Who are the 50 female entrepreneurs in the Gammadonna Award and what do they do?
"The World Economic Forum data speaks clearly: Italy is lagging behind in economic equality. But while the system continues to ignore women's potential, our FAB50 are concrete proof of how female entrepreneurship can be a catalyst for transformation for the entire country . These are women who innovate not just the what, but the how and why of doing business. They build sustainable, inclusive, and high-impact models. They don't wait for change: they lead it. It's time for politics, finance, and the media to start listening to these voices and recognize their value. Because investing in women is not just a matter of equity, but of development for the entire country." This is how Valentina Parenti, president of GammaDonna – a historic association that has been working for twenty years to reduce the gender gap in the socioeconomic field – presented to Italian Tech the list of the fifty entrepreneurs vying for the GammaDonna Award 2025. Women who lead businesses capable of generating economic, environmental, and social value, with regenerative, inclusive, and innovation-intensive business models.
This year, the Award, now in its 21st year, attracted applications from across Italy and from every industry. The selected female entrepreneurs stand out for their ability to address today's major challenges —ecological transition, digitalization, health, education, inclusion—with courageous, scalable, and sustainable entrepreneurial approaches. From these, the six finalists will be selected and will perform on November 4th on the Finale stage in the splendid Palazzo Madama in Turin , as part of the events calendar for "Turin European Capital of Innovation 2024-2025."
ANTONIETTA ACAMPORA, Chic Picnic - Sorisole, BG
With an innovative and sustainable format, she has revolutionized the concept of picnics, making them a local marketing tool for businesses and an unforgettable experience for consumers. She has created a platform that connects people, local businesses, and regions, promoting Italy with gourmet experiences and slow, accessible tourism. She has opened up an unexplored market and fostered a collaborative ecosystem, making picnics a concrete growth opportunity for agritourism businesses, wineries, and farms.
EMMANUELA ALESIANI, SuiteFood - Milan
With Coccola, she created a new food category: the first natural coconut powder patented in Italy. Not just a simple sugar alternative, but a functional booster that sweetens, hydrates, and nourishes in a single step, transforming coffee into a nutritional experience that helps reduce global sugar consumption. Visionary and determined, she built a female team and brought Coccola to pharmacies, supermarkets, and international awards. She supports local communities by purchasing from sustainable producers and practices Fair Trade.
BARBARA AMERIO, Amer Yachts - Sanremo, IM
She leads a historic Ligurian pleasure boating company, characterized by a high level of innovation. She has introduced a business model that goes beyond financial performance alone, based on a shared manifesto with employees and collaborators that promotes open dialogue and respect. She has innovated production processes with new materials and techniques, reduced the gender gap, adopted eco-design, and integrated the goals of the 2030 Agenda for concrete and sustainable change. She exports to Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East and is preparing to enter new emerging markets.
ALICE ARDUINI, ALIX INTERNATIONAL - Montano Lucino, CO
In 2021, she founded a "shipping boutique" in Como, defying the pandemic with courage and determination. Today, her international shipping and logistics startup has two offices, 15 employees, and generated nearly €7 million in revenue in 2024. With a people-centered approach and tailored service, she aims to create opportunities for young people, fostering a business that values dignity, growth, and social impact beyond profit.
ANNAMARIA BARBARO, Empethy - Naples, NA
After a career at Barclays as a Product Owner, in 2021 he founded Empethy with Lorenza Silvestri to innovate the adoption system in Italy and reduce stray dog populations. Empethy is the first digital platform that simplifies and increases transparency in dog and cat adoptions, with over 5,000 adoptions annually, more than 1,000 active shelters, and a CSR program involving over 50 companies, including Barilla Group, MSD Italia, Italo Treno, and UnipolSai. A replicable social innovation model that combines impact and technology.
ROSILARI BELLACOSA, SynDiag - Turin
After earning a PhD in neuroscience, she pursued entrepreneurship and is now the co-founder and CTO of SynDiag, a femtech startup using AI to revolutionize the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer. She transformed an academic project into a commercial product—OvAI Focus—that analyzes ultrasound scans, offering transparent and understandable interpretations for doctors and patients. SynDiag collaborates with hospitals in Italy and abroad, leveraging technology as a concrete lever to improve access to care and innovate diagnostic ultrasound in gynecology and beyond.
