AI-generated analysis, not investment advice. The articles are written by AI, edited, and checked against company filings — but the judgements are opinions and the figures go stale. How this is made · Terms

Five Hundred Million Users and What They Have PaidNarrow moat

Bending Spoons (BSP) — moat facet

Half a billion people use something Bending Spoons owns, nine million pay, and the $583 million they have paid in advance is the only backlog the company has.

The reach is enormous and the conversion is thin. Monthly active users went from 111 million in December 2023 to 290 million in December 2024, 389 million in December 2025 and more than 500 million in March 2026, while monthly paying customers went from 3 million to 5 million, 8 million and more than 9 million1.

Monthly active users (millions)111Dec 2023290Dec 2024389Dec 2025500+Mar 2026Form 424B4; the aggregate is not de-duplicated across businesses
Half a billion users, nine million payers.

Two warnings come with those figures. The aggregated monthly active user figure may count the same user more than once2, because it is summed across businesses rather than de-duplicated. And the mix of what a user is varies enormously: WeTransfer had 58 million monthly active users and 1 million monthly paying customers in March 2026, while Brightcove, which focuses on large enterprises, had approximately 15,000 monthly active users and 1,700 monthly paying customers3.

What converts the funnel into something durable is prepayment. Current deferred revenue was $450.499 million at the end of 2025 and $583.265 million at 30 June 202645, up 29.5% in six months6, with a further $38.404 million non-current7. Unsatisfied performance obligations were $630.5 million at 31 March 20268. That is money already collected for service not yet delivered, and it is the closest thing to a backlog this company has.

The funnel is also where the advertising business lives, since a free user of AOL, Remini or WeTransfer is monetised through advertising rather than a subscription9.

The forward commitment is small against the revenue it supports. Unsatisfied performance obligations were $630.5 million at 31 March 202610, and $211 million of the deferred revenue held at December 2025 was recognised in the first quarter of 2026 alone11. Subscriptions run from one week to a few years12, so most of what customers have paid for will have been delivered within months.

Deferred revenue is the figure worth following, because it is audited, it is cash and it moves with both volume and price. At $583.3 million against quarterly revenue of $704.2 million13, roughly a quarter of a year of revenue is already in the bank; a fall while the portfolio grows would mean customers are committing to shorter terms.

Moat trajectory: Widening

Users 111m to over 500m in 27 months; deferred revenue up 29.5% in six.

The number that tests this moat
Reported
Deferred revenue, latest quarter
$583.3M current at 30 June 2026, from $450.5M at end-2025

Cash already collected for service not delivered; a fall while the portfolio grows means shorter commitments.

