Habacus, an innovative SME offering integrated services to students, including sustainable access to student loans, closes a €5 million investment round led by P101

This fresh capital injection, also participated by CDP Venture Capital, will enable Habacus to enhance its proprietary AI-driven technology and expand its service offering, allowing the company to scale its market reach—including new B2B opportunities. 

Aiming to grow its community to 100,000 students by 2026, Habacus continues to position itself as a key partner in supporting student success.

December 20, 2024 – Habacus, an innovative SME and integrated service ecosystem for students, has successfully secured €5 million in fresh funding. The round was led by P101 SGR S.p.A. Gestore Euveca (“P101”), a leading player in Italian venture capital with an international focus.

Habacus stands out as an essential partner for students, leveraging a business model that blends innovation with sustainability. At the heart of Habacus’ value proposition is the seamless integration of educational guidance, certification of competencies, and validation of information—all critical enablers for student loans. Coupled with housing solutions and job placement support, Habacus has built a comprehensive ecosystem to foster students’ personal and professional development. By 2026, the company’s ambitious goal is to support a community of 100,000 students.

P101 is the lead investor in the operation with an investment of €4 million realised through the funds Programma 103 and Azimut Eltif Venture Capital P103. This investment brings to 11 the companies backed by Programma 103 within just two years of its launch, and is consistent with P101’s mission to invest in innovative companies with high growth potential that, among other things, promote social characteristics in line with SFDR standards.

CDP Venture Capital SGR, through Fondo Rilancio Startup, participated in the transaction with a €1 million investment and also converted a participative financial instrument of equal value subscribed in 2022, further strengthening its support to Habacus’ growth.

Founded in 2017 by Paolo Cuniberti, an industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in the financial sector, Habacus acts as a bridge between students, educational institutions, financial operators, and companies, promoting personal and professional development pathways. Today, the company serves major banking groups and prominent players in the national industrial system.

With this investment, Habacus will significantly ramp up its technological development, particularly in AI-driven algorithms, with the goal of evolving into a proper human-capital intelligence platform. This platform will support student growth, education, and career development—key areas of interest for both banks and corporate stakeholders. By expanding its B2B services, Habacus aims to maximize its market impact and strengthen its leadership position.

With €220 million in student loans disbursed in the first nine months of 2024 (Source: Facile.it and Prestiti.it), the Italian market for student financing is rapidly expanding. In comparison to mature markets like Germany and France, Italy offers significant growth potential. As the market leader in supporting student loan disbursement, Habacus plays a critical role in enabling access to higher education. Its impact is evidenced by a stark reduction in university dropout rates: while the national dropout rate is 17% for students who do not complete their first year[1], Habacus’ student community reports a remarkably low 0.8% dropout rate.

Paolo Cuniberti, founder and CEO of Habacus, commented: “Today’s investment represents a strategic accelerator for Habacus, consolidating its role as a key intermediary between education, finance, and the job market. Through certification, we provide a vital tool to ensure transparency and accountability, fostering efficient allocation of human capital and financial resources. Our goal is to build an integrated ecosystem that supports students’ growth, while strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of the national economic system.”

“We are thrilled to support Habacus in this new phase of technological and commercial expansion,” said Andrea Di Camillo, Managing Partner at P101. “Habacus is a pioneer in student financing in Italy—a sector with high social impact that remains underdeveloped compared to the US, UK, France, and Germany. Investing in Habacus means supporting the development of this market, the edutech sector, and, most importantly, human capital and future talent. We firmly believe that Habacus’ data-driven and tech-oriented approach will enable more deserving students to access high-quality education and achieve their full potential. We look forward to supporting Habacus on this exciting journey to achieve its next big milestones.”

“We have been supporting Habacus since 2022, and we are proud to strengthen our commitment with this new injection of capital,” said Caterina Siclari, Senior Partner and Head of the Startup Relaunch Fund at CDP Venture Capital. “Making academic education more accessible and inclusive has a transformative impact on the personal and professional development of thousands of students. Habacus has already demonstrated its ability to forge successful partnerships with financial institutions, and we’re confident in its potential for future growth.”

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About Habacus

Founded in 2017 by Paolo Cuniberti, Habacus offers integrated services for students, including educational guidance, skill certification, and data validation, enabling access to financial resources, housing solutions, and job placement opportunities. With a model that combines innovation and sustainability, Habacus facilitates dialogue between students, educational institutions, financial operators, and businesses, promoting personal and professional growth pathways. Habacus has partnered with over 1,300 educational institutions, banks, and companies, certifying more than 30,000 students to access services provided by its platform. This win-win system leverages digital innovation to support educational pathways, empower young people, and ease their future transition into the workforce.

About P101 SGR

P101 SGR is one of the leading venture capital fund managers in Italy, specialising in investments in innovative and technology-driven companies in Europe. Founded in 2013 by Andrea Di Camillo, its funds’ investors include Azimut, CDP, European Investment Fund, Fondo Pensione BCC, Unicredit, Cassa Forense and other institutional investors, as well as some of Italy’s leading entrepreneurial families. P101 SGR currently manages five funds, including the first retail investment vehicle for venture capital developed in collaboration with the Azimut Group. With assets under management totalling around EUR 500 million, P101 has made more than 260 investments in more than 50 companies that in 2023 generated around EUR 1.7 billion in turnover and employed more than 5,000 people. In over 10 years of activity, P101 has contributed to the development of the Italian innovation ecosystem by supporting the growth and international expansion of companies such as Fatmap (Strava), Habyt, Milkman, MusixMatch, Tannico, Deporvillage and Musement.

[1] Source: Istat