Women’s revolution in finance
Interview with Elisa BIanchi, Chief Commercial Officer & Head of Impact at Fasanara Capital
ENGLISH VERSION
For the fourteenth issue of EmpowHER, we had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Elisa Bianchi, Chief Commercial Officer & Head of Impact at Fasanara Capital. Bianchi exemplifies how it is possible to combine an outstanding career in High finance with an entrepreneurial drive aimed at creating added value and generating tangible social impact.
Her journey began with a degree in Business Economics from Bocconi University, followed by an experience at Merrill Lynch, one of the leading investment banks of its time. She later held roles of increasing responsibility at major institutions such as Credit Suisse and Method Investment, out of which Fasanara Capital was born, where she developed a broad and integrated view of the sector through her roles as Risk Manager and Head of Advisory.
From these experiences, Ms. Bianchi learned key lessons that still guide her today: she gained discipline, precision, and organizational skills, while also recognizing the crucial importance of relationships and sales capabilities, emphasizing the value of a well-rounded culture.
However, the real turning point, and the common thread in her career choices, came with a realization she reached as an adult: the need to stop “renting out her time” to fulfil someone else’s goals, and instead to use it for herself. This conviction, together with a desire to make a concrete impact, led her to found ZeepUp, her food-sector start-up, through which she transformed experience and vision into a project of genuine value.
The idea for ZeepUp was born from a concrete need, even before a market insight. During her time in the United States, Bianchi came face to face with a food culture very different from the Italian one: in America, most food is processed, sugary, and unhealthy. From that personal experience came the desire to create a solution that combines convenience and wellness, technology, and daily habits. ZeepUp’s vision is clear: to turn technology into an ally of awareness, making sustainability a daily gesture. The project aims to create an ecosystem where innovation and responsibility coexist, promoting healthier and more accessible food choices.
The ultimate goal is to build a vertical social network focused on food, where information, quality, and participation drive decision-making. In a context dominated by algorithms, ZeepUp aims to give people back the freedom to make conscious choices, reminding us, as Bianchi says, that changing the way we eat is the first step toward changing the way we live.
Despite the strength of her vision, the path has not been without challenges. Italy’s low risk tolerance makes it more difficult to attract capital and investors willing to bet on innovative projects. “In the United States, people invest out of conviction; in Italy, they look for guarantees,” she notes. It’s a cultural difference that carries weight but hasn’t shaken her confidence: consistency with one’s mission, she explains, remains the true driver of credibility for any start-up. Reflecting on her experience, she highlights a crucial principle: “Giving ourselves the freedom to make mistakes is essential. When we take responsibility and learn fast, every error becomes experience capital. Without that freedom, innovation and growth have no space to happen”.
Alongside the culture of risk, Bianchi places technology at the center as a lever for change, not as a utopian promise, but as an enabling tool. Fintech platforms, real-time data, and capital tokenization can broaden access to credit and make the financial infrastructure more transparent. Yet, she warns, technology and progress don’t move forward on their own: they require vision, trust, and a context that allows ideas to flourish. “Money follows ideas, not the other way around,” she reminds us.
Looking at Europe, she observes how France has built a more structured ecosystem, Spain is accelerating, and Germany maintains historical solidity, while Italy seems stuck in a middle ground: rich in talent and creativity, but often held back by cultural and operational rigidity.
From this, stems her vision for the future: Bianchi imagines an Italy capable of believing in ideas before numbers, of betting on people and giving dignity to the attempt itself. A place where finance becomes a means rather than an obstacle, and where wealth is generated not by preservation, but by creation.
In this landscape of transformation, Bianchi sees the financial world evolving under the influence of technology and artificial intelligence. “The market will become more transparent, but also more impersonal,” she notes, adding that human relationships will matter more than ever. We’ll need to learn to communicate and express our value, because connections will truly make the difference. From this reflection, she turns to a topic close to her heart: gender equality, not only essential for ensuring equal opportunities, but also for enriching the financial world with diverse perspectives. “Women often have a more horizontal and strategic vision, and an emotional intelligence that can balance the more vertical and analytical approach of machines. In a technology-driven world, this ability to connect and understand will be decisive.”
Finally, addressing younger generations, Ms. Bianchi invites them to reflect on how they use their time, the only truly scarce resource we have, urging everyone to ask themselves whether they are using it to realize someone else’s dream or their own. It’s the same question she asked herself after years in her career, which ultimately pushed her to take the leap and found ZeepUp. “What I miss is creating something impactful,” she says. “It’s a drive that must come from within, a fire that guides and sustains you through the challenges of the journey. Passion isn’t enough: you need willpower and optimism, or you’ll stop.” She concludes by emphasizing how determination and vision are essential to turning ideas into reality.