Source: Bending Spoons Q2 2026 financial statements ↗
⚠ Threats to the moat
⚠ THREAT 01
The Same User, Counted Twice
Bending Spoons tells readers that its headline user figure may count the same person more than once, and publishes no revenue or customer count for…
References
  1. ReportedMonthly active users went from 111 million in December 2023 to 290 million in December 2024, 389 million in December 2025 and more than 500 million in March 2026, while monthly paying customers went from 3 million to 5 million, 8 million and more than 9 million.
    Bending Spoons S.p.A. Form 424B4, the final initial-public-offering prospectus dated 30 June 2026 - the master document, covering the business, the Playbook, the Platform, the audited financial statements for 2023-2025, the Q1 2026 interim, the acquisitions, customers, risk factors and legal proceedings - the Business section on customer metrics: retention, tenure, users and acquisition channels. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  2. ReportedThe aggregated monthly active user figure may count the same user more than once, because it is summed across businesses rather than de-duplicated.
    Bending Spoons S.p.A. Form 424B4, the final initial-public-offering prospectus dated 30 June 2026 - the master document, covering the business, the Playbook, the Platform, the audited financial statements for 2023-2025, the Q1 2026 interim, the acquisitions, customers, risk factors and legal proceedings - the Business section on customer metrics: retention, tenure, users and acquisition channels. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  3. ReportedAnd the mix of what a user is varies enormously: WeTransfer had 58 million monthly active users and 1 million monthly paying customers in March 2026, while Brightcove, which focuses on large enterprises, had approximately 15,000 monthly active users and 1,700 monthly paying customers.
    Bending Spoons S.p.A. Form 424B4, the final initial-public-offering prospectus dated 30 June 2026 - the master document, covering the business, the Playbook, the Platform, the audited financial statements for 2023-2025, the Q1 2026 interim, the acquisitions, customers, risk factors and legal proceedings - the Business section on customer metrics: retention, tenure, users and acquisition channels. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  4. ReportedCurrent deferred revenue was $450.499 million at the end of 2025 and $583.265 million at 30 June 2026, up 29.5% in six months, with a further $38.404 million non-current.
    Bending Spoons S.p.A. Form 424B4, the final initial-public-offering prospectus dated 30 June 2026 - the master document, covering the business, the Playbook, the Platform, the audited financial statements for 2023-2025, the Q1 2026 interim, the acquisitions, customers, risk factors and legal proceedings - the Business section on customer metrics: retention, tenure, users and acquisition channels. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  5. ReportedCurrent deferred revenue was $450.499 million at the end of 2025 and $583.265 million at 30 June 2026, up 29.5% in six months, with a further $38.404 million non-current.
    Bending Spoons unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the quarter and half-year ended 30 June 2026, Form 6-K exhibit 99.2 - income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, revenue disaggregation, debt note, segment note and the initial-public-offering note. — Q2 2026 · publ. 13 August 2026 · source ↗
  6. Moat Explorer calcCurrent deferred revenue was $450.499 million at the end of 2025 and $583.265 million at 30 June 2026, up 29.5% in six months, with a further $38.404 million non-current.
    Moat Explorer calculation from figures reported in Bending Spoons' Form 424B4 prospectus, its Q2 2026 Form 6-K exhibits and the market data cited beside them ($ thousands unless stated). Revenue growth: 671,053 / 387,067 - 1 = 73.4%; 1,306,404 / 671,053 - 1 = 94.7%; 2,800,000 / 1,306,404 - 1 = 114% on the FY2026 guidance midpoint (2,780,000 + 2,820,000) / 2 = 2,800,000; Adjusted Operating Income guidance midpoint (1,460,000 + 1,510,000) / 2 = 1,485,000. Trailing twelve months to 30 June 2026: revenue 1,306,404 + 1,305,476 - 570,046 = 2,041,834; net income (204) + 204,433 - (46,953) = 251,182; operating cash flow 290,600 + 254,240 - 87,733 = 457,107; net margin 251,182 / 2,041,834 = 12.3%. Revenue by type, trailing twelve months: subscription 1,213,194 + 1,047,991 - 521,571 = 1,739,614; advertising 67,253 + 158,811 - 35,791 = 190,273; other 25,958 + 98,674 - 12,684 = 111,948; sum 2,041,835. Subscription share 1,739,614 / 2,041,834 = 85.2%. Q2 2026 revenue mix: subscription 540,790 / 704,155 = 76.8%; advertising 88,637 / 704,155 = 12.6%; other 74,728 / 704,155 = 10.6%. Q2 growth by line: 540,790 / 282,138 - 1 = 91.7%; 88,637 / 19,285 - 1 = 359.6%; 74,728 / 9,676 - 1 = 672.1%. FY2025 by line: 1,213,194 / 616,418 - 1 = 96.8%; 67,253 / 52,690 - 1 = 27.6%; 25,958 / 1,945 = 13.3 times. Gross margin: 236,518 / 387,067 = 61.1%; 428,851 / 671,053 = 63.9%; 857,270 / 1,306,404 = 65.6%; 463,621 / 704,155 = 65.8%; 871,825 / 1,305,476 = 66.8%. Operating margin: 84,267 / 387,067 = 21.8%; 127,352 / 671,053 = 19.0%; 277,851 / 1,306,404 = 21.3%; 240,251 / 704,155 = 34.1%. General and administrative expense 326,953 / 