Mentor and faculty network

A curated mentor network built to help teams move faster.

Start Attractor connects startups, researchers and innovators with selected mentors and faculty across venture building, industry, fundraising, product, science and go-to-market.

Relevant expertise. Targeted matching. Concrete next steps.

Become a mentor or a faculty

Last updated: January 23, 2026 · The mentor roster evolves over time.

Focus areas

BD & Fundraising
Legal, finance, tax
Tech & product

Mentors

70+

Founders
Executives
Investors

Why this network matters

The right expertise, when it can make a real difference.

Curated, not crowded

We do not build large generic pools. We bring in selected mentors and faculty when there is a real fit with the team, the challenge and the stage of development.

Relevant matching

Expertise is matched to concrete needs — from product and fundraising to industry access, scientific validation, strategy, partnerships and go-to-market.

Built for progress

The goal is not just inspiration, but momentum: better choices, faster learning, stronger execution and more opportunities to turn ideas into concrete projects.

How we work

Discover → Design → Pilot → Scale, with mentors at every step

Mentoring is integrated into our way of working: problem discovery, solution design, pilot execution and scaling support.

1) Discovery matching

We map your challenge and identify the right mentor profile (domain, market, fundraising, product, IP, operations).

2) Design sessions

Workshops and 1:1s to refine value proposition, roadmap, go-to-market, technology, strategy and pilot design.

3) Pilot & feedback loops

Structured check-ins to remove blockers, validate assumptions, and measure results during pretotyping, POCs and pilots.

4) Scale support

Mentors support fundraising readiness, partnerships, hiring and internationalisation as teams move toward scale.

Showing all

Business development & corporate innovation

Giulio Ambrosi

Investor, Advisor, Board Member

New York Angels, Stadel Investments

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, Deep-Tech, Med-Tech & BM, Go to market, Pitch, Marketing, Communication, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit

Angela Calò

COO

OverGap

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Med-Tech, Agri-Tech, Green-Tech, Waste Recycling, Robotics & BM, Go to market, Growth hacking, Marketing, Communication, Negotiation, Networking, Team Building, Commercial management; Operations

Elisa Giuliani

Professor of Management,

UNIPI

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: business and human rights; responsible business; human rights and environmental due diligence

Jodi Koskella

Consultant

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Product marketing; partner marketing; product launch; integrations

Cipriano Moneta

Corporate Innovation & Strategy Advisor, Startup Investor & Advisor

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, Online business & BM, Design Thinking, Fundrising, Go to market, Growth hacking, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Market Analysis, Marketing, Communication, Networking, Pretotyping, Public Speaking, Team Building, Scaling-Up, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit

Jacopo Naidi

Program Manager

INNOVIT

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Expertise & skills : program manager innovit

Luigi Pittalis

Owner

Brogi & Pittalis srl

Role: Mentor and Faculty

Expertise & skills: Business Model

Corrado Priami

Professor Computer Science, Vice Rector for Knowledge Valorization

UNIPI

Role: Mentor and Faculty

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Health-Tech, Pharma & BM, Public speaking, Pretotypig, Pitch, Communication, Negotiation

Antonio Procopio

Co-founder & Strategic Advisor BA Club Pisa

CEO Digital-Hub Startup Accelerator

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Green-Tech, Fin-Tech & BM, Exit, Fundrising, Go to market, Growth hacking, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Marketing, Communication, MVP Design, Negotiation, Networking, Public Speaking, Team Building, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline

Salvatore Rosania

Director

Startup Grind Pisa Lucca

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Venture Building; Startup; Business Plan and financial; European MIMIT & Regional Call in R&D; IOT; AI

Giorgia Scetta

Materials Science & Accelerator Partner Manager; Expert Evaluator

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Green-Tech, Waste Recycling & Pitch, Networking, Public Speaking, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline

Francesca Sernissi

Chief Business Officer

Ianunai srl

Role: Mentor and Faculty

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech, AI & BM and Strategy, Clinical Development, Regulatory

Hannah Teichmann

Living Medical Device Innovation and Product Leadership

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech & BM, Design Thinking, Fundrising, Pitch, Market Analysis, Regulatory, Scaling-Up, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline

Communication & impact

Joshua Dick

Entrepreneur, investor, advisor

Wave Investment-YETI Capital

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Brand Building & BM, Exit, Fundrising, IP, Marketing, Communication, Negotiation, Team Building

Alice Matone

Science Communication Expert

Freelance

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Health-Tech & science communication

Investment & fundraising

Cosimo Francesco Biliotti

Partner & Investment Manager

Forest Valley Catalyst

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Green-Tech & BM, Exit, Fundrising, Networking, Start-up pipeline

Claudio Boni

Owner

Assiboni

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, Deep-Tech, Green-Tech, Fin-Tech, Insurtech & BM, Market Analysis, Networking, Public Speaking, Team Building

Arcangelo D’Onofrio

Founder

Temera srl

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, Waste Recycling, Fashion tech & BM, Go to market, Negotiation, Networking, Public Speaking, Team Building, Start-up pipeline

Riccardo Fisogni

Investment Strategist Business Development Expert

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Deep-Tech, Agri-Tech, Waste Recycling, Fin-Tech & BM, Exit, Financial, Fundrising, Pitch

Daniele Genovesi

Senior Partner & Fund Manager, CDP Venture Capital SGR

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Deep-Tech, Fin-Tech & BM , Fundrising, Pitch, Negotiation, Start-up pipeline

Karl Handelsman

Founder & Investor

Codon Capital

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma & BM, Exit, Lean and Agile Start-up

Marcello Marzano

Chartered Accountant

Studio MM

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, Med-Tech, Green-Tech & BM, Financial, Fundrising, Pitch

Igor Milano

Investment Associate, Co-Founder

Forest Valley Institute, CityZ

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Green-Tech, Waste Recycling, Climate Tech & BM, Exit, Financial, Fundrising, Pitch, Negotiation

Laura Orestano

President

SocialFare Seed

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: welfaretech & BM, Design Thinking, Exit, Fundrising, Pitch, Negotiation, Scaling-Up, impact investing, sustainability

Vincent Xiang

Managing Partner & Founder

7G BioVentures

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech, Pharma & BM, Exit, Financial, Go to market, Market Analysis, Team Building, Regulatory, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline, Technical

Legal, finance & tax

Brunella Bellè

Associate Professor of Law

UNIPI

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Tax, Law & Legal

Morena Capja

Freelancer

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Law and Human Resources & BM, IP, Legal, Negotiation, Team Building

Rosalie Gallinaro

Indipendent consultant

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Retail background, expertise in B2C or B2B & BM, Go to market, Market Analysis, Marketing, Communication, Negotiation, Team Building, Scaling-Up, Start-up pipeline

Flavio Notari

Head of Tax for Technology Companies

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Deep-Tech, Med-Tech, Pharma, Agri-Tech, Green-Tech, Fin-Tech & BM, Exit, Financial, Fundrising, IP, Legal, Negotiation, Networking, Taxation

Life sciences & biotech

Lavanya Anandan

Start-up advisor

Life Science and Healthtech Executive

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Health-Tech, Pharma & BM, Fundrising, Go to market, Pitch, Marketing, Communication, Networking, Public Speaking, Team Building, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit

Andrea Cerase

Associate Professor, UNIPI; Founder

CERNAIS srl

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech, Pharma & Go to Market

Sanjay Chanda

Chief Development Officer

AN2 Therapeutics

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma & BM, Fundrising, Pitch, Team Building, Regulatory, Scaling-Up, Start-up pipeline

Aditya Das

Founder

Pharmaceutical Consulting

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech, Pharma & BM, Go to market, IP, Pitch, Negotiation, Regulatory, Start-up pipeline, Technical

Enrico Domenici

Professor, UNITN; President

COSBI

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma & BM, Technical

Ramneik Dua

CMC Program Leader

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma & IP, Scaling-Up, Technical

Ugo Faraguna

Associate Professor of Physiology, UNIPI; Founder & President Sleepacta

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech & BM, Design Thinking, Fundrising, IP, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Networking, Public Speaking, Regulatory, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline, Technical

