Audion launches in Italy, and acquires Mentre

Audion, a leading European company in the digital audio market that through a proprietary technology allows advertisers to connect with their target audience, and helps publishers and content producers to monetise their premium audio content, enters the Italian market through the acquisition of Mentre, a company specialized in the conception, creation, distribution and promotion of audio content, in particular podcasts, founded by Georgia Giannattasio, Federica Celi and Michele Quaini.

Founded in 2018 by Arthur Larrey and Kamel El Hadef, Audion is, as of today, the first end-to-end solution in Europe that from a single platform and through cutting-edge technology allows to operate and manage the entire process of production, distribution, promotion and monetisation of audio content providing measurable performances.

A recent survey by Statista predicts that digital audio advertising expenditure in Italy will reach USD 157.70 million in 2023 and estimates an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 4.85%, with a turnover of around USD 190 million by 2027. This audio trend is increasing worldwide: according to eMarketer in 2022, 74% of US Internet users, i.e. 222.7 million people, listened to digital audio. The number is expected to continue to rise this year, with listeners increasing by 1.4% (to 225.8 million in 2023). eMarketer also predicts that by 2026, the number of digital audio listeners will exceed 234 million, an increase of about 1% year on year.

In a clear scenario of strong growth, Audion was created with the goal of making the digital audio industry sustainable by giving publishers and premium content creators the ability to maximize the monetisation of their audio production; for brands, it offers an effective opportunity to connect with their audience while enabling consumers to enjoy a variety of quality content for free.

Thanks to Audion’s proprietary solution, publishers, i.e. radio and media groups, can monetise with a single click the audience of all audio content produced in a customized and targeted way, regardless of the platform, either automatically through advertising or by subscription.

In addition, they can host and distribute their audio content on all audio platforms (Spotify, Apple, Deezer, etc.), guarantee the fruition of podcasts produced (original, branded, and even catch-up radio) thanks to a proprietary player, create new content thanks to PrintAudio, Audion’s innovative AI-based (text-to-speech) proprietary technology solution, and monitor the listening consumption through precise KPIs.

The expansion in Italy follows the financing round, completed at the end of 2022 amounting to €6 million, aimed at expanding the markets in which the French ad-tech operates as well as the technological development, the core center of the company along with its deep expertise in the sector of audio. The deal was led by Founders Future - which had already participated in the start up’s first round of €1.1m in 2019 along with Kima Ventures, Elevation Capital Partners, Financière Arbevel and a number of business angels.

Through the acquisition of Mentre, a production and distribution excellence reality in the podcast and audio market in general, Audion brings its services to Italy and appoints a professional manager with several years of experience in various start-up ad-tech companies, digital monetisation and content production, Georgia Giannattasio, as Country Manager with the objective of developing the company in the Italian market.

“In Italy, the digital audio advertising market has recorded two years of double-digit growth and the outlook continues to be positive. With Audion, we have developed the first end-to-end monetization model dedicated to digital audio with the aim of enhancing the content created by publishers on all digital audio platforms,” say Arthur Larrey and Kamel El Hadef, founders of Audion. “After France and Great Britain, we are happy to bring Audion to Italy, a market with a great potential, and to count on an expert in the market such as Georgia Giannattasio”.

"With this acquisition, Mentre and Audion combine strategic, production and technological expertise in the world of digital audio, with the objective of providing publishers and advertisers with a one-stop shop focused on monetisation and performance to achieve their business objectives.I am very happy that Mentre’s project has reached such an important milestone and I am excited to start this journey with Audion and bring to the Italian market these unique services and products that I am sure will help shape the digital audio advertising sector’, concludes Georgia Giannattasio, Country Manager of Audion Italia.

About Audion

Founded in 2018 by Arthur Larrey and Kamel El Hadef, Audion is the leading European digital audio company that, through a proprietary technology, enables advertisers to connect with their target audience, and help publishers and content producers to monetise their premium audio content. Audion is the first end-to-end solution in Europe that from a single platform and through cutting-edge technology enables the operation and management of the entire digital audio advertising process, from the production of audio content, to its distribution, promotion and monetisation, providing measurable performances.

About Mentre

Mentre is a company operating in the sector of podcasting and audio content creation in general. Founded in February 2020 by a team of professionals with cross-sectional skills – from communication to theater, cinema, television and music - Mentre creates and broadcasts audio content for entertainment, infotainment and edutainment through 'Stories’ written with the voice. Thanks to collaborations with film, radio and TV authors and music professionals, Mentre emphasizes the contaminations that underpin any creative process and content innovation, guaranteeing a high level of audience engagement and positioning itself in the premium audio content production market, both original and branded. For more information listen here: https://mentre.audio/ - Productions: https://linktr.ee/MentreRelivingStories