General wisdom says you can’t change your character. I disagree. I was born an introvert and I hate it. Due to my father’s job, I had to move towns every couple of years and make new friends. I embraced the challenge, and through painful, embarrassing, and continuous practice I became an extrovert.  To the point that I think I’m now to the other end of the spectrum.

Curious by nature. From an early age, I started asking myself the big existential questions in life. I considered studying philosophy at university but realized Economics and Business might be better when it comes to making a living. I’m still curious. A great characteristic to enjoy the VC world.

I feel at home in Saudi and the Middle East. My Italian culture and the Saudi culture have a great alignment around the centrality of the family and the importance of friendship. I trust such values will survive to the fast economic development the region is going through.

Genuine and passionate. That’s the culture we try to set at STV. Everybody is entitled to bring new ideas, undertake new initiatives, and challenge the way we do things. My favorite motto? We grow together

Everyone knows everything. We have a very open culture. Decisions are taken with everyone around the table. There is a reliance on collective wisdom, and it’s far more superior to individual wisdom or influence.

Saudi is ready to leapfrog. I think Saudi has an incredible opportunity to leapfrog at a speed that no other country has experienced so far. There are three things a country needs for great success: engaged leadership, money, and talents. Most have one or two, but Saudi has all three. The sky is the limit.

The startup recipe. The founders, of course, are at the core. The right team. The right business model, and my other tip? Keep your business as digital as possible, this is where you can scale very fast, and where the margins are large.

FinTech excites me, both as an investor and a user. Venice in the 19th Century. That’s where and when the first bank appeared. There’s not much difference in the financial sector from then to now. This generation wants to do things online. The possibility to create value for clients through innovation is massive.

No matter the destination but with whom you are traveling with. Everybody agrees but very few walk the talk. I remind myself hundreds of times a day of such a true principle. The real metric of success is the number of people around you that can genuinely amplify your joy, alleviate your moments of pain and share laughs with you