Zoya Gulzman-Poltorak

Biotech Startups Builder

Cell, Gene and Biologics Therapeutic Development

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma & BM, Design Thinking, Exit, Financial, Fundrising, Go to market, Growth hacking, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Market Analysis, Negotiation, Networking, Team Building, Regulatory, Scaling-Up, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline, Technical

Shirin Hasan

VP Global Head Clinical & Medical Affairs

Agilent Technologies

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech & BM, Design Thinking, Exit, Go to market, Negotiation, Networking, Public Speaking, Team Building, Regulatory, Scaling-Up, Clinical and Medical Affairs

Viktoria Kheifets

Biotech Advisor

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma & BM, Design Thinking, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Networking, Public Speaking, Team Building, Start-up pipeline, Technical, program prioritization, milestone development

Toni Kline

Drug discovery and chemistry advisor & consultant

Tatara Therapeutics

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma, Biotech & Start-up pipeline, drug discovery, hit to lead to Development Candidate, med chem, CRO management

Veena Krishnappa

CEO

Therapeutics company in stealth

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech, Pharma & BM, Exit, Financial, Fundrising, Go to market, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Market Analysis, Marketing, Communication, Negotiation, Networking, Team Building, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline, Technical

Todd Lorenz

Clinical Development Physician

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma & BM, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Regulatory

Francesco Mazzini

Startup advisor

Fondazione Toscana Life Science

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech, Pharma & BM, Fundrising, Go to market, IP, Pitch, Market Analysis, Networking, Regulatory, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline, Technical

Duccio Medini

R3 Program Director

Wellcome Leap

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: AI, Med-Tech, Pharma, Philanthropic Funding & BM, Design Thinking, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, MVP Design, Networking, Pretotyping, Public Speaking, Regulatory, Technical

Tejal Merchant

Senior Director, CMC; Advisor

DermBiont; SPARK

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma & Team Building, Start-up pipeline, Technical, Formulation/ Drug development

Silvia Parolo

Preclinical Bioinformatics Lead

Chiesi Italia

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Health-Tech, Pharma & Systems biology, Computational and AI

Hiroaki Sagawa

Life Science Consultant, Industry Advisor

SPARK

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Deep-Tech, Pharma & BM, Go to market, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Technical

Federica Tadini

General Manager

G-Factor

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech, Pharma & Financial, Fundrising, Negotiation

Santosh Vetticaden

Entrepreneur / Biotech Consultant

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma, Biotech & BM, Exit, Financial, Fundrising, Pitch, Negotiation, Networking, Public Speaking, Team Building, Regulatory, Scaling-Up, Start-up pipeline, Technical

Operations & leadership

Pietro Amoretti

Business Development, Grants & Funding Director

ESAOTE

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech & BM, Fundrising, Go to market, Negotiation, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit

Christian Apfel

President and CEO

SageMedic Corp.

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: AI, Med-Tech, Pharma & BM, IP, Pitch, Legal, Life sciences, oncology and cancer research

Lucia Arcarisi

CEO

Weabios

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech, Device, Rapid Prototyping, Hardware, Tech, Sensors & BM, MVP Design, Networking, Pretotyping, Public Speaking, Start-up pipeline, Technical, Open Innovation

Luca Barboni

Founder

247X

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI & BM, Design Thinking, Go to market, Growth hacking, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Marketing, Communication, MVP Design, Pretotyping, Public Speaking, Scaling-Up, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit

Luigi Doveri

President

Forti Holding S.p.A.

