Andrea Catalano: Investing with Integrity

Andrea Catalano is an engineer by training and now an early-stage investor. He brings a cross-continental perspective shaped by time in Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and now Australia. He described his educational journey from Taranto to Rome, then to Modena, where he focused on engineering studies. What ties his journey together is a belief that kindness is strength, discipline, and clarity.

He spoke openly about the pressure to conform in corporate settings. One manager once told him, “If you are kind, people will think you are weak.” Andrea disagrees entirely. He believes kindness is how strong people operate: with awareness, responsibility, and the ability to include others in the equation. That belief guided one of the most defining moments of his career.

During a project, Andrea was asked to manage a tense leadership assignment. One employee—low in rank and influence—needed to return to his home country due to serious issues with his house and family. Andrea saw the human impact immediately and advocated for the employee’s leave, believing that basic needs must come before business priorities. Leadership opposed his intervention, insisting it was not his responsibility and “not business.” This experience became a defining moment, sparking deep self-reflection about the kind of leader Andrea wanted to be. Despite other things, it ultimately contributed to his decision to leave the company, reinforcing his belief that true leadership requires a humans first attitude.

Cultural experience shapes his view. Growing up in southern Italy, kindness meant opening your home and sharing food. In Germany, it looked more like direct feedback. In Saudi Arabia, it was wrapped in ritual and hospitality. These lessons have helped him work across systems and see the intent behind different expressions.

Now, as an investor, he evaluates founders not just on product or market, but on whether they ask the right questions about impact, responsibility, and ethics. Andrea is building his fund with a long-term vision: to create a platform that can fund systemic change. “I want to sleep well with myself,” he said. “Helping people—with or without recognition—is what matters.” He discusses that even in negotiation, he wants to be accommodating, not as a signal of weakness, but because he understands that we will only succeed, if we succeed together. “When you're talking to different people which have different incentives, you want to make sure that you can make everyone happy to a certain degree.” It’s the approach that he would like to see more of in general. When talking to the founders, he tries to help them understand the costs of decisions. “You can win, but there is always a cost for winning. I want people to at least understand what the cost is—for themselves, and for others.”

“Kindness means having more than one person in the equation.”

Andrea Catalano is a venture investor who puts people first. His story challenges the idea that success and ethics are at odds—and proves that kindness is a strength worth investing in. Keep an eye out for more interviews.