Founder Institute Italy

🚀👥 We’re honored to introduce Mauro Baldoni, as part of the exceptional mentor network of the Founder Institute Italian cohort! Mauro Baldoni is a seasoned IT executive and entrepreneur with over two decades of leadership experience in ICT. Currently serving as Group Chief Information Officer at BonelliErede, he has led transformative projects, including AI tool adoption and innovative budget systems. Mauro exemplifies an Open Innovation model by fostering collaboration between established businesses and emerging startups. His expertise extends to the venture capital system, where he leverages his knowledge as an advisor for the Nana Bianca accelerator and as a mentor and investor for startups. As an alumni ambassador for the Graduate School of Management at Politecnico di Milano, Mauro combines academic excellence with hands-on experience to advance technological and entrepreneurial ecosystems. 💡 Mauro shared his reasons for being a mentor: - As someone who has built a career at the intersection of technology and innovation, I am deeply passionate about empowering startups and their founders to achieve their full potential. I know firsthand the challenges and opportunities of turning ideas into impactful businesses. My work has always been rooted in leveraging technology as a differentiator, and I firmly believe that the right guidance at the early stages can make all the difference for a startup’s success. That’s why I’m excited about the opportunity to mentor ambitious entrepreneurs through the Founder Institute. 🌐📊 My experience spans not only building businesses but also collaborating with accelerators like Nana Bianca and supporting startups as an advisor, mentor, and investor. Through these roles, I’ve gained a deep understanding of the venture capital system and what it takes for startups to attract investment, scale effectively, and create long-term value. I see mentorship as an opportunity to share my knowledge, offer practical insights, and help founders navigate the complexities of their entrepreneurial journey with confidence and clarity. #FounderInstitute #Mentorship

🚀👥 We’re thrilled to introduce Giancarlo Vergine, a mentor with a wealth of experience who will be sharing insights to help our cohort grow and succeed. Giancarlo is a venture capital advisor and entrepreneur passionate about empowering early-stage companies. As the founder of Over Ventures, Giancarlo has supported startups and SMEs across Europe, managing over 180 successful fundraising campaigns and collaborating with leading VCs and equity crowdfunding platforms. With a background in management consulting at KPMG and Accenture, he brings a strategic approach to venture scouting, fundraising, and post-funding business development. He's also an angel investor and actively engages with the Italian and European startup ecosystems to drive innovation and growth. 💰💼 Giancarlo shared his reasons for being a mentor: - As an experienced venture capital advisor and entrepreneur, I am passionate about fostering innovation and empowering early-stage startups. Over the years, I have had the privilege of supporting startups and SMEs across Europe through their fundraising journeys, providing them with strategic guidance, operational insights, and access to capital markets. My role as the founder of Over Ventures—a boutique VC advisory platform and crowdfunding studio—has given me deep insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by emerging businesses in Italy and beyond. I am eager to bring my expertise in equity crowdfunding, venture scouting, and post-funding development to the Founder Institute Italy.  📈  As a mentor, I aim to share not just technical knowledge but also the lessons learned from my entrepreneurial journey. I am committed to helping founders refine their business models, develop compelling investment propositions, and connect with the right investors. Joining the Founder Institute Italy as a mentor would allow me to contribute to building a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, leveraging my international network and fostering collaboration among innovators, investors, and industry leaders. 💡 #FounderInstitute #Mentorship

🚀👥 It’s a pleasure to welcome Edoardo Volta to the exceptional mentor network of the Founder Institute Italian cohort! Edoardo is a tenured Payment professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry, across the UK, Europe, and globally. He worked for leading companies such as American Express, Mastercard, and Visa, as well as fintechs like Divido and Curve. Previously, Edoardo was CRO at Divido, led the European Digital Partnership team at Visa, and served as Mastercard’s Head of Fintechs for Europe, supporting digital banks with innovative payment solutions. During his career, Edoardo held several senior positions at Visa, where he led the European Digital Partnership team, and Mastercard where, amongst other roles, he was the Head of Fintechs for Europe. 📈💰📉 Currently SVP of Partner Marketing & Business Development at Curve, he manages key partnerships and drives the growth of Curve Pay across Europe. 💳🌍   Edoardo shared his reasons for being a mentor: - Having worked with the vast majority of Fintechs across Europe, both as a partner when I was managing the Fintechs programs at Mastercard for 3 years and more recently by working as CRO at Divido and as SVP Partnerships & BD at Curve, I believe tech start-ups are the innovation engine of financial services. During my tenure, I learned how fintechs operate and some of their challenges when they want to scale and start working with larger corporations as partners, clients, or suppliers. I believe I can help them foresee and overcome some of these challenges while retain the flexibility and nimble approach typical of this space. I can also help them bring more rigor and thought processes to their sales process and the way they manage customers in the B2B space. 💡🔍 #FounderInstitute #Mentorship

