Italy’s Bending Spoons has acquired WeTransfer, the digital file-sharing platform founded in 2009 in the Netherlands. Already internationally known for having bought the well-known app Evernote, Bending Spoons has always been active outside Italy. Before moving its headquarters to Milan, the company was founded in 2013 in Copenhagen. Over time, it developed successful apps such as Live Quiz and acquired important companies in the tech sector, such as Filmic Pro, Issuu, and Hopin, which runs the live streaming services StreamYard, Streamable, and Superwave.

WeTransfer’s numbers

No figures for the deal were disclosed, but Bending Spoons said it was the largest acquisition to date. After all, WeTransfer has 80 million monthly active users who generate 2 billion file transfers, plus 600,000 subscribers to premium paid options, which allow them to extend their limits and add useful productivity features.

There are two subscription plans in addition to the free version, with which up to 2GB of files can be transferred per single sending. The €10 per month Pro plan extends the limit to 200GB per single transaction, while the €19 Premium plan has no limits in terms of transactions and storage capacity.

In addition, WeTransfer has recently made it possible to sell files via the platform. “The goal is to grow the platform because of its great potential to increase its usefulness,” said Luca Ferrari, CEO of Bending Spoons.

As a first impact, Bending Spoons intends to respect and continue the work performed by WeTransfer. “There’s so much about WeTransfer that impresses us. First and foremost, it’s a terrific product that solves a real, widespread need and does so better than most competitors. Additionally, the brand is extremely strong, particularly among creatives, which is no small achievement and offers great promise for the future,” said Ferrari.

He confirmed that he wants to share what the Dutch platform has achieved. “We appreciate the commitment the WeTransfer team has made to social responsibility and the creative community, and we want to carry the torch. Therefore, we’ve pledged to donate at least $3 million to The Supporting Act Foundation over the next two years. The Foundation aims to support emerging artists and artist-led groups from under-represented communities. We’ve also pledged to reserve 30% of WeTransfer’s advertising space to give back campaigns and editorial content for the foreseeable future. Additionally, WePresent will keep showcasing the work of deserving creators, including emerging artists, reads the note published by Bending Spoons.

Watchword: grow, grow, grow

Looking the other way, for WeTransfer, this is a step forward to reach new heights, having already achieved significant results. A summary of what has been achieved and what the future will hold comes from the words of Damian Bradfield, co-founder and CCO of WeTransfer.

“On the surface, WeTransfer might look like a file-sharing business, but it’s also an Oscar-winning editorial platform, the most striking advertising billboard on the Internet and a fierce supporter of creative industries. Getting out of the way and giving back to our most loyal users-artists, musicians, photographers, filmmakers-has fuelled our purpose from inception, and helped us build a global brand with unprecedented levels of trust. Bending Spoons has been consistently listed as one of the best companies to work for and being one of the darlings of the Italian tech industry, we are very optimistic about where this synergy can take us,” Bradfield said.

Transferring files and facilitating the day-to-day work of many professionals is the goal of WeTransfer, but it has extended its reach to serve creative people. The partnership with Bending Spoons will accelerate growth in this direction.

Alexandar Vassilev, CEO WeTransfer, has no doubts about this. “Nurturing creative communities and amplifying their voices has been key to our success. Some of Bending Spoons’ most successful products are tools that serve creativity, therefore we are confident that this milestone will complement both businesses, supercharge our growth, and help us create even more value for creative industries at large” according to Vassilev.