1,306,404 = 25.0% of 2025 revenue. Costs excluded from Adjusted Operating Income in 2025: 150,532 + 85,466 + 78,607 + 20,790 = 335,395, which is also 613,247 - 277,851 = 335,396. The same four lines across 2023, 2024 and 2025: (13,514 + 848 + 33,809) + (51,792 + 31,952 + 85,947) + (78,607 + 85,466 + 150,532) = 48,171 + 169,691 + 314,605 = 532,467. Interest: 142,601 / 32,605 = 4.4 times; 108,970 / 35,733 - 1 = 205%; 142,601 / 277,851 = 51.3% of 2025 operating income; interest paid 161,153 / 254,240 = 63.4% of H1 2026 operating cash flow. Research and development 58,204 / 19,398 = 3.0 times; sales and marketing 72,679 / 30,696 = 2.4 times. Balance sheet at 30 June 2026: total debt 794,141 + 4,086,939 = 4,881,080 (415,260 + 2,255,622 = 2,670,882 at 31 December 2025); net debt 4,881,080 - 792,950 = 4,088,130; net debt / equity 4,088,130 / 1,258,412 = 3.25 times; goodwill and intangibles 4,146,212 + 2,156,607 = 6,302,819, which is 6,302,819 / 8,055,399 = 78.2% of assets; tangible book 1,258,412 - 6,302,819 = (5,044,407); goodwill 4,146,212 / 163,863 = 25.3 times the 31 December 2023 balance. Free cash flow H1 2026 254,240 - 3,969 = 250,271. Deferred revenue 583,265 / 450,499 - 1 = 29.5%. Net cash inside the two enterprise deals: Airtable equity value about 2,250 less enterprise value 1,285 = about 965 of net cash; Miro 1,790 less 1,355 = about 435; the two together 965 + 435 = about 1,400, against combined equity value 2,250 + 1,790 = about 4,040. Valuation and rail arithmetic: market value 28,289 / pro-forma FY2025 net income 22.374 = about 1,264 times earnings; store commission of 22 to 45 against Q1 2026 gross profit of 408,204 = 5.4% to 11.0%; store fee 15% to 30% against processor fees of 5% or less = three to six times. Per-unit arithmetic: trailing revenue 2,041,834 / 9,000 thousand paying customers = about $227 a year each; other revenue 74,728 / 25,958 = 2.9 times all of 2025; advertising expense at 6% of 2025 revenue 1,306,404 x 0.06 = about 78,384. Customer and per-unit arithmetic: a customer below 1% of Q2 2026 revenue of 704,155 is below 7,042, so under $7.0 million a quarter. Market value at $44.17 on 20 October 2026: 330,222,651 + 310,240,685 = 640,463,336 shares; 640,463,336 x 44.17 = $28,289 million. Trailing price-to-earnings 28,289 / 251.2 = 112.6; price-to-sales 28,289 / 2,041.8 = 13.9; enterprise value 28,289 + 4,088 = 32,377; 32,377 / 1,485 = 21.8 times guided Adjusted Operating Income; forward price-to-sales 28,289 / 2,800 = 10.1. Price against the 52-week high 44.17 / 59.50 - 1 = -25.8%; against the offering price 44.17 / 29.00 - 1 = +52.3%. Shares after the Berkshire placement 640,463,336 + 10,000,000 = 650,463,336. Berkshire's July tranche 600 / 29.00 = about 20.7 million shares, plus 10.0 million at $33.00 = about 30.7 million. New investors paid 29.00 / 1.00 = 29 times the $1.00 average price of the pre-offering equity. Votes: 310,240,685 x 5 = 1,551,203,425 against 1,551,203,425 + 324,978,625 = 1,876,182,050 total votes = 82.68%; equity 310,240,685 / 635,219,310 = 48.84%. Luca Querella's holding 310,240,685 - 234,315,380 = 75,925,305 class A shares, 75,925,305 x 5 / 1,876,182,050 = 20.2% of the votes. Geography: 201,424 / 387,067 = 52.0%; 347,942 / 671,053 = 51.9%; 642,140 / 1,306,404 = 49.2%; 434,864 / 704,155 = 61.8%; Italy 23,637 / 1,306,404 = 1.8%; revenue outside the United States in Q2 2026 704,155 - 434,864 = 269,291, 38.2%. Payment rails in Q1 2026: 0.75 x 0.33 = 24.8% of revenue through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, 601,321 x 0.248 = about $149 million, on which a 15% to 30% fee is $22 million to $45 million; 0.75 x 0.67 = 50.3% through payment processors. Acquisitions: aggregate enterprise value 194 + 876 + 1,920 + 2,010 = $5,000 million for 2023, 2024, 2025 and Q1 2026. AOL contributed 65,500 / 141,800 = 46.2% pre-tax margin in Q1 2026 and 156 / 294 = 53.1% over six months; its FY2025 carve-out operating margin 333,610 / 633,365 = 52.7%, United States share 620,393 / 633,365 = 98.0%, purchase price 1,454,432 / 633,365 = 2.3 times carve-out revenue. Miro 1,355 / 600 = 2.3 times annual recurring revenue; Airtable 1,285 / 480 = 2.7 times; the two together 480 + 600 = about $1,080 million of annual recurring revenue. Tractive 896 - 115 = $781 million payable at closing. Pro-forma FY2025 interest 368,113 / 508,758 = 72.3% of operating income and net margin 22,374 / 2,608,496 = 0.9%. Cumulative net income attributable 2023 to 2025: 160,773 + 89,513 - 137 = 250,149. More acquisition arithmetic: average enterprise value per completed acquisition 194 / 1 = 194 (2023), 876 / 5 = 175 (2024), 1,920 / 6 = 320 (2025), 2,010 / 2 = 1,005 (Q1 2026); acquisitions closed in 2026 to 20 October = 4 (AOL, Eventbrite, Tractive, Airtable), with Miro agreed and expected to close in Q4; Airtable plus Miro enterprise value 1,285 + 1,355 = 2,640, against 480 + 600 = 1,080 of annual recurring revenue, which is more than the 671 of revenue Bending Spoons earned in all of 2024. Adjusted against reported operating income: 137,441 / 84,267 = 1.63 times (2023) and 613,247 / 277,851 = 2.21 times (2025). Cumulative revenue 2023 to 2025: 387,067 + 671,053 + 1,306,404 = 2,364,524. Interest 142,601 / 32,605 = 4.4 times. Customer tenure split, Q1 2026: 48% at five years or more less 28% at ten years or more = 20% between five and ten years, and 