Raffaele Terrone

Tech Entrepreneur & Investor

Raffaele Terrone is a successful tech entrepreneur and finance professional with extensive experience in the financial services and digital industries. He is best known as the co-founder and former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Scalapay, an Italian fintech company that became Italy's first unicorn in 2022.2 3

Career Highlights

Scalapay: Terrone co-founded Scalapay in 2019, a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) company based in Milan.1 As CFO, he played a crucial role in the company's growth:

Raised over $600 million in funding
Grew the company from 0 to over $1 billion valuation in less than 3 years
Expanded the team to more than 200 people
Achieved leading market positions in European BNPL markets1

In September 2022, Terrone announced his departure from his role as CFO and board member at Scalapay, while remaining a founding shareholder.4

Investment Banking Experience: Prior to Scalapay, Terrone had a distinguished career in investment banking:

Investment Banker at Goldman Sachs (2014-2017)
Investment Banker at Barclays Investment Bank (2011-2014)
Investment Director at ICAMAP (2017-2019)1

Current Venture: Desia

In 2024, Terrone unveiled his latest venture, Desia, an AI-powered system designed to enhance productivity for investment professionals.2 As co-founder and CEO, he has:

Raised £2.5 million ($3.3 million) in pre-seed funding
Developed an AI system to automate data analysis for investment decisions
Assembled a team of 11 professionals, including former Advent International employees2 3

Education and Skills

MSc in Corporate Finance from Bocconi University (2007-2010)
BSc in Finance from Bocconi University (2004-2007)
Bilingual in English and Italian
Expertise in corporate finance, valuation, negotiation, and business development1

Raffaele Terrone's LinkedIn username is raffaeleterrone, where he describes himself as a "Tech Entrepreneur & Investor | Scalapay | Goldman Sachs".1

Highlights

Sep 24 · businesscloud.co.uk

Unicorn founder unveils next move in Desia - Business Cloud

Sep 24 · finextra.com

Scalapay co-founder raises $3.3m for new venture - Finextra Research

Sep 24 · sifted.eu

Cofounder of Italy's first unicorn raises $3.3m for AI investment startup

Experience

Co-Founder at Scalapay (2019 - Present)

Chief Financial Officer at Scalapay (2019 - 2022), Director at Milo Venture Partners (2022 - Present), Investment Director at ICAMAP (2017 - 2019), Investment Banker at Goldman Sachs (2014 - 2017), Investment Banker at Barclays Investment Bank (2011 - 2014)

Education

MSc in Corporate Finance (AFC) from Bocconi University (2007 - 2010), Exchange Programme at Fundação Getulio Vargas (2009), Campus Abroad - Private Equity at City University of Hong Kong (2008), Campus Abroad - Venture Capital at National Chengchi University (2008), BSc in Finance (CLEFIN) from Bocconi University (2004 - 2007)