RITA BILOTTI, Serragiumenta - Altomonte, CS
At the helm of Serragiumenta, a historic agricultural and agritourism company in the heart of Calabria, Rita combines a degree in architecture with a deep connection to the local area. She has revitalized the family estate, transforming it into a contemporary model of hospitality and sustainable production. For Rita, innovation means staying true to the values of the past, reinterpreting them with a contemporary sensibility: from agriculture to experiential tourism, every choice is guided by care for the environment, the people, and the beauty of the place.
VIOLA BONESU, Plino - Turin
With Plino, she co-founded a platform that leverages generative AI to help Italian SMEs analyze accounting and financial data 100 times faster. Her multidisciplinary career, from philosophy to product management, has led her to Berkeley SkyDeck and the Forbes Under 30 list. Plino simplifies access to strategic insights thanks to a conversational interface that transforms complex data into clear answers in seconds.
GWENDOLINE BRIEUX, LIVING ON TOURISM - Supersano, THE
She is the driving force behind Vivere di Turismo, an innovative company promoting a new culture of non-hotel tourism based on personal well-being and values such as professionalism and community. After an initial role behind the scenes, she took the reins of the company in 2020, guiding it through the pandemic crisis and transforming it into a Benefit Corporation. Today, it is a leading provider of training and consulting, with a turnover of over €1 million. Through events and concrete tools, she innovates by focusing on quality of life and a sustainable hospitality model.
ROSA COGLIANDOLO, GAREF - Gargallo, NO
At the helm of Garef, a historic high-end faucet manufacturer and custodian of Made in Italy excellence. Under her leadership, the company has embarked on a journey of internationalization, adopted digital control tools, and implemented ethical and sustainable practices. Rosa promotes values of quality, transparency, and innovation, building strong relationships with collaborators and stakeholders. With strategic vision, Garef aims to consolidate its future through sustainability, foreign subsidiaries, and new acquisitions.
SILVIA COSTA, GCE - La Spezia, SP
Silvia is the visionary behind GCE, a company specializing in waste treatment and a benchmark in the circular economy. With an innovative spirit, she transforms waste into resources by producing refuse-derived fuel, soon to be certified end-of-waste. Thanks to advanced technologies and artificial intelligence, GCE also enhances human capital, offering a sustainable business model that reduces environmental impact by avoiding landfill disposal and promoting energy recovery.
MIRIAM CRESTA, Junior Achievement Italia ETS - Milan
CEO of Junior Achievement Italia ETS, a pioneer in bringing entrepreneurial education to Italian schools. He spearheaded the deployment of an innovative teaching model based on progressive and engaging experiences, which has engaged over 500,000 students. Under his leadership, JA Italia has built a strong ecosystem of partnerships, promoting transversal skills and career guidance, with measurable impact and a clear vision: giving young people the keys to the future.
LINDA CROCE, Azalea Social Cooperative - Verona
President of the Azalea Social Cooperative, educator and social futurist. She spearheaded an innovative transformative program, "Happy Working," which reinvented work and cooperation, starting from the workforce crisis. Through inclusion, well-being, and forward-thinking, she developed a systemic and replicable model, integrating generational values, gender equality, and an inclusive culture. Her leadership promotes a sustainable and generative future in welfare and social work.
LUCIA CUMAN, STL - Marostica, VI
CEO of a family-run business that has been designing people-centered workplaces for two generations. Passionate about Olivetti's philosophy, she led the company's transformation toward sustainability, launching Stilfibra, a line of seating made from plant fiber waste and 100% recycled PP plastic, Made in Italy. A member and vice president of Women For Freedom, Lucia combines entrepreneurship and social impact, donating part of the proceeds from the Stilfibra brand to the "A scuola con Chiara" girls' education project in Nepal. She leads the company, along with her brothers Marco and Paolo, toward a responsible and innovative future.
CORINNA DE CESARE, thePeriod - Milan
A journalist and writer, she left Corriere della Sera to found thePeriod: a feminist media startup revolutionizing news with ethical, inclusive, and stereotype-free content. The project reaches up to 13 million people through its channels, has influenced national campaigns, and collaborated on European guidelines on diversity and inclusion in journalism. With a horizontal organization and leadership, thePeriod's approach is community-first and bottom-up. News is no longer handed down from above but is built on the needs, interests, and real struggles of its readers. With this approach, thePeriod aims to become a benchmark for a new way of doing journalism.
VALERIA DELLA ROSA, Oli help - Milan
With Oli Help, she created the first AI-based app to support parents, teachers, and educators in the daily management of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly ADHD. Drawing on her personal experience and a solid career in digital innovation, the startup combines science and technology to offer an evidence-based and personalized solution, currently available in Italy, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Valeria leads an international, multidisciplinary, predominantly female team and promotes responsible and inclusive innovation to transform neurodiversity into opportunity.
