FROM AN ITALIAN VALLEY TO SILICON VALLEY

Dream BIG

We Fund Talent to Change the World

APPLY NOW

Your talent, our EXPERTISE AND support

Let's Launch your Ideas
to Silicon Valley Together

We are a group of entrepreneurs who worked for and created liquid companies (i.e. no office, 100% remote) in Silicon Valley. We believe remote working is the future, and that the Italian Alps are the best place to live (if you like the outdoors). We aim to help the next generation of European entrepreneurs to successfully land in Silicon Valley (and then to the moon!)

Our Program and steps to apply

We’ll invest €200K in your new company (at a €1M valuation, taking a 20% stake). You'll come to Valtellina, immerse yourself in the mountains, and we’ll act as your co-founders, helping you prepare for your move to Silicon Valley within 12 months. No experience is necessary—if you have an idea, great! If not, we’ll work together to shape one and help you pursue your dream.

HOW WE WORK

Experience Valtellina while building your future

If you haven’t skied in the Italian Alps, you’re missing out. The scenery is breathtaking, the food is unparalleled, and the outdoor activities are endless. Beyond winter sports, Valtellina offers world-class hiking, climbing, rafting, mountain biking, and more. The region is also celebrated for its exceptional wines, produced in vineyards that stretch across the alpine landscape. Prefer water? We’re near Lake Como for sailing enthusiasts. And Milan, with its rich cultural heritage, museums, art galleries, and vibrant lifestyle, is less than two hours away, offering both a cultural and financial hub.

Why build a remote company from anywhere else when you could do it from somewhere this beautiful?

ABOUT VALTELLINA

THE PROGRAM

Fulfill your Dream:
Change the World

We’re aiming high. Our goal is Silicon Valley, so we’re not looking to create small, local-focused companies. We’re here to help you build something big—something that could change the world. With €200K in seed money (with no strings attached), we’ll relentlessly support you every step of the way. Your success is our success. It’s as simple as that.

Apply to TLF Batch 2025
We accept four Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) per year. The deadline for our next batch is June 30, 2025 — don’t miss it!
Join Us in Valtellina
Starting in September 2025, we expect our EIRs to join us in Valtellina, create their startup, and remain here until they are ready to make the leap to Silicon Valley. The program typically lasts 6 to 18 months, depending on your progress.
Build your startup in the mountains
If the idea of waking up to snow-capped peaks and spending your afternoons skiing (while strategizing your next MVP) excites you, you’ll fit right in. If the mountains aren’t your thing, this might not be the right fit—but if they are, you’ll thrive here.
Make the Leap to Silicon Valley
Once you’re ready, we’ll help you open a US corporation, flip your Italian startup, and get you set up in Silicon Valley. And even then, our support won’t stop. Some of our partners live in California and will continue to guide you on your journey to success.
What Sets Us Apart

One Last Thing...

We’re not an accelerator or an incubator. We don’t accept existing startups into our program—when you join us, you join as an individual ready to build something new. Our focus isn’t local; our sights are set on Silicon Valley and beyond. You’ll receive €200K with no strings attached, and you’ll have the freedom to use that investment as you see fit. We’re different—and we hope you are too.

APPLY NOW
€4 MILLION

From Banca Popolare di Sondrio

10 YEARS

Our investment timeline

16 COMPANIES

Four EIRs per year, over 4 years

WHO WE ARE

The Team

We are a team of entrepreneurs with deep roots in Silicon Valley, having built and led fully remote companies (what we call “liquid companies”). We believe remote work is the future, and for those who love the outdoors, there’s no better place to live and work than the Italian Alps. Our mission is to help the next generation of European entrepreneurs successfully land in Silicon Valley—and beyond.