🚀👥 We’re excited to welcome Simone Dozza, as part of the amazing mentor network of the Founder Institute Italian cohort! Simone brings extensive experience in consulting and leadership, transitioning from technical roles to executive positions focused on service delivery and entrepreneurial growth. As Chief Revenue Officer at a high-growth consulting company, he drives revenue growth through a clear go-to-market strategy and leads a cross-functional team. He excels at engaging diverse stakeholders and crafting strategies for market acceleration. ⚡🎓 Simone is passionate about turning ideas into solutions through data-driven strategies, ensuring sustainability and ROI. Though not a founder, he has launched and scaled business units, managing operations, marketing, and strategy. His experience in the digital and tech sectors gives him deep insight into the Italian tech market's opportunities and challenges. 🌐📊 In his words: 'It is with great enthusiasm that I embrace this new chapter of my career, mentoring startups and supporting their growth toward achieving their vision. I am driven by the shared aspiration to make a meaningful impact, not only on individual lives but, in some cases, maybe on the world where we live. By offering my expertise, market knowledge, and strategic insight, I aim to help startups build sustainable businesses that turn their dreams into reality.' 💡 #FounderInstitute #Mentorship

🚀👥 We are thrilled to introduce Bruno Reggiani, as a member of the Founder Institute Italian cohort's mentor network. Bruno brings deep experience in developing innovative products in fintech and expanding digital solutions. He is co-founder and COO of Tot, a fintech platform redefining business banking for SMEs. He has a background in European scale-ups, such as Penta and Eataly-net. 🌍 With experience in Italian and international contexts and working with top entrepreneurs, he excels in fundraising, product creation, expansion, and people management. He aims to drive innovation in Italy and bridge gaps with other countries.📈 In his words: 'I want to be a mentor because I am motivated by the idea of sharing the skills I have accumulated throughout my career to support emerging entrepreneurs and digital professionals. I've always had a passion for “potential” projects; people don't come out of this thinking. I am excited by the energy that ideas mixed with passion can create. I believe that sharing what I have learned, helping others avoid common mistakes and capitalize on strategic opportunities, can be a great contribution to the ecosystem itself.' 💡 #FounderInstitute #Mentorship

🚀👥 We’re excited to introduce Massimo Schiavi, as one of the amazing mentors of the Founder Institute Italian cohort! Massimo has been working in IT since his university days, managing sales as an individual contributor and a team manager in large corporations. He also spent several years building his own company, successfully scaling the organization while managing its EBITDA and ensuring its medium-term sustainability. This experience, he reflects, has been the most rewarding of his career and has shaped his mentality in terms of putting the customer at the center and being the first to make the move, or else the market will make the move on you.⚡💡 In his own words: ‘I will be happy and honored to help anyone thinking of creating something from scratch, focusing first on managing sustainability from a financial point of view. This includes understanding how to manage your finances in collaboration with banks and a network of alliances. Building your ecosystem will enable you to offer the best to your customers.' 🏦🌐🎯 #FounderInstitute #Mentorship #Innovation

🚀 As we move forward with our Founder Institute Italian cohort mentor introductions, today we present Alberto Lombardi, Senior Manager & Energy Expert with deep knowledge in ICT and digitalization and strategic vision in business and technology. Passionate about Sustainability, he likes to work in dynamic and unconventional environments where he can develop innovative topics of Energy Transition and #Cleantech. 🌱🌍 Alberto, with a long experience in Corporate and 15 years as an Entrepreneur, is a Mentor/Advisor of several start-ups in Product Strategy, Business Development, Go to Market, and Investor Relations/Fundraising. 📈💰 #FounderInstitute #Mentorship #Innovation

🚀 As we continue to feature the mentors of the Founder Institute Italian cohort, today we want to introduce Camilla Barlocco, a seasoned expert in branding, marketing, communications, and ESG, with a background spanning corporate roles and external consulting engagements. With over 15 years of experience in energy and #cleantech, Camilla supports boards, founders, and executives in establishing robust foundations for scaling and transformation. She collaborates with incubators across Europe, guiding founders in investor pitching, public speaking, branding, marketing, go-to-market strategies, and sustainability. 🌍⚡🎯 As a mentor, Camilla is driven by the need to keep learning, continuously innovating, and refining her expertise while venturing into new industries and sectors. This exposure ensures a constant flow of fresh perspectives and solutions, and she loves to see the immediate, tangible impact of her support on founders’ growth and success. In Camilla's words, mentoring is a powerful way to serve brilliant minds who are shaping the world, idea by idea, and it contributes to a ripple effect of innovation, progress, and positive change. 💡 #FounderInstitute #Mentorship #Innovation

🚀👥We’re excited to announce a new series where we will introduce our mentors from the Founder Institute Italian cohort. Through this, we aim to showcase the incredible expertise, insights, and guidance the mentors bring to our cohort. Meet Michele Mattei, an investor and advisor in the #fintech ecosystem, with multiple years of experience in this industry. Coming from a managerial consulting background, he has experience in M&A, Strategy and Product Management, he is currently a senior product manager at Qwist. 📈 Michele is a mentor in many different acceleration and incubation programs, such as Techstars in Italy, Tenity in Switzerland, Startup Bootcamp in the Netherlands and obviously Founder Institute. His main area of expertise is fintech, where he usually helps early-stage startups to move the first steps in the market, contributing with his skills in corporate finance, strategy, and product. 💡 #FounderInstitute #Mentorship

We’ve just reached 1,000 members in our LinkedIn group, and we're not stopping there! 🎉 A massive thank you to everyone at Founder Institute in Italy who has connected innovators, mentors, investors, and partners in Italy over the years. Together, we are fueling the growth of the Italian innovation ecosystem. Alberto Martellini Ariona K. Marta Marrucco Andrea Solimene Daniyal Ashraf Francesco Fullone Jonathan Greechan naima vecchione Rosbeh Thomas Zakikhani Silvia Canino