Bending Spoons: AOL and Vimeo owner goes public on Nasdaq
Original: What is Bending Spoons? The little-known AOL and Vimeo owner that’s now public
Why This Matters
Bending Spoons' IPO validates a scalable, AI-driven model for reviving established digital consumer brands at scale.
Milan-based tech conglomerate Bending Spoons listed on Nasdaq this week, briefly hitting a market cap above $25 billion — more than double its prior private valuation of $11 billion. The company reported $1.31 billion in revenue for 2025 and serves over 500 million monthly active users across brands including AOL, Vimeo, Eventbrite, and Meetup.
Bending Spoons, a Milan-based tech conglomerate, debuted on the Nasdaq this week with a strong open, briefly reaching a market capitalization of over $25 billion — more than double its previous private valuation of $11 billion. The company reported $1.31 billion in revenue for 2025 and, as of March 2026, its portfolio served over 500 million monthly active users and more than 9 million monthly paying customers.
Founded over 13 years ago from the remnants of Copenhagen-based startup Evertale — which appeared at Disrupt SF 2011 — Bending Spoons has built a portfolio of digital brands including AOL, Vimeo, Eventbrite, Meetup, WeTransfer, Evernote, and Issuu. Its strategy involves acquiring established products with real user bases, then improving them through technology, AI integration, centralized engineering, and monetization — often accompanied by price increases and layoffs that have generated public controversy.
Co-founder and chief product officer Matteo Danieli told TechCrunch that customer retention has remained 'remarkably stable' despite the changes. Entrepreneur Joe Hyrkin, who sold Issuu to Bending Spoons in 2024, pushed back on the 'old internet brands' narrative following the IPO, stating the company acquires 'products with real customer behavior' and integrates them into a disciplined operational system.
In 2020, Bending Spoons also developed Immuni, Italy's official COVID-19 contact-tracing app, as a one-time exception to its acquisition-focused model.