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Excellis
Excellis invests in Italian researchers who are emerging as successful entrepreneurs abroad. The firm focuses on high-potential deep-tech companies across...
Excellis
Excellis invests in Italian researchers who are emerging as successful entrepreneurs abroad. The firm focuses on high-potential deep-tech companies across enabling technologies, robotics automation, cleantech and med-tech. It makes co-investments in start-ups that already have pre-seed or seed funding and are ready to raise capital with qualified international VCs as main investors.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2021
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Italy
City
Torino
Corporate office
Torino, Italy
Principals
Alberto Emprin
Co-Founder
Loris Lanzellotti
Co-Founder
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Does Excellis operate as a traditional venture fund or a holding company?
Excellis is structured as a holding company, not a limited-life venture fund. This distinction matters for portfolio construction because it removes fund-life pressure from investment decisions, allowing the firm to hold positions for longer periods while deep-tech research matures. Investors subscribe to participations in the holding rather than committing to a blind-pool vehicle with a defined liquidation date.
What investment stages does Excellis target, and does it lead rounds?
Excellis targets pre-seed and seed-stage rounds and does not lead deals. The firm explicitly co-invests alongside qualified international VCs that have a clear track record in the relevant sector. This strategy allows Excellis to access vetted opportunities while relying on the lead investor for term-setting and active governance.
Which sectors does Excellis focus on?
Excellis publishes four primary deep-tech domains: enabling technologies (including Edge AI, advanced computing, quantum, lasers, and photonics), robotics and automation (drones, industrial robots, autonomous vehicles, and exoskeletons), cleantech (hydrogen, energy storage, carbon capture, and circular-economy materials), and med-tech (AI for diagnosis, imaging, lab-on-chip, rehabilitation robotics, and surgical robotics). The firm has no stated exclusion of sectors outside these categories, though deal flow overwhelmingly maps to them.
Who runs investment decisions at Excellis?
The firm is led by co-founders Alberto Emprin and Loris Lanzellotti. Emprin's background spans technology transfer, IP commercialization, and angel investing through 3LB Seed Capital, while Lanzellotti has invested in more than 200 companies globally through Seedstars International and Boost Heroes. The website presents them as the two principals, and no additional investment committee structure is publicly described.
What is Excellis's geographic footprint?
Excellis is headquartered in Torino, Italy, but its portfolio companies are located exclusively outside Italy, reflecting its thesis of backing Italian researchers abroad. Portfolio companies operate in Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, and the United States, with clusters around the ecosystems of EPFL, ETH Zurich, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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