DANILA DI STEFANO, Dret Project - Partanna, TP
CEO of Dret Project, an engineering firm that integrates technical, legal, and tax services for the construction industry, promoting sustainability and energy efficiency. She leads an innovative network of over 300 companies and 400 technicians throughout Italy, fostering synergies for turnkey projects. Focused on welfare, gender equality, and social responsibility, she makes Dret Project a model of modern enterprise, with a strong commitment to inclusion, work-life balance, positive impact, and sustainable growth in the region.
FRANCESCA FAILONI, Alps Blockchain - Trento, TN
Co-founder and CFO of Alps Blockchain, an Italian company integrating digital mining and energy development on a global scale. Since 2018, he has structured an innovative business model, supporting investments of over €200 million and leading international expansion in countries such as the United States, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Oman. With pragmatism and vision, he works on the infrastructure underlying blockchain technology, building trust in a complex sector and contributing to a model of sustainability and transparency.
BARBARA FANI, Bettaknit - Prato
With Bettaknit, she has innovated DIY knitwear, combining regenerated yarns made in Prato, digital knitting and crochet kits, and a global community. The 100% female-run startup promotes a concrete alternative to fast fashion: slow fashion, ethical production, and sustainable creativity. She has transformed knitting into a contemporary and meditative gesture, valorizing the "handmade" and as a cultural, environmental, and educational choice. A circular, digital, and scalable project.
ROBERTA FERRARI, LateralSchool -Rome
Lead Lateralschool, a Roman company that has been revolutionizing the school uniform industry since 2012, combining fashion and Made in Italy quality. With an innovative approach and attention to detail, it has transformed a traditional segment, creating a strong sense of belonging and identity. Thanks to high quality standards and strong relationships with international schools and colleges, Lateralschool is now a benchmark in the Italian market for stylish school uniforms.
MARILÙ FIORE, CITYMODA - Bari
She is Head of Marketing, PR & Social Impact at CityModa, a retail ecosystem that combines fashion, innovation, and local development with a strong focus on sustainability and inclusion. She has led the company's digital and cultural transformation, promoting gender equality projects, omnichannel capabilities, and new shopping experiences. Thanks to her visionary leadership, CityModa has established itself as a point of reference in Southern Italy, ambitiously looking towards internationalization and a regenerative future.
CHIARA FRANZINI CAPPELLETTI, INNOCHEM - Legnano, MI
Industrial chemist and owner of Innochem, he leads the development of innovative and sustainable processes in the chemical sector. He developed Textinol, a technology that transforms pre- and post-consumer textile waste into biofuels, valorizing mixed materials otherwise destined for disposal or waste-to-energy. With a strong focus on applied research, he promotes closed-loop solutions, making a concrete contribution to the circular economy and a sustainable future.
MARGHERITA FRANZONI, Metabeauty - Darfo Boario Terme, BS
Sole Director of MetaBeauty, a Benefit Corporation that distributes BioThaelae, a natural skincare line that blends Korean excellence with Italian quality. After a long entrepreneurial career, she revolutionized cosmetics with certified organic, customizable, and transparent formulas, transcending traditional skin classification. She aims for European expansion, promoting an ethical and sustainable model that combines scientific innovation with respect for individuals and the environment, transforming skincare into a conscious ritual.
IRENE GIANI, Deeva - Turin
With Deeva, she has innovated in-home beauty, digitizing and regulating a traditionally informal and obsolete sector in Italy. Her proprietary "Deeva Method" model combines ongoing training and professional quality, offering careers, flexibility, and meritocracy to over 30 professionals. With over 10,000 appointments provided, she has raised over €1 million in investments and patented a portable shampoo basin. She aims to become a European leader in beauty tech, with a strong social impact.
Antonella Giostra, Lemon Tree - Turin
CEO of Lemon Tree, she founded an innovative startup that uses digital technology to promote educational inclusion, career guidance, and female empowerment. She transformed a personal need into a shared vision, building bridges between schools, families, and communities to support vulnerable children and highlight high-impact educational projects. Innovation is cultural and technological: it fosters trust, healthy relationships, and shared growth. A network of women transforms care into business and motherhood into value.
