Bitcoin and how it changed my career path
I discovered Bitcoin in its early days, back in 2010. This led me to join the first community of Italian Bitcoin enthusiasts, fueling my passion for the technology.
Believing in Bitcoin's potential, I made it a cornerstone of both my professional life and the technology stack at Bernstein.io, a company I founded in Munich in 2016. Bernstein.io leverages the immutability of the Bitcoin blockchain to provide verifiable proof of existence, integrity, and ownership for intellectual property assets. With the ambitious goal of "democratizing IP," Bernstein.io today serves a diverse clientele, from designers and law firms to research institutions and art galleries.
In 2023, I launched Bisanz.io, a community for Italian progressives and reformists. Bisanz.io advocates for Bitcoin as a tool to empower individuals and reduce wealth inequality within the current financial system, while also promoting its use as a tool to accelerate the transition to renewable energies.
In 2024, I joined Firefish.io as Ambassador & Business Development for the Italian market. Firefish is a decentralized, non-custodial, p2p marketplace for Bitcoin-backed loans.
Recently, I have come to believe that the widespread Bitcoin adoption is on the horizon. However, most businesses are currently unprepared, lacking the knowledge and resources to integrate Bitcoin into their workflows.
To this end, I am in the process of establishing a consulting firm dedicated to bridging this gap, aptly named WhyNot.Finance, launching in 2025. WhyNot.Finance will bridge this gap by providing comprehensive education and implementation services. We'll empower businesses, professionals and local governments to seamlessly include Bitcoin in payments, receipts, treasury management, payroll, accounting, and tax compliance, streamlining operations and unlocking cost-saving opportunities
Capsule Social and the decentralized web
In 2023, I concluded my role as co-founder and COO at Capsule Social, Inc. where we developed Blogchain, a decentralized publishing platform resistant to censorship and takedowns. During my tenure, we secured substantial investments from prominent VCs and angels, including Polychain, Naval Ravikant, and Balaji Srinivasan.
Slow user adoption and the sudden crypto-market downturn compelled the company to first substantially reduce its workforce and eventually shut down completely. However, this troubled experience in a token-based, altcoin project strongly reinforced my convictions that Bitcoin is the technology best aligned with my core values.
Early days: from academia to bigco
After receiving my degree in computer science from the University of Bologna (Italy), I began working as a researcher in parallel computing and numerical analysis, first at my alma mater and later at Loughborough University (UK). In 1996, I left academia to become the first employee of MCI Worldcom’s Italian branch in Milan. It was exciting to be a part of the late-‘90s telecom boom, from a few people in a small office to a massive data center with hundreds of coworkers.
My first startup
In 1998, I co-founded eXtrapola, an online media monitoring service provider that offered timely, comprehensive and up-to-date reports. A unique press clipping service for the digital age serving a wide range of clients from celebrities to local governments, from sport teams to large consumer companies. I’ve been the CEO of eXtrapola for 7 years, leading its growth and product design.
Cryptography, privacy and freedom
In 2005, I realized that web applications, while extremely convenient and effective, were not a good reason to give up privacy, security and ultimately freedom. Unfortunately, often there is no alternative, but trust SaaS providers and hope they act properly. Along with my friend Giulio Cesare Solaroli, we envisioned a new architecture for web apps, designed to give people complete and exclusive ownership of their data. We decided to test this approach, based on client-side cryptography, on a very sensitive problem: managing and storing passwords. As such, we launched Clipperz, the first online password manager, and the first web application that knows nothing about its users and their data. Clipperz has been running flawlessly since 2006, without a single instance of user data leakage.
Ebooks and digital publishing
Starting in 2008, I got interested in ebooks and digital publishing. I gained a good understanding of the sector and co-organized the first Italian barcamp. This landed me a job as CFO and strategist at Simplicissimus Book Farm, now StreetLib, a company founded by Antonio Tombolini, a serial entrepreneur that sees further than anybody else I’ve ever met. StreetLib provides a wide range of solutions for the digital publishing ecosystem: from self-publishing to print-on-demand.
Sustainable mobility and urban cycling
I’m a convinced urban cyclist. In 2009 along with Antonio Tombolini, I started Ciclourbano.it (now defunct), a website that promoted cycling culture with a special focus on cargobikes and family bikes. I would love one day to turn this passion into a real business.
Teaching math
Seeking a change of pace from the tech and startup scene, I returned to my longstanding passion for mathematics. Consequently, in 2023, I embarked on a fulfilling journey as a high school math teacher. An experience that proved both demanding and enriching.
What I can do for you
Throughout my career, I have accumulated substantial experience in spearheading the conceptual development and execution of numerous projects, from inception to launch. My expertise spans various industries, including Bitcoin, decentralized web applications, data security and privacy, digital publishing, urban mobility, and education. Additionally, I excel at crafting no-nonsense business plans, securing funding from respected investors, identifying and hiring top talent, and selecting the most appropriate business tools. I also relish evangelize about causes I am passionate about.