What happens when a 24-year-old ex-BCG consultant takes on Europe’s slow, dusty real estate market? You get Casavo — a platform that once bought $30M in homes a month... then pivoted hard.

In this episode, Giorgio Tinacci shares:

How he raised $800M+ (with zero VC experience)

The real story behind their near-death moment (hint: interest rates)

Lessons from running a real estate rocket ship in 4 countries

Why he loves building things that create “ecosystem value”

It’s a masterclass in company success, founder intuition, and the art of pivoting under pressure. If you like big swings, big numbers, and bigger lessons — this one's for you.

Chapters

00:00:00 - Introduction to Casavo and Giorgio Tinacci

00:00:56 - The Birth of Casavo: Early Challenges and Validation

00:05:49 - Funding the Vision: Securing Initial Investments

00:10:08 - Navigating the COVID Era: Investor Support and Challenges

00:13:06 - Building Relationships with Investors

00:16:50 - Lessons from the VC World: What Founders Should Know

00:21:05 - Cultural Differences in Investment: US vs. European VCs

00:24:03 - Facing Crisis: Near-Death Experiences in Entrepreneurship

00:25:27 - Navigating Near-Death Experiences in Entrepreneurship

00:26:11 - The Impact of Interest Rate Changes on Startups

00:28:00 - Transitioning to an Asset-Light Model

00:30:22 - Preparing for Market Changes

00:32:21 - Cultural Shifts in Business Strategy

00:35:33 - Expanding into International Markets

00:39:00 - Challenges of Merging Company Cultures

00:41:31 - Shifting Mindsets: From Growth to Profitability00:46:20 - The Founder’s Spirit: Balancing Leadership and Operations

What do Formula 1 and nanotechnology have in common? Andrea Giovannelli.

At 23, while Italy’s startup scene was barely on the map, Andrea launched Nanotech — betting on the smallest materials to solve the biggest engineering challenges. Fast forward: today, his company is powering faster F1 cars, safer airplanes, and the future of advanced materials.

We dive into the early days of building from scratch, landing €50K in business plan competitions, convincing partners when deeptech wasn’t “cool” yet, and why real innovation doesn’t chase trends — it creates them.

If you've ever dreamed about building something hard, this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction to Nanotech and Its Vision

00:05:03 The Journey of Co-founding Nanotech

00:09:51 The Role of Sports in Entrepreneurship

00:15:02 Transitioning from Consulting to Entrepreneurship

00:19:56 Understanding Nanotechnology and Its Applications

00:24:53 Breaking into Formula One and Early Success

00:25:37 Entering the World of Formula One

00:29:14 Navigating Challenges and Innovations

00:31:02 Overcoming Early Struggles

00:38:35 The Courage to Start

00:42:47 Vision for the Future

00:46:11 Finding Momentum and Motivation

In this episode, we dive into how he built Vianova, a mobility data platform used by cities to make better decisionsaround transport and infrastructure. He shares what it’s really like to sell to governments, validate a product in public, and pitch an idea before the market is ready.

00:00:00 - Introduction to Vianova and Its Mission

04:26:00 - The Journey of Thibault Castagne: From Finance to Mobility

12:41:00 - The Evolution of Vianova: Data-Driven Urban Mobility

16:06:00 - Challenges in Partnering with Cities and Governments

20:06:00 - Vianova's Presence and Market Focus

24:17:00 - Navigating Urban Mobility Challenges

27:27:00 - The Entrepreneurial Journey: Personal Insights

31:34:00 - Lessons from the Startup Experience

37:13:00 - Funding and Investor Relations

41:11:00 - Building a Strong Technical Team

45:55:00 - Finding Momentum in Entrepreneurship