100% - 48% = 52% under five years. Conversion: WeTransfer 1,000,000 / 58,000,000 = 1.7%, Brightcove 1,700 / 15,000 = 11.3%, and 58,000,000 / 15,000 = about 3,900 times the user base. Mobile application stores as a share of gross accounts receivable 95% - 47% = 48 points lower over two years. Deferred revenue 583,265 / 2,041,834 = 28.6% of trailing revenue. Addressable revenue outside North America and Europe about 400 - 315 - 77 = $8 billion. People: 2,284 / 405 = 5.6 times the end-2023 headcount; Spooners 621 / 2,284 = 27.2%; hires 286 / 800,000 = 0.036% of applications; Evernote 60 / 341 - 1 = -82.4%; StreamYard 44 / 154 - 1 = -71.4%; Evernote's annual personal price 130 / 70 - 1 = +86%. Addressable market already owned 1,306 / 400,000 = 0.3%. A 10% euro move 18,821 / 1,306,404 = 1.4% of 2025 revenue - market value, share and vote counts, balance sheet, cash flow and guidance arithmetic. — 2023-2026 · publ. October 2026 · source ↗
    Method: Arithmetic on figures reported in Bending Spoons' Form 424B4 prospectus, its Q2 2026 Form 6-K exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 and the cited market data; the operands are shown in the source line.
  7. ReportedCurrent deferred revenue was $450.499 million at the end of 2025 and $583.265 million at 30 June 2026, up 29.5% in six months, with a further $38.404 million non-current.
    Bending Spoons unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the quarter and half-year ended 30 June 2026, Form 6-K exhibit 99.2 - income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, revenue disaggregation, debt note, segment note and the initial-public-offering note. — Q2 2026 · publ. 13 August 2026 · source ↗
  8. ReportedUnsatisfied performance obligations were $630.5 million at 31 March 2026.
    Bending Spoons S.p.A. Form 424B4, the final initial-public-offering prospectus dated 30 June 2026 - the master document, covering the business, the Playbook, the Platform, the audited financial statements for 2023-2025, the Q1 2026 interim, the acquisitions, customers, risk factors and legal proceedings - the Business section on customer metrics: retention, tenure, users and acquisition channels. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  9. ReportedThe funnel is also where the advertising business lives, since a free user of AOL, Remini or WeTransfer is monetised through advertising rather than a subscription.
    Bending Spoons S.p.A. Form 424B4, the final initial-public-offering prospectus dated 30 June 2026 - the master document, covering the business, the Playbook, the Platform, the audited financial statements for 2023-2025, the Q1 2026 interim, the acquisitions, customers, risk factors and legal proceedings - the Business and MD&A sections on revenue by type and by geography. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  10. ReportedUnsatisfied performance obligations were $630.5 million at 31 March 2026, and $211 million of the deferred revenue held at December 2025 was recognised in the first quarter of 2026 alone.
    Bending Spoons S.p.A. Form 424B4, the final initial-public-offering prospectus dated 30 June 2026 - the master document, covering the business, the Playbook, the Platform, the audited financial statements for 2023-2025, the Q1 2026 interim, the acquisitions, customers, risk factors and legal proceedings - the Business section on customer metrics: retention, tenure, users and acquisition channels. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  11. ReportedUnsatisfied performance obligations were $630.5 million at 31 March 2026, and $211 million of the deferred revenue held at December 2025 was recognised in the first quarter of 2026 alone.
    Bending Spoons S.p.A. Form 424B4, the final initial-public-offering prospectus dated 30 June 2026 - the master document, covering the business, the Playbook, the Platform, the audited financial statements for 2023-2025, the Q1 2026 interim, the acquisitions, customers, risk factors and legal proceedings - the Business section on customer metrics: retention, tenure, users and acquisition channels. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  12. ReportedSubscriptions run from one week to a few years, so most of what customers have paid for will have been delivered within months.
    Bending Spoons S.p.A. Form 424B4, the final initial-public-offering prospectus dated 30 June 2026 - the master document, covering the business, the Playbook, the Platform, the audited financial statements for 2023-2025, the Q1 2026 interim, the acquisitions, customers, risk factors and legal proceedings - the Business section on customer metrics: retention, tenure, users and acquisition channels. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  13. ReportedAt $583.3 million against quarterly revenue of $704.2 million, roughly a quarter of a year of revenue is already in the bank; a fall while the portfolio grows would mean customers are committing to shorter terms.
    Bending Spoons unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the quarter and half-year ended 30 June 2026, Form 6-K exhibit 99.2 - income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, revenue disaggregation, debt note, segment note and the initial-public-offering note. — Q2 2026 · publ. 13 August 2026 · source ↗
Sources
Generated October 20, 2026