Equis

Equis is a tech-enabled buyout venture built inside the Founders Factory Italy startup studio to address Europe's small-business succession crisis: as ageing owners of Italian micro and small enterprises retire without a family successor or viable buyer, thousands of otherwise-healthy businesses face closure. Equis acquires these businesses directly from retiring owners and pairs them with vetted, pre-screened new managers, structuring the deal so employees and management hold a majority of the shares over roughly a ten-year transition.

Founders Factory unlocked around €700K of initial investment, including cash and in-kind services, to get Equis off the ground as part of its broader Italian studio programme.