Growth capital at the service of tech companies

 

Fondo Italiano Tecnologia e Crescita
Mission

To invest growth capital in outstanding Italian high tech companies that intend to launch or consolidate expansion projects, favouring innovation processes and strengthening competitive positioning.

Strategy

Sector fund for investments in Italian companies with development plans based on technology managed by a dedicated and specialised team.

Investments of € 5/15 million, mainly non-controlling interests in the form of capital increases dedicated to development.

Tech Growth (companies with positive EBITDA and solid growth) and Late Stage (high-growth companies with a need to finance the income statement) investments.

Highlights
115
mln

Fund dimension

N.
9

Companies in portfolio

69
mln

Invested capital

Priority investment sectors

The Fund invests in all typical growth capital sectors and, therefore, mainly in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) and Industrial Innovation sectors; other sectors in interest include MedTech, FoodTech and CleanTech.

Information, Communication and Technology (ICT)

Information, Communication and Technology (ICT)

Industrial Innovation

Industrial Innovation

MedTech

MedTech

FoodTech

FoodTech

CleanTech

CleanTech

The Team

Claudio Catania
Claudio Catania
Senior Partner
Claudio Catania
Senior Partner

Claudio Catania has been a Senior Partner at Fondo Italiano d'Investimento SGR since January 2011. Beforehand, he worked for The Carlyle Group. He invested in and served on the boards of directors of SmartTrust, FRSGlobal and UC4. Now he is member of the board of Seco on behalf of FII Tech Growth. He previously worked for Morgan Stanley Capital Partners. He began his professional career at Hewlett Packard in Great Britain, Silicon Valley and France. Claudio graduated with a first class degree in Electronic Engineering from the Polytechnic University in Milan and obtained a Master's Degree in Telecommunications and Information Technology from Cefriel (Milan Polytechnic University). He also received a Master of Business Administration from Insead (Fontainebleau) and he is a Certified Financial Analyst since 2005.

Mauro Pretolani
Mauro Pretolani
Senior Partner
Mauro Pretolani
Senior Partner

Mauro Pretolani has been a Senior Partner of Fondo Italiano d'Investimento SGR since February 2015. He took part to the launch of the FITEC fund, for which he is also a board member of the portfolio companies BeMyEye, Supermercato24, Healthware Group and Termo. Ever siince 1999, he has served as a General Partner of TLcom Capital LLP, participating in the establishment of the management company, fundraising and the management of TLcom I and II funds. Mauro was also an independent director of Seat Pagine Gialle (PG.MI) from 2012 to 2015. Ever since 2016, Mauro has been a board member of MotorK on a personal basis. Over the years Mauro has also held operational roles in technology companies, such as Executive Chairman, CEO and EVP sales. At the beginning of his career he worked for Bain & Company as Manager and for Procter & Gamble in both Marketing and Finance. He graduated in Economics at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and obtained an MBA "with distinction" from Harvard Business School.

Marco Vassallo
Marco Vassallo
Partner
Marco Vassallo
Partner


Marco Vassallo is Partner at Fondo Italiano d'Investimento SGR, that he joined in December 2017. Before joining the FITEC team, Marco worked for three years at A.T. Kearney, gaining significant experience at leading Italian and international companies in the retail and TMT sectors, and previously carried out research activities at the University of Cambridge (England), the Max-Planck-Institute (Germany) and PSA-Peugeot Citroen (France). He graduated with honors in Mathematical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and Ecole Polytechnique in Paris; Marco also holds an MBA "with distinction" from INSEAD. 
 

Marco Ugazio
Marco Ugazio
Investment Manager
Marco Ugazio
Investment Manager

Marco Ugazio is Investment Manager at Fondo Italiano d’Investimento SGR, that he joined in January 2018. He previously worked as an intern in the Corporate and Investment Banking division of Banca Sella, primarily focusing on M&A and bond issues. He graduated (M.Sc.) cum laude in Accounting, Financial Management and Control at Bocconi University in Milan, where he also obtained a B.A. cum laude in Management. He also attended two Exchange programs at The University of Sydney Business School and at Boston College – Carroll School of Management

Federico Cappellin
Federico Cappellin
Investment Manager
Federico Cappellin
Investment Manager

Federico Cappellin is Investment Manager at Fondo Italiano d'Investimento SGR, where he joined in January 2017. During his professional experience in FII, he has been involved in various transactions in different sectors, such as marketing data analytics, IoT electronics and digital health. Previously, in summer 2016 he worked as an Intern in Debt Capital Market of UniCredit in Milan. He also worked as an Advisor in the development of the strategy and business plan of a primary company operating in the sector of microcontrollers. He graduated (M.Sc.) in Management at Bocconi University. Previously he obtained a Master in Merchant Banking at LIUC University and a B.A. in Economics with concentration in Finance and Corporate Management at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan.

Elena Gerlin
Elena Gerlin
Senior Associate
Elena Gerlin
Senior Associate

Elena Gerlin joined Fondo Italiano d’Investimento SGR in January 2024 as Senior Associate. Following her initial experience with Fondo Italiano in the FITEC team in 2019, she worked for five years at the portfolio company Healthware Group, overseeing the M&A activities of the group and successfully completing five international transactions. She also handled the corporate venture capital activities of the subsidiary Healthware Ventures. Additionally, she contributed to the sale process of the group’s parent company to a leading US industrial operator. Elena graduated with honors, earning an MSc in Corporate Finance and Banking from EDHEC Business School and previously earned a BS in Economics and Finance from the University of Bologna.

Jacopo Di Bello
Jacopo Di Bello
Associate
Jacopo Di Bello
Associate

Jacopo Di Bello is Associate at Fondo Italiano d'Investimento SGR, where he joined in September 2022. Previously, he completed a six-month internship at Fondo Italiano on the FITEC team. Jacopo holds a Master of Science Degree in Finance from Bocconi University, where he also obtained a BSc in Economics and Finance. During his academic career, he attended an Exchange Program at Cornell University - SC Johnson College while also completing an internship as a Financial Analyst in the Equity Research division of an Italian boutique investment bank

Rita Ferrante
Rita Ferrante
Assistant
Rita Ferrante
Assistant

Rita Ferrante has been an Assistant at Fondo Italiano d'Investimento SGR since April 2021. Previously, she gained twenty years of experience as a parliamentary assistant for several orders of the offices of the Italian Republic, performing management and support tasks to institutional commitments. She holds a Master's Degree in Conservation of Cultural Heritage from the University of Studies "Suor Orsola Benincasa" of Naples, a Master's Degree of II level in disciplines related to her academic title and several Courses of Higher Education aimed at deepening her relevant skills in the specialized areas related to her activity.