Matteo Daste

Partner

Michele Zonca

Partner

Fabrizio Capobianco

Partner

Stefano Angelinis

Partner

Alberto Onetti

Board Member

Villy Wang

Partner

Luca Penati

Partner

Franco Folini

Partner

Emanuela Zaccone

Partner

Francesco Di Cataldo

Partner

Giuseppe Recchi

Board Member

Luisa Ferrandini

Partner

Founders

The Liquid Factory Batch 2024

Matteo Mariani

Liquid Grumello, CEO

Parker Landon

Liquid Inferno, CTO

Conor Stayton

Liquid Inferno, CPO

Lora Fahmy

Liquid Sassella, CEO

Sylwia Szymczyk

Liquid Valgella, CEO

Alessandro Duico

Liquid Sassella, CTO

Gil Moreno

Liquid Valgella, CTO

Ludovico Federici

Liquid Inferno, CEO

Mentors

Our startups can count on a list of highly qualified mentors with years of experience in all technological and communication fields. The Liquid Factory mentors are available to help our Entrepreneurs In Residence and their startups reach their goals and support them through their journey to success.

Leandro Agrò

Vertical Skills: UX Design, Spatial Computing/Immersive Tech

Monica Vatteroni

Vertical Skills: Semiconductors, Sensors

Roberto Ostinelli

Vertical Skills: Real-time Systems & Scalability, Unreal Engine

Enrica Filippi

Vertical Skills: Generative AI Modeling, Generative AI Application

Enrico Milovan

Vertical Skills: Strategy, Business model & Value proposition

Luca Belli

Vertical Skills: Machine Learning, Ethics & AI

Francesco Sullo

Vertical Skills: Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain

Michele Battelli

Vertical Skills: Product-Market Fit, Product & Engineering Organizations

Rolando Ferrini

Vertical Skills: Product Development, Leadership

Massimo Moizi

Vertical Skills: Artificial Intelligence, Business Development

Alfonso Selva

Vertical Skills: Finance, Financial Services

Vittorio Viarengo

Vertical Skills: Company & Product Storytelling, Team building

Stefano Striuli

Vertical Skills: Testing Automation, Cybersecurity

Luca Gelmini

Vertical Skills: Financial Advisor, Fractional Manager

Pancrazio Auteri

Vertical Skills: Product Management, Sales enablement

Francesco Dellisanti

Vertical skills: Business & Go-To-Market Strategy (B2B), Product-Market Fit

Andrea Carignano

Vertical Skills: Business Development, AR / VR / Rendering

Andrea Faré

Vertical Skills: High performance bossless teams, Meetings, decisions & conflicts facilitation

Fabio Angeli Bufalini

Vertical Skills: Go to Market, Business Models

James Roberts

Vertical Skills: Strategic and legal issues, Scaleups & Startups

Luigi Ottoboni

Vertical Skills: Generative AI, Entrepreneurship

Teresa Potocka

Vertical Skills: Broadcast Media, Audience Engagement

VALTELLINA: THE BIRTHPLACE OF YOUR NEXT IDEA

Innovate in the Heart of Nature

Valtellina, nestled in the Italian Alps near Lake Como, is renowned for its stunning landscapes, historic villages, world-class skiing, and vineyards. It’s an outdoor paradise, perfect for hiking, climbing, biking, and more. The region is also famous for its food and wine, offering exceptional local specialties like pizzoccheri, sciatt, and prestigious wines. And if you’re a culture lover, Milan is close by, offering art, fashion, and history in abundance.

P.S.: Valtellina will host several Winter Olympics events in 2026

Enjoy the outdoors

If you like skiing in winter, or hiking, climbing, mountain biking, rafting, sailing the rest of the year, this is your place

Experience the food

It is Italy. You cannot go wrong. On top of what you can find everywhere else, we have exceptional local wine, cheese, pizzoccheri and sciatt (never heard of them? You are missing out)

Foto credits: Paolo Rossi
Financial Investor

Banca Popolare di Sondrio

Founded in 1871, Banca Popolare di Sondrio meets any banking, financial, and insurance needs. With supra-regional dimensions and operational capabilities extending throughout the national territory, it maintains a strong bond with its historic area of origin, where it has its 'feet, heart, and mind.' Thanks to wise corporate evolution and its inclination toward technological innovation, the bank is projected into the future to seize and help others seize new opportunities, even at an international level, especially for young people with an entrepreneurial spirit. To continue a story of growth, values, and culture.

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