Bending Spoons' Tech Expansion
Bending Spoons acquires Airtable in $1.285 billion deal, marking first major post-IPO purchase.
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Key Points
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Bending Spoons operates as the parent company of AOL and Eventbrite, illustrating its strategy to build a broad software ecosystem through acquisitions rather than relying on a single flagship product.
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The deal structure details show Airtable valued at about $1.285 billion in equity with a total enterprise value near $2.25 billion, and include a pre-closing reorganization that shifted Hyperagent’s assets; closing is expected later this year with termination rights if not closed by February 4, 2027.
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CEO Luca Ferrari frames acquisitions as a growth engine, saying 'we acquire companies to grow them,' and notes that roughly 80% of Bending Spoons’ about 700-strong workforce are engineers, researchers, product designers and operators focused on rebuilding acquired products.
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Bending Spoons’ Nasdaq listing in July positioned it for an aggressive acquisition path, with Airtable described as its first major post-IPO purchase; the company debuted on Nasdaq at about an $18 billion valuation, underscoring the scale of its growth ambitions.
Milan-based tech company Bending Spoons has agreed to buy Airtable in an all-cash deal worth $1.285 billion in equity, with a total enterprise value of about $2.25 billion, according to Sifted. The deal is Bending Spoons' first major acquisition since its Nasdaq debut earlier this month.
Airtable helps companies build custom workflows without heavy coding. The deal is expected to close before the end of 2026, with a hard deadline of February 4, 2027, Yahoo Finance reported.
Bending Spoons' First Big Move After Nasdaq IPO
Bending Spoons listed on Nasdaq earlier this month at a valuation of about $18 billion. The Airtable deal is its first post-IPO purchase, according to Techmeme. The company has built its business by buying software brands and rebuilding them. It already owns AOL and Eventbrite.
CEO Luca Ferrari is clear about the strategy. "We acquire companies to grow them," he has said. About 80% of the company's roughly 700 employees are engineers, researchers, product designers, and operators. Their job is to rebuild acquired products from the ground up.
What the $2.25 Billion Deal Structure Actually Means
The $1.285 billion figure covers Airtable's equity. The higher $2.25 billion enterprise value includes outstanding debt, Yahoo Finance reported. The deal also involved a pre-closing reorganization that shifted assets from a unit called Hyperagent.
The transaction is all cash. Bending Spoons needs regulatory approval before it can close. If the deal does not close by February 4, 2027, either side can walk away. Airtable's backer Sequoia Capital is among the investors set to exit, according to Techmeme.
What Airtable Does and Why It Attracted a Buyer
Airtable is a workflow and collaboration tool. It lets companies build custom internal apps and databases with little to no coding. Businesses use it to manage projects, track data, and automate processes. It sits in a growing market for low-code enterprise software.
Freedom 96.9 noted that Airtable was founded over a decade ago and has become a popular tool for teams that need flexible, easy-to-build operational systems. Bending Spoons plans to plug Airtable into its shared technology platform and operating model.
Bending Spoons Bets Big on Buying, Not Building
Bending Spoons does not rely on one flagship product. Instead, it builds a portfolio by acquiring and improving software companies. The Airtable deal fits that pattern. The company's $18 billion Nasdaq valuation gives it firepower for more deals, Sifted reported.
With the IPO complete and a major deal already signed, Bending Spoons is moving fast. Analysts will be watching whether it can turn Airtable's user base into a growth story — the same playbook it has tried with AOL and Eventbrite, according to Economic Times.
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