focus on the US; further develop its technology, brand & community and optimize its catalog and talent recruitment. Legal counsels Edoardo Canetta Rossi Palermo and Barbara Ballandi led the Chiomenti legal team advising Artemest on the deal.
The investment will also support the development of Artemest's services for interior designers, brands and hospitality partners, offering them best-in-class, end-to-end support thanks to its personal advisors as well as its content and tech-enabled tools.
Montse Suarez, Founder and Managing Partner of IRIS Ventures, finishes: "Finding visionaries building purpose-led brands that transform the way we live is what we do at IRIS Ventures, and Artemest is a perfect illustration of it. Artemest is the Italian guardian of craftsmanship excellence and creativity, giving the community of artisans and small businesses the ability to preserve their heritage by making it accessible to a global audience".
Artemest
Co-founded by jewellery entrepreneur Ippolita Rostagno and Marco Credendino (former Yoox-Net-a-Porter), Artemest is the largest marketplace of Italian high-end, artisanal design, with a vision to become the leading global platform for contemporary design and luxury craftsmanship.
IRIS Ventures
IRIS Ventures is the advisor to IRIS Fund I FCRE, a growth equity fund targeting European and US purpose-led consumer-centric brands and tech-enabled solutions that solve for healthier, happier and more convenient lives. IRIS Ventures has presence in Barcelona, London and New York.
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