According to EU-Startups, Milan-based tech company Bending Spoons is acquiring the global event platform Eventbrite in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately €430 million, or $500 million. The deal, expected to close in the first half of 2026, will take the US-listed Eventbrite private. Eventbrite shareholders will get €3.87 per share, which is an 82% premium over the company’s 60-day average share price as of December 1, 2025. Bending Spoons CEO Luca Ferrari stated the acquisition will accelerate innovation for Eventbrite, with plans to build new features like a messaging system and AI tools for event creation. Eventbrite, co-founded by Julia Hartz, powered over 4.7 million events and issued 83 million paid tickets globally in 2024. This follows Bending Spoons’ massive €1.1 billion acquisition of Vimeo and a signed deal to take over AOL.
The Bending Spoons Playbook
So what’s the deal with this Italian company suddenly buying all our favorite apps? Here’s the thing: Bending Spoons isn’t a flashy VC or a private equity firm looking for a quick flip. Their whole model is based on long-term ownership and intensive post-acquisition investment. They buy established, sometimes struggling-but-beloved digital platforms like Evernote, WeTransfer, Meetup, and now Eventbrite, and then they pour resources into them. They’re not just collecting assets; they’re trying to transform them. It’s a wildly different approach in a tech world obsessed with growth hacking and exit strategies. And they’re funding this spree with serious debt, having raised over €500 million for acquisitions just last year. They’re playing a very big, very patient game.
Why Eventbrite, Why Now?
On the surface, Eventbrite might seem like an odd fit. But look closer. It’s a foundational platform in the “experience economy” with massive brand recognition and a huge user base. Basically, it’s a classic Bending Spoons target: a digital utility that’s part of the global infrastructure but maybe hasn’t innovated as fast as it could. The 82% premium tells you Eventbrite’s public market valuation was in the dumps, making it a prime candidate for a take-private deal. Bending Spoons sees value the market didn’t. Ferrari’s statement hints at the low-hanging fruit they see: better messaging, AI creation tools, improved search. These aren’t moon-shot ideas; they’re obvious upgrades that a well-funded, product-focused owner could execute. In a world desperate for real-life connection post-pandemic, doubling down on live events isn’t a crazy bet.
A New Kind of Tech Conglomerate
We’re watching the rise of a quiet European tech powerhouse. Bending Spoons now has products used by over a billion people globally. Think about that. They’re not a household name like Google, but their portfolio touches a huge chunk of the internet. From note-taking (Evernote) to file sharing (WeTransfer) to video (Vimeo) to events (Eventbrite), they’re assembling a suite of tools that creative professionals and communities use every day. It’s almost like a vertical conglomerate for the digital creator economy. Their success hinges on a controversial belief: that these older web platforms aren’t obsolete; they’re just under-managed and under-invested. Can a single company with a specific operational philosophy actually revive all these different brands? I’m skeptical, but you can’t argue with the scale of their ambition. They’re putting their money where their mouth is, repeatedly.
What Happens Next?
The big question for Eventbrite users and event organizers is: will this be good? The track record is mixed. Some users of other Bending Spoons acquisitions complain about aggressive monetization or feature changes. Others see renewed development and stability. The promised investment in AI and a secondary ticket market could be great. But the “intensive” overhaul model also means things *will* change, sometimes in ways that upset long-time users. For the tech industry, it signals that there’s still huge appetite—and capital—for consolidating the “old web.” And it proves you don’t need to be in Silicon Valley to build a multi-billion dollar tech empire. You just need a very clear, very disciplined playbook and the conviction to see it through, even when everyone else is chasing the next AI chatbot. The first half of 2026, when this deal closes, will be the real starting gun.
