Bending Spoons Acquires Eventbrite for $500 Million
Bending Spoons Acquires Eventbrite for $500 Million
Milan-based Bending Spoons agreed to buy Eventbrite, the San Francisco ticketing platform, in an all-cash deal worth about $500 million. Eventbrite shareholders get $4.50 per share, an 82% premium over the 60-day volume-weighted average price through December 1, 2025, according to Pulse 2.0 and TipRanks. The board approved it unanimously, and it should close in the first half of 2026 after regulatory and shareholder okay. Eventbrite will then go private and delist from the NYSE.
Timeline of the Deal
Bending Spoons announced the acquisition on December 3, 2025. That was the first trading day after the news leaked, sending shares up to near $4.50 from the prior close. Music Business Worldwide called it a bargain compared to Eventbrite’s $1.8 billion IPO valuation in 2018. The deal fits Bending Spoons’ recent pace: they also lined up buys for Vimeo ($1.38 billion) and AOL, both expected by year-end 2025, per Yahoo Finance and The Verge.
Deal Mechanics
It’s straightforward all-cash at $4.50 per share for the roughly 111 million outstanding shares, totaling around $500 million. No debt or stock swaps. Post-close, Bending Spoons takes full private control. Eventbrite processed 83.8 million paid tickets across 4.7 million events in 2024, down 10% from 2023, as Pulse 2.0 noted.
Reasons Behind the Buy
Bending Spoons targets tech brands that stalled out. They buy, cut costs—often via layoffs—and rebuild features and revenue. Past deals include Evernote (2023, with free-tier cuts), WeTransfer (2024, staff reductions), Meetup, StreamYard, Filmic (full layoffs), Issuu, Komoot, and Harvest. Yahoo Finance points out they hold companies long-term, unlike typical PE firms.
Eventbrite fits the pattern. Revenues dipped to $325 million in 2024 from $326 million prior, with a $15.6 million net loss (better than $25.6 million before). Ticket sales fell amid post-COVID slumps and layoffs. Music Business Worldwide quotes analyst Julius Solaris: Eventbrite lacked a clear revival plan since 2021.
Bending Spoons sees fixes: CEO Luca Ferrari named a dedicated messaging tool, AI for event setup, better search, and a secondary ticket market. “Joining forces… will accelerate innovation,” Ferrari said, per Music Business Worldwide. Eventbrite’s Julia Hartz called it a boost for live events.
Bending Spoons’ Profile
Founded 12 years ago from a failed Danish photo app, the firm now has 400-500 staff (“Spooners”) across Milan, London, Madrid, Warsaw. Portfolio hits 300 million monthly users, 10 million payers. Valued at $11 billion since October 2025 funding ($270 million primary, $440 million secondary). Founders are billionaires; backers include Eric Schmidt, Andre Agassi. They raised $2.8 billion in debt for deals like AOL. More buys ahead, fueled by cash and hires, per Tech Funding News.
Sebastyen
Sebastyen Wolf is our Editor-in-Chief. He is an analyst and entrepreneur with experience working alongside early-stage founders, launching online ventures, and studying the data patterns that shape successful companies. A fan of Shark Tank since Season 1, he now focuses on translating the show’s most valuable insights into clear, practical takeaways for readers.
