Meet our Speakers
Alessia Cappello
Municipality of Milan's Economic Development and Labor Policies Councilor
Alessia is the Economic Development and Labor Policies Councilor for the Municipality of Milan, where she oversees employment policies, commerce, productive activities, and municipal services, with a particular focus also on supporting local incubators and startups. She graduated from the Catholic University of Milan with a degree in business communication and later earned a master's degree from Publitalia. She is married and was a global brand manager in leading multinationals before becoming manager of e-commerce projects at Luxottica.
Stefano Caselli
Dean of SDA Bocconi School of Management
Stefano Caselli is the Dean of SDA Bocconi School of Management and Full Professor of Banking & Finance at Bocconi University, holding the Algebris Chair in “Long-Term Investment and Absolute Return.” He earned his degree in Economics from the University of Genoa and a Ph.D. from the University of Siena.
Throughout his distinguished academic career, he served as Vice-Rector for International Affairs at Bocconi University and held significant roles in major international academic networks including CIVICA, CEMS, and GNAM. Professor Caselli also possesses extensive experience as an independent director and statutory auditor, having served on the boards of numerous prominent corporations and financial institutions such as UnipolSai S.p.A., Cerved Group S.p.A., and Generali Real Estate SGR S.p.A., among others. His research focuses on banking, investment, and corporate finance.
Corrado Passera
CEO & Founder of illimity
A degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University, an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and the beginning of his career at McKinsey. Inspired by innovation and challenge, his career path took him from Olivetti to Poste Italiane S.p.A., Intesa Sanpaolo and the Italian Government as Minister of Economic Development, Infrastructures and Transportation. In 2018 he launched illimity, a bank listed on the STAR segment of the Borsa Italiana from September 10th 2020 and specialized in SMEs credit, which aims to discover and exploit the many hidden potentials of our economy and society.
illimity is the banking group led by Corrado Passera, specialising in offering performing loans to SMEs, restructuring, turnarounds, and investment banking services. illimity covers the entire value chain in credit management, from financing activities to asset management and structuring through ARECneprix. illimity SGR also forms part of the Group, which establishes and manages alternative investment funds to support institutions and companies, both in the UTP space and in private capital.
The Success Stories
Erika De Santi
Co-Founder & Chief of Experience of WeRoad
Erika De Santi is Co-Founder and Chief of Experience at WeRoad, with a vision to give people unique experiences through travel. She has overseen the expansion of the startup into Spain, the UK, Germany and France and today she is also in charge of the team focused on the growth and engagement of WeRoad’s community of more than 3,000 coordinators around Europe.
A Masters graduate in Tourism from the University of Surrey, UK, she brought her understanding of the travel industry, and how it was losing touch with the real needs and wants of its younger audiences, to the development of the WeRoad brand.
She was formerly in the marketing team at Emozione3, part of the Wish Days Group, which was acquired by Smartbox in 2016. Erika was recognised in Fortune Italy's 40 under 40 alongside other entrepreneurs, influencers, creators, and executives and she was also named by EU-Startups as one of the 100 most influential women in the startup and venture capital industry.
WeRoad:
Founded in Italy in 2017, and now available in all Europe (and beyond). WeRoad is a travel tech company that organizes small group adventures for solo travelers to discover the world and create new friendships. The company offers events, weekends and curated trips to over 1,000 itineraries worldwide to choose from that range from sailing to affordable luxury, beach life, safaris, skiing and hiking trips, and more. The experience is led by a “travel coordinator” and matches travelers from similar age groups, language, interests giving participants the opportunity to experience new adventures and meet new friends. WeRoad has more than 3K travel coordinators and has served over 200K travelers to date.
WeRoad is not just about helping people explore the world, but also about creating community among travelers along the way through shared experiences and meaningful friendships.
Riccardo Haupt
CEO of Chora & Will Media
Riccardo Haupt is the CEO of Chora & Will Media, where he leads strategic direction and works to align the creative energy of the company’s writers and creators with the opportunities emerging from brand partnerships. With a background in law, Riccardo began his career in one of Italy’s leading corporate law firms before transitioning to public service at the Italian Antitrust Authority in Rome. This experience sparked his interest in research and led him to pursue a PhD at Bocconi University, followed by several years as a researcher in European think tanks and policy centers.
In 2016, he founded Civetta, an initiative that brings PhD students, consultants, and professionals into Italian schools to promote what he calls “education to complexity.” At Will, Riccardo also co-hosts Actually, a podcast exploring the stories that are reshaping the world.
