Berkshire Hathaway commits $330 million to Bending Spoons, lifting total stake to roughly $930 million

The Berkshire placement

Berkshire Hathaway agreed to acquire 10 million newly issued ordinary shares of Milan-based software operator Bending Spoons at $33 each in a $330 million private placement, expanding a prior investment made around Bending Spoons' July initial public offering and bringing Berkshire's total commitment to about $930 million for an estimated 4% ownership stake. The new shares are unregistered, which limits near-term resale by Berkshire, and the transaction remains subject to standard closing conditions with an expected close in the fourth quarter.

Market reaction and pricing gap

After the placement was disclosed, public investors drove Bending Spoons' stock up roughly 41% to $53.46, leaving the market price well above the $33 placement price and creating an immediate paper profit for new buyers on existing positions. Coverage noted Wednesday's intraday move pushed the shares to $52.31, a 38% gain on the session, and one outlet framed Berkshire's mark-up at about $600 million on its combined stake of roughly 31 million shares. Bending Spoons shares had already risen about 27% earlier in the week before the announcement.

Bending Spoons' acquisition pipeline

Bending Spoons executives said the fresh capital will bolster the company's buy-and-build M&A strategy and support planned deals, including a proposed purchase of collaborative whiteboard maker Miro, and called Berkshire's involvement a vote of confidence in the platform. Co-founder Francesco Patarnello, head of business acquisitions, said the company continuously evaluates M&A opportunities and views Berkshire's investment as enhancing financial flexibility, while CEO Luca Ferrari described Berkshire as "among the finest and most respected capital allocators in the world" and a longstanding inspiration for Bending Spoons.

Bending Spoons' business profile

Bending Spoons is a Milan-based operator that acquires and runs mature software and internet businesses, with a portfolio that includes Airtable, Evernote and Vimeo, and it has used acquisitions to scale a platform of consumer and prosumer software products. The Berkshire placement adds to a financing strategy tied to that acquisition pipeline, with the unregistered structure of the new shares limiting Berkshire's near-term ability to monetize the stake through public sales.

Disclosure and confirmation status

Berkshire declined to comment on the purchase, leaving the placement's terms as reported by Bending Spoons and coverage citing company statements; the prior $600 million investment tied to Bending Spoons' July IPO had not been publicly disclosed before the announcement, according to coverage. The deal therefore remains a reported and pending transaction pending closing conditions rather than a confirmed, completed cash receipt by Bending Spoons.

Next milestones

Investors are watching for the fourth-quarter close of the $330 million placement and for further disclosure on Bending Spoons' planned acquisition of Miro as the next verifiable steps in the deal pipeline.

Berkshire Hathaway Bending Spoons private placement Miro acquisition software M&A