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech, Waste Recycling & BM, Fundrising, Go to market, Negotiation, Networking, Scaling-Up, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline

Diletta Huyskes

Co-CEO & co-Founder

Immanence

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Ethics of technology / social impacts & BM, Marketing, Communication, Public Speaking, Team Building

Monica Lorenzon

Head of R&D

3DNextech

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Deep-Tech & Fundrising, Pitch, Networking

Francesco Oppedisano

CEO

NetResults srl

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Deep-Tech & BM, Exit, Financial, Fundrising, Go to market, Growth hacking, IP, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, MVP Design, Pretotyping, Scaling-Up, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline, Technical

Francesco Paolo Russo

Founder & CEO

To Be srl

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, Deep-Tech, Green-Tech & BM, Fundrising, Go to market, Pitch, Networking, Scaling-Up, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline

Nicola Tanzini

CEO & Founder

intarget

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Fin-Tech, Martech, Digital Marketing & BM, Exit, Go to market, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Market Analysis, Marketing, Communication, Negotiation, Networking, Public Speaking, Team Building, Start-up pipeline

Marisa Testa

Management Consultant

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Med-Tech & BM, Exit, Go to market, Growth hacking, Legal, Market Analysis, Marketing, Communication, Networking, Public Speaking, Team Building, Regulatory, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit

Simone Zinanni

Founder & CEO

Develer

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Deep-Tech & BM, Fundrising, Go to market, Pitch, MVP Design

Technology & product

Fabio Bonomo

CEO and Founder

QbRobotics

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Agri-Tech, Green-Tech, Waste Recycling, robotics & BM, Go to market, Marketing, Communication, Networking, Pretotyping, Team Building, Start-up pipeline

Paolo Faraboschi

VP and HPE Fellow

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI & BM, Go to market, IP, Market Analysis, Public Speaking, Technical

Kevin Grimes

Prof. of Chemical & Systems Biology, Stanford University; Co-director SPARK

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: Pharma & BM, IP, Market Analysis, Regulatory, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline, Technical

Giuseppe Iannaccone

Founder Quantavis

Professor of Electronics, UNIPI

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, Deep-Tech & IP, Public Speaking, Technical

Jim Karkanias

Chief Executive Officer

cogitech.ai

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: AI, Deep-Tech, Med-Tech, Pharma & BM, Design Thinking, Exit, Financial, Fundrising, Go to market, Growth hacking, IP, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Market Analysis, MVP Design, Negotiation, Networking, Pretotyping, Public Speaking, Team Building, Scaling-Up, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline, Technical

Maria Antonietta La Serra

Italian Institute of Technology

Role: Faculty

Expertise & skills: Computational chemistry and biology

Luca Marchetti

Associate Professor of IT

UNITN

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: AI, Deep-Tech, Med-Tech, Pharma & Pretotyping, Regulatory, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Technical

Daniele Mazzei

Associate Professor of Computer Science, UNIPI

Founder Zerynth

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, IOT, Manufacturing & BM, Design Thinking, Go to market, Growth hacking, Lean and Agile Start-up, MVP Design, Pretotyping, Public Speaking, Team Building, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit

Gabriele Montelisciani

Co-founder and CEO

Zerynth

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Deep-Tech, Green-Tech, B2B Services; Industry 4.0/5.0 & BM, Financial, Fundrising, Go to market, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Market Analysis, MVP Design, Team Building, Scaling-Up, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline

Jack Moorman

Managing Partner

Nichibei Advisors

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: AI & BM, Design Thinking, Exit, Fundrising, Go to market, Pitch, MVP Design, Negotiation, Networking, Public Speaking, Scaling-Up, Start-up pipeline

Morgan Palmer

Advisor

F4 Advisor

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT & BM, Fundrising, Go to market, Pitch, Lean and Agile Start-up, Market Analysis, MVP Design, Value Proposition, Customer Solution Fit, Start-up pipeline, Technical, Profitable growth

Edoardo Pini

Technology Transfer Specialist

IIT

Role: Faculty

Expertise & skills: Deep tech, Technology transfer

Giuseppe Prencipe

Associate Professor of IT, UNIPI;

Founder Tennis Commander

Role: Mentor

Expertise & skills: ICT, AI, Deep-Tech, Med-Tech & Design Thinking, Pitch, MVP Design, Pretotyping, Public Speaking, Team Building, Technical

Get involved

Become a mentor or a faculty member

We welcome mentors and faculty who are excited to contribute expertise and help founders and teams build impactful innovation.

Application form

Apply as a mentor, a faculty member, or both. Submitting the form will open your email client and prefill an email to info@startattractor.eu.