Chora & Will Media are leading Italian digital media players, operating under the legal entity Be Content Srl. It produces and distributes content across podcasts, video, social media, and live events through two distinct brands—Will and Chora—which maintain independent editorial strategies while sharing a unified corporate structure. With a team of nearly 100 professionals, the company generates over 80 million podcast streams annually and publishes several of Italy’s top-ranking shows on the main digital platforms. Be Content is part of the BeWater group, which also includes the film production company BeWater Film and counts Guido Maria Brera and Mario Calabresi among its founders and Tether among its recent key shareholders.
Our Pitch Competition Judges
Manuel Casciano
Investment Associate @ Scientifica Venture Capital
Graduated in Economics from Pavia, he completed his education with a Master's degree at LUISS and a Master's degree at ZSEM, enriched by international experiences at Mannheim Business School and Luxembourg School of Business. After initial experiences at Algebris Investments and Alisea Corporate Finance, he joined the investment team of Equiter Infrastructure II, where he works in the Datacenters, Healthcare, and Energy sectors. Specialized in the analysis and structuring of illiquid investments, he has overseen strategic acquisitions by corporates, LBO operations, and the execution of Roll-ups, focusing on business modeling, financial due diligence, and strategic optimization of portfolio companies.
Scientifica Venture Capital is an Italian fund based which invests in technologies offering solutions to social and environmental challenges, while impacting positively on markets and revolutionizing current industrial models. Their focus is on supporting researchers and startups, providing facilities, equipment as well as pre-seed, seed and early stage fundings. With 4,000 square meters of dedicated laboratory space and currently in the process of raising a new 200 million of funds, Scientifica VC offers Italian startups a unique investment vehicle that combines financial resources, scientific expertise, and critical infrastructure to support innovative entrepreneurial ideas.
Ilaria Cavalleri
Primo Space - Investment Principal @ Primo Capital
Ilaria is Investment Principal at Primo Space fund, the first VC fund in continental Europe to focus solely on space tech. After a few years in corporate finance and investment banking, Ilaria started working with startups, gathering 10+ years of experience in early-stage investments. She is an Academic Fellow at Bocconi University where she taught courses in Entrepreneurship and Corporate Finance, and she also writes about the Italian innovation ecosystem on her blog: Scaleupitaly.com.
Primo Capital is the first Italian independent investment platform specializing in advanced technologies that drive economic growth. With a strong presence in both Venture Capital and Private Equity, the company manages over 500 million euros across multiple funds, focusing on key sectors such as digital innovation, healthcare, climate technology, and the space economy.
Giuseppe Donvito
Senior Partner @ P101 Venture
Giuseppe Donvito is a Partner at P101, a leading venture capital firm based in Milan, focused on early-stage investments in the digital and technology sectors. With a background in telecommunications engineering and over two decades of experience in private equity, venture capital, and investment banking, Giuseppe has worked in Rome, Milan, and London. He combines a strong technical foundation with deep financial expertise to support innovative startups across Europe.
P101 SGR is a Milan-based venture capital firm founded in 2013, specializing in early-stage investments in digital and technology-driven companies across Europe. With over €500 million in assets under management, P101 has backed more than 120 founders and achieved 18 successful exits, supporting visionary entrepreneurs committed to impactful innovation.
Lucrezia Lucotti
Partner @ 360 Capital
Lucrezia, a Bocconi University MSc graduate, began her career in strategy consulting before joining 360 Capital, where she is now a partner. She focuses on investment opportunities across Europe, with a particular emphasis on the Italian market through the recent 360 Digitaly fund.
360 Capital is a Venture Capital firm investing in early-stage, innovative deeptech and digital enterprises across Europe. With a 20-year track record, the firm has supported talented tech entrepreneurs in building ambitious, disruptive companies across various sectors. Led by a diverse and experienced team of professionals located in Paris and Milan, 360 Capital has more than €500M of assets under management and an active portfolio of over 50 companies.
Irene Mingozzi
Principal @ Italian Founders Fund
Irene brings extensive experience in the start-up space, having been a founder, running an accelerator, serving as the Director of an innovation hub in San Francisco, and working with startups, corporations, and universities. She is now an Investment Principal at Italian Founders Fund and a Venture Partner at E12 Ventures.
Italian Founders Fund is Italy’s first venture capital fund, founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. They have united over 100 experienced entrepreneurs to build the premier founder-backed VC community, actively supporting Italy’s next generation of exceptional talent and digital innovation. IFF leads or follows in pre-seed and seed rounds, facilitating access to international capital. It also invests in later-stage companies looking to expand into Italy.
