In this latest episode of the Future Ventures podcast, Usman Lodi and Kano Takabayashi are joined by Michele Ferrario, Co-founder and CEO of StashAway, a leading digital wealth manager operating across Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Key highlights of the discussion
In this podcast, Michele takes us through his fascinating entrepreneurial journey, beginning with his time at McKinsey in Italy, transitioning to private equity, and eventually stepping into the fast-paced world of Rocket Internet. At Rocket, Michele launched and scaled ventures such as Daraz, which became part of Alibaba, and led Zalora, the region’s largest fashion e-commerce platform. He reflects on the challenges of navigating the 2008 financial crisis, building businesses in emerging markets, and driving growth in unstructured and high-pressure environments.
Michele shares valuable lessons learned along the way, emphasizing the importance of resilience, adaptability, and fostering aligned, high-performing teams to tackle complex business challenges. He also discusses the transformative impact of his time at Zalora, where he tackled infrastructure gaps, educated consumers about e-commerce, and learned the importance of balancing speed with thoughtful execution. Transitioning from Rocket Internet, Michele founded StashAway to solve a personal problem of inaccessible, automated investing, using his expertise to design a platform grounded in simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and intelligent solutions.
With a focus on regulatory compliance and customer trust, Michele and his team built StashAway from the ground up, transforming it into a trusted platform managing over a billion USD in assets. He recounts the company’s journey, from assembling a diverse founding team to overcoming regulatory hurdles and refining the product to meet the needs of its growing user base. Michele’s story is not only a testament to entrepreneurial grit but also a reminder to embrace risks, learn from mistakes, and take a long-term perspective when making decisions.
Join us as Michele shares his candid reflections on his career, the lessons that shaped his approach to leadership, and his vision for empowering people to build wealth through innovation. This episode is packed with insights for anyone interested in venture building, leadership, and navigating the challenges of scaling a business in dynamic markets.
About the speaker(s)
