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The Playbook: Buying the ReturnNarrow moat

Bending Spoons (BSP) — moat facet

The Playbook is real skill at buying businesses cheaply, which is a different thing from a moat: the return is set at the price and has to be won again with every cheque.

Bending Spoons describes its method in four words and says it has not changed: its Playbook of acquire, transform and optimise, then reinvest has stayed essentially the same since 20131. The founding insight was that luck plays a big role in finding product-market fit2, which implied that many successful businesses were likely being run suboptimally, such that a more skilled operator could improve them3. The company puts it more bluntly: it would, in effect, be outsourcing the search for product-market fit4.

Enterprise value of acquisitions completed ($M)194202387620241,92020252,010Q1 2026Bending Spoons Form 424B4, Business; one quarter of 2026 exceeded all of 2025
One quarter of 2026 cost more than all of 2025.

It names its models. The team studied Henry Singleton at Teledyne and Tom Murphy at Capital Cities, and more recently Broadcom, Danaher and TransDigm5. It also states the uncomfortable corollary, under a heading of its own: favouring returns over organic revenue growth6, deciding regardless of the organic growth profile and assuming it will never sell the acquired business7. It is largely neutral on the organic revenue growth trends of its targets8.

The scale has compounded fast. Aggregate enterprise value of acquisitions was $194 million in 2023, $876 million in 2024, $1.92 billion in 2025 and $2.01 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone9, from a company that started with around $40,000 in seed capital and paid $10,000 for its first acquisition10.

Two negotiating principles bound it. It does not make major investments unless it expects acceptable returns even under severely unfavorable scenarios11, and it presents what it considers a compelling offer upfront and is generally unwilling to increase it significantly thereafter12.

The criteria also include two forms of risk the company screens out rather than manages. It looks for limited vendor risk and limited risk of disruption from advances in AI, in each case once the business is integrated into its Platform13. Both are stated as pre-purchase filters, which is the clearest sign that the protection in this portfolio is selected at the point of sale rather than constructed afterwards.

This is genuine capital-allocation skill, and it is not a wall around anything. The return is earned at the moment of purchase, which means it has to be re-earned at every purchase, at prices that are rising. The number that tests it is the enterprise value committed per period against the cash the group produces: $2.01 billion in one quarter14 against $457.1 million of operating cash flow over twelve months15.

Moat trajectory: Holding steady

Method unchanged since 2013; prices and deal size rising.

The number that tests this moat
Reported
Enterprise value of acquisitions completed, latest period
$2.01bn in Q1 2026, from $194M in all of 2023

The capital the model consumes; rising faster than cash flow means the returns depend on cheaper debt.

Source: Bending Spoons Form 424B4 prospectus ↗
Aspects of the moat
DIG DEEPER 01
Two Thousand Five Hundred Opportunities, Six Deals
Bending Spoons looked at two and a half thousand businesses in 2025 and bought six, and the ones it refused are the better evidence of discipline.
DIG DEEPER 02
Sixty-Five Percent Levered, Twenty-Five Unlevered
Bending Spoons demands 25% unlevered and 65% levered, and the forty points in between are an assumption about how much it can borrow.
DIG DEEPER 03
The Price Is Where the Return Lives
Bending Spoons earns its return at the moment it writes the cheque, which is why goodwill of $4.1 billion is the honest measure of what it has staked.
DIG DEEPER 04
Never Selling
Bending Spoons prices every business as though it will own it forever, which makes a shrinking business a fair purchase at the right price.
⚠ Threats to the moat
⚠ THREAT 01
Antitrust Review Is Now Part of the Model
A company that must buy several businesses a year is a company that must be cleared several times a year.
⚠ THREAT 02
The Thousand Businesses May Be Fewer
The thousand businesses Bending Spoons says it could buy are its own estimate, and its own size filter already disqualifies most of what it looks at.
References
  1. ReportedBending Spoons describes its method in four words and says it has not changed: its Playbook of acquire, transform and optimise, then reinvest has stayed essentially the same since 2013.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on the Playbook, return hurdles and acquisition criteria. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  2. ReportedThe founding insight was that luck plays a big role in finding product-market fit, which implied that many successful businesses were likely being run suboptimally, such that a more skilled operator could improve them.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on the Playbook, return hurdles and acquisition criteria. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  3. ReportedThe founding insight was that luck plays a big role in finding product-market fit, which implied that many successful businesses were likely being run suboptimally, such that a more skilled operator could improve them.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on the Playbook, return hurdles and acquisition criteria. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  4. ReportedThe company puts it more bluntly: it would, in effect, be outsourcing the search for product-market fit.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on the Playbook, return hurdles and acquisition criteria. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  5. ReportedThe team studied Henry Singleton at Teledyne and Tom Murphy at Capital Cities, and more recently Broadcom, Danaher and TransDigm.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on capital allocation, holding period and addressable market. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  6. ReportedIt also states the uncomfortable corollary, under a heading of its own: favouring returns over organic revenue growth, deciding regardless of the organic growth profile and assuming it will never sell the acquired business.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on capital allocation, holding period and addressable market. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  7. ReportedIt also states the uncomfortable corollary, under a heading of its own: favouring returns over organic revenue growth, deciding regardless of the organic growth profile and assuming it will never sell the acquired business.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on capital allocation, holding period and addressable market. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  8. ReportedIt is largely neutral on the organic revenue growth trends of its targets.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on the Playbook, return hurdles and acquisition criteria. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  9. ReportedAggregate enterprise value of acquisitions was $194 million in 2023, $876 million in 2024, $1.92 billion in 2025 and $2.01 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone, from a company that started with around $40,000 in seed capital and paid $10,000 for its first acquisition.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on the Playbook, return hurdles and acquisition criteria. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  10. ReportedAggregate enterprise value of acquisitions was $194 million in 2023, $876 million in 2024, $1.92 billion in 2025 and $2.01 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone, from a company that started with around $40,000 in seed capital and paid $10,000 for its first acquisition.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on the Playbook, return hurdles and acquisition criteria. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  11. ReportedIt does not make major investments unless it expects acceptable returns even under severely unfavorable scenarios, and it presents what it considers a compelling offer upfront and is generally unwilling to increase it significantly thereafter.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on the Playbook, return hurdles and acquisition criteria. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  12. ReportedIt does not make major investments unless it expects acceptable returns even under severely unfavorable scenarios, and it presents what it considers a compelling offer upfront and is generally unwilling to increase it significantly thereafter.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on the Playbook, return hurdles and acquisition criteria. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  13. ReportedIt looks for limited vendor risk and limited risk of disruption from advances in AI, in each case once the business is integrated into its Platform.
    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 letter from the team and the Business section on the Playbook, return hurdles and acquisition criteria. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  14. ReportedThe number that tests it is the enterprise value committed per period against the cash the group produces: $2.01 billion in one quarter against $457.1 million of operating cash flow over twelve 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 - Note 5 business combinations, the acquisition history and the pro-forma financial information. — FY2023-Q1 2026 · publ. 1 July 2026 · source ↗
  15. Moat Explorer calcThe number that tests it is the enterprise value committed per period against the cash the group produces: $2.01 billion in one quarter against $457.1 million of operating cash flow over twelve months.
    Moat Explorer calculation from figures reported in Bending Spoons' Form 424B4 prospectus, its Q2 2026 Form 6-K exhibits and the market data cited beside them ($ 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.
Sources
Generated October 20, 2026