NUNZIA GIUNTA, MAN and ENVIRONMENT - Turin
Co-founder and CEO of UOMOeAMBIENTE, a Benefit Corporation and innovative SME that for twenty years has been guiding companies and organizations in the transition to sustainable and regenerative models. With a shared, predominantly female leadership team, she pioneered ESG, offering strategic consulting and training to generate tangible impact. Hers is a cultural innovation that combines rigor, interdependence, and care, inspiring new economies of sustainability.
LAURA GORI, Way2Global Srl SB - Milan, MI
Founder & CEO of Way2Global, a Benefit Corporation and B Corp offering B2B language services combining technology and social impact. She created the first decarbonized translation service and a "kind," inclusive, and female-dominated organizational model. With her "innovability" philosophy, she combines AI, gender equity, and sustainability to generate shared value. Climate Positive and award-winning, Way2Global is now a hub of partnerships and a laboratory for regenerative and widespread enterprise.
MARTA GRELLI, Travelin - Turin
Founder and creative mind behind Travelin, an innovative startup revolutionizing accessible tourism with a digital platform that evaluates, improves, and makes the accessibility of hotels and services transparent. She has transformed a fragmented and analog industry into a scalable opportunity, breaking down barriers and generating social impact. Selected by the Ministry of Tourism and named a Knight of Merit of the Italian Republic for her work in this project, she aims to create the largest accessibility marketplace, where inclusion equates with dignity and economic value.
ENEIDA LILA, Lizard - Milan, MI
With Lizard, he introduced a Furniture-as-a-Service model for real estate, transforming furniture from a commodity to a service. The startup offers modular, traceable, and sustainable solutions, integrated with maintenance, collection, and regeneration. It combines industrial design, the circular economy, and digital technology to address operational inefficiencies. His ambition is to make Lizard the leading European platform for circular furniture, adopting advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and contributing to clients' ESG objectives.
CRISTINA LUCERA, Parentsmile - Vicenza
Founder & CEO of Parentsmile, the first on-demand family health platform offering medical, educational, healthcare, and fitness support delivered directly to your home by highly qualified and certified professionals, for every stage of life and parenthood. A former tech manager, she transformed a personal experience into an innovative project now chosen by companies such as ManpowerGroup, Coca-Cola HBC, and Prysmian. Combining technology and a human approach, she promotes well-being, inclusivity, and social sustainability in the workplace, with B2B growth of +1000% in 2024.
FRANCESCA MARINI, Studio Ing Marini - Brescia
For 15 years, she has led Studio Ing Marini, a consulting firm specializing in energy management. She developed an innovative model that integrates management systems and business intelligence, transforming energy data into strategic decisions and a competitive advantage. President of AssoEGE and coordinator of the Energy Commission of the Brescia Association of Engineers, she brings innovation and a systemic vision for sustainability to the service of Italian SMEs.
SIMONA MASCHI, Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design-CIID - Copenhagen
A pioneer of positive-impact design, she co-founded and leads CIID, one of the world's most influential centers for innovation. With a systemic approach, she connects education, strategic consulting, and startup incubation, helping businesses and talent prototype sustainable digital solutions. She has trained over 1,000 global innovators in over 40 countries. With its new Bergamo office, she is placing Italy at the center of the international interaction design map.
VERONICA MESSA, KIRIS - Vignola, MO
Sole director of KIRIS, a company founded in 2015 that transforms the complexity of the energy transition into concrete opportunities for SMEs and large enterprises. It offers diagnostics, ISO 50001 certifications, monitoring, and strategic consulting, with a pragmatic and digitally driven approach. She led KIRIS's evolution from a technical firm to a structured enterprise, combining energy expertise with solid commercial and technological development, for a more efficient and sustainable future.
VALERIA METOLDO and TASCHIA BERTUCCIO, Osmosia - Catania
Different souls but a shared vision, Valeria and Taschía are co-founders of Osmosia, a medical communications agency that combines scientific rigor, creativity, and AI to transform complexity into high-impact content. Valeria, a science communications strategist, and Taschía, a scientist with a passion for storytelling, lead Osmosia from Catania, promoting innovation, sustainability, and inclusion in Italy and abroad. A consulting laboratory where science and storytelling meet to improve health, build trust, and build a more humane future.
FRANCESCA MORANDI, Siderweb - Flero, BS
Together with her brother Paolo, she took over the helm of Siderweb in 2020, inheriting her father's commitment to innovation, transforming it into SB and reaffirming the values of inclusivity and ethics in the steel industry. In 2021, she founded "Acciaio al Femminile," an innovative network to promote gender equality and female empowerment in the steel community. The interviews collected for this project were published in the book "Soffitti di cristallo, Radici d'acciