The winner of the seventh edition of the main event in Italy dedicated to angel investing, organized by Club degli Investitori, was voted live by the Prize jury, chaired by Mauro Ferrari (winner of the 2022 edition) and composed of the main protagonists of innovation and startup investing in Italy, after attending the presentation of the four business angel finalists: Marco De Guzzis, Elena Paola Lanati, Roberto Marsella and Silvia Pugi.
Roberto, after his studies and a long career in finance in New York, made his first private equity investment in 1991. He is currently Head of Private Assets within a European insurance group and, above all, is an investor by passion. He believes that "helping the development of a company and its management is like raising children: it requires patience...and they don't always listen to you! But the satisfaction is great." His mission is to grow businesses, create jobs and leave a positive impact by helping startups find their way. With more than 46 investments in the past 10 years, 12 exits and 3 listed companies, he is a determined mentor who turns investments into successful opportunities by providing his network, professional experience. Some of the major investments are: Dove Vivo, Caracol, ReeVo, Philogen, Deus Technology, Bandyer, Woom Italia, Talent Garden, and others.
Roberto Marsella, , winner of the Business Angel of the Year 2023 Award, said, "I am very happy to receive this Award. I comment on my win with this quote from Albert Schweitzer: Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
The final was also enlivened by the participation of prominent speakers in the world of innovation and on the international scene. Following the connection with Sam Altman, CEO and Co-Founder of OpenAI, spoke Giancarlo RocchiettiGiancarlo Rocchietti, President of the Club degli Investitori, to illustrate trends in angel investing. Next, Matilde Giglio (Founder of Even), Francesca Carlesi (Founder of Molo), and Raffaele Terrone (Founder of Scalapay), three successful tech entrepreneurs who also serve as angel investors, took the stage and talked about how their experiences in the startup world are helping to guide and inspire other founders. Finally, reporting from New York, Fabrice Grinda, a serial entrepreneur and business angel with over 300 exits and 1100 investments, including Alibaba, Coupang, Airbnb, Instacart, Flexport, and Delivery Hero, spoke.
Giancarlo Rocchietti, President of Club degli Investitori, said, "The quality of the finalists and the increasingly high participation in the Prize of innovators, investors and founders proves that angel investing and investment in start-ups at seed level is always at the center of the innovation system."
This seventh edition of the award was produced by Club degli Investitori with the support of KPMG, UniCredit, UniCredit StartLab and the sponsorship of Italian Tech Alliance.
(Source: Club degli Investitori press release)
