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About

Chief Executive Officer
Giusy Cannone

Giusy is our Chief Executive Officer and she has 10 years experience in the investment and startups area. She has been Investment Manager at Italian Angels for Growth, business angels network with 14M€ invested.

Previously, she was innovation specialist at in Intesa Sanpaolo bank, running a program which supports business development of tech start-ups. Earlier, she had working experience in the United States working first as Researcher at the Kauffman Foundation then at the Mind the Bridge as coordinator of the incubation program in San Francisco.

She has also been involved in consultancy projects to develop entrepreneurial ecosystem in different countries. She is lecturer at the major Italian Fashion Schools such as Istituto Marangoni and Domus Academy.

Read Giusy’s blog articles

Chairman & Partner
Paolo Ivancevich

Paolo is our Chairman & Partner. He has been a member of the boards of investment companies, banks, and fund management companies. A former Executive Manager of important Italian banks, including Banco di Napoli and Banco di Sicilia, in addition to CEO of Diners Club Europe, Paolo is the Founder and CEO of Captha, which provides training in the banking and financing sector, and Novenero, a corporate finance advisory company.

He has a degree in Economics from the University of Siena.

Read Paolo’s blog articles

Head of Operations
Rebecca Sehlbach

Rebecca is our Head of Operations at FTA in Milan, providing startups with expertise in analysis, operations, and fundraising. She has extensive international experience, having lived in 7 countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Rebecca has previously worked at Argentinian Venture Capital fund Draper Cygnus as well as Berlin FinTech startup N26.

She holds a Master’s in Finance from the Stockholm School of Economics.

Business Analyst
Gabriele Bivi

Gabriele is our Business Analyst in FTA helping with operations consulting during the acceleration program, and with open innovation projects.

He has previous experience in the VC industry and is passionate about startup ecosystems.

Head of Marketing and Communication
Matteo Bonavitacola

Matteo has a 10+ experience in the marketing field, especially on brand identity, digital campaigns and social media strategy.
He has been working with startups for more than 7 years: previously as a marketing manager of an Italian startup, WAMI – Water with a mission; then as an investor in startups and as a marketing consultant, advising dozens of startups focused on sustainability and fashion.

Project Manager - FTA Doha (Scale 7)
Stefano Merenda

Stefano is our Project Manager of Fashion Technology Accelerator Doha, the new fashion tech accelerator developed as part of the Scale 7 initiative in Qatar.

He has worked in multiple international environments and has supported multiple FTA portfolio startups especially in data-related and project management activities.

Our Advisory Board

Fashion Technology Accelerator has built its advisor board consisting of executive profiles who are experts in the fashion, technology and entrepreneurship sectors.

The board also states the important relationship between FTA and the corporate world.

The board will be able to provide greater skills, capabilities and critical eye during the operations of recruiting and selection of promising new startups.

Former Director of Research & Development - YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP
Gabriele Tazzari

Gabriele Tazzari is a Technology Strategist & former Director of Research & Development at YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP. He was in charge of product evolution strategy and innovation adoption, focusing particularly on product design and personalisation, apps, mobility, rapid prototyping techniques and technology organisation. Tazzari began his professional career at Nexus as Area Manager and in 2000 joined YOOX S.p.A. as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the then nascent business. As CTO, Gabriele built and grew the Technology capacities leading a team of several hundred technologists, setting the baseline of the global e-commerce platform covering Europe, US, Japan and China. From 2011, he started focusing on Innovation as Governance and Innovation Director, working on software performance, scalability, automation and governance models to support the fast-paced growth of software applications and infrastructures. He took on his current role in 2015 and joined the Advisory Board of Fashion Technology Accelerator Milano in January 2018. Tazzari graduated in electronic engineering from Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna.

Vice President - Miroglio Group
Giuseppe Miroglio

Giuseppe Miroglio is the Vice-President of the Miroglio Group. He has been the CEO of the group from December 2006 to July 2013. He is also the President of Miroglio Textile, Vice-President of Miroglio Fashion and of the Joint Venture Ayaydin-Miroglio. He has started his career in Miroglio in 1997 in London, supervising the activities of Miroglio Fashion UK. During this period he has personally contributed to the development of the sales network of Miroglio, strengthening business ties with the most important department stores of the UK. Two years later, he has become part of the Board of Directors of Miroglio S.p.A. In 1999, he has started the development of the retail activities of Elena Mirò, one of the most prominent brands of the group. In 2003, he  has become the Managing Director of Miroglio Fashion, focusing his attention on the brand strategy of the company brands’. He is currently a shareholder and part of the Board of H-Farm, RCR Cristalleria Italiana, Egea and APRO. He was born on the 4th of April in 1972 in Turin and he has graduated in Business at the Cattolica University in Milan.

Founder and CEO - Schwa
Helen Nonini

Brand Advisor and Strategic Consultant, today Helen Nonini is the Founder & CEO of Schwa, a Brand Consulting Firm committed to developing sustainable solutions for companies, with a strong focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Established in 2022, Schwa is the business evolution of H.edge, Brand Strategy and Experience platform since 2015.

After an initially successful career in the Financial Services industry, Helen shifted her focus to the fundraising and non-profit sectors. She then moved to the Luxury industry, boosting her know-how and flair as Head of Operations for the world’s top Luxury Concierge company, Quintessentially.

Helen was Pomellato Brand Ambassador from 2017 to 2022 and has now been designated as Ambassador of Homo Faber, the international cultural movement of the Michelangelo Foundation, celebrating craftsmanship and championing artisans.

Partner - P101
Stefano Guidotti

Stefano was CEO and co-founder of Milano Investment Partners SGR, the first venture growth/expansion capital fund focused on Italian scale-up companies. He is co-founder and former CEO of U-Start, a consulting firm offering services to private investors, family offices, HNWI, and corporates. The company creates club deals through private investors. Stefano is also an advisor of many European startups and collaborates with various Early Stage VC Funds in Italy, the UK, Switzerland, and Germany. He has also dealt with strategy consulting and international marketing, specifically focusing on the digital and renewable energy sectors. He has created the most comprehensive accelerator network in Africa during his collaboration with ALTIS.

Head of Digital Operations - NGG Holding
Michele Zuccheri

Michele has over 20 years of experience in the Luxury Industry with a focus on international operations along different digital channels, marketplaces and omni-channel environments. Passionate about innovation and startups, long term strategic thinker with a bias for action, currently covers the role of Head of Digital Operations of NGG Holding after a working path along several international Luxury companies. He lives and works in Milan, Italy.

Chairman - Yamamay
Francesco Pinto

After graduating summa cum laude in Law, he started his career at P&G in Rome in 1990. He co-founded Yamamay in 2001, a leading Italian underwear mono-brand retailer, acting as its CEO until 2011. Following the creation of Pianoforte Group in 2012, Francesco became CEO of its International Division until 2018.

Since 2012 has served as Chairman of the Board at Yamamay. He has an active role in different businesses and associations: serial entrepreneur and business angel with a focus on accelerators and startups, Francesco is a recognized expert in the European fashion & retail landscape.

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