Investments and Exits with Martin Janicki from Cavalry Ventures: Insights into the Startup World

***Investments & Exits*** – Featuring Martin Janicki, Partner at Cavalry Ventures | Startup Insider

**Cavalry Ventures** partners with Vermut, a Spanish **AgeTech startup**, in their recent successful international **financing round** of €1.5 million. Vermut aims to combat the loneliness experienced by seniors through their innovative social app. The platform allows older individuals to sign up for activities and join communities. With this fresh funding, Vermut plans to further expand its platform in the Spanish market and make its mark in North America. They have also established a Delaware-based office, renamed Vermut Senior Community INC, becoming the first Spanish Agetech startup with a US presence. The financing round was led by BitKraft, with participation from Gaingels, Service Providers, and Calm/Storm.

Vermut, founded in **2020** by Fernando Dellepiane and Enric Duran in Barcelona, offers a B2C platform that directly caters to seniors. The platform acts as a marketplace, providing various courses and activities tailored to this specific demographic. These include dance, cooking, language courses, and outings, allowing individuals to connect with like-minded peers, get out of the house, and enjoy a more active and social lifestyle. The app also offers additional social features, such as chat functions and social media-like features.

While currently active in Barcelona and Madrid, Vermut aims to expand its reach into the **US market**, although the scope of this expansion may be limited due to the relatively small financing round of €1.5 million. However, marktplatzmodelle like Vermut’s can be operated efficiently with capital, making a test run in an area with a large Spanish-speaking community a possible success.

This investment aligns with Cavalry Venture’s interest in B2C offerings tailored for specific demographics. They have previously invested in startups such as Rookie, a neobank for teenagers and young adults, Patronus, which digitizes senior care through smartwatches with emergency features, and affilio, initially an online generator for living wills that has now evolved into a comprehensive service platform for family protection. The Baby Boomer demographic, born between 1946 and 1964, represents the primary target audience for Vermut. This group displays a higher degree of digital fluency and purchasing power compared to previous generations. They are active on social media platforms like Facebook and are more accessible through digital marketing campaigns. Moreover, this demographic holds a significant share of the private wealth, making them an attractive market segment for future digital solutions that address aging-related challenges.

Furthermore, the Baby Boomer audience is known for their loyalty, once they experience the benefits of a platform or service. This favors the cost-effective acquisition of customers and potentially extends their customer lifetime value. Their commitment to a community they have found is often higher compared to younger generations who constantly seek new and trendy platforms and experiences.

*Source: [Startup Insider Video Transcript](link-to-source)*

In der Rubrik “Investments & Exits” begrüßen wir heute Martin Janicki, Partner von Cavalry Ventures. Martin hat die Runde von Vermut kommentiert:

Das spanische Startup Vermut hat seine erste internationale Finanzierungsrunde in Höhe von 1,5 Millionen Euro abgeschlossen. Vermut ist ein AgeTech-Startup mit dem Ziel, die Einsamkeit von Rentnerinnen und Rentnern durch eine soziale App zu bekämpfen. Auf der Plattform können ältere Menschen sich für Aktivitäten anmelden oder einer Gemeinschaft beitreten. Das frische Kapital nutzt Vermut, um das Wachstum der Plattform auf dem spanischen Markt fortzusetzen sowie um den nordamerikanischen Markt zu erobern. Zu diesem Zweck hat das Unternehmen auch einen amerikanischen Hauptsitz in Delaware eingerichtet, der in Vermut Senior Community INC umbenannt wurde und das erste spanische Agetech-Startup mit einer US-Basis ist. Die Runde wurde von BitKraft angeführt mit Beteiligung von Gaingels, Service Providers und Calm/Storm. Vermut wurde 2020 von Fernando Dellepiane und Enric Duran in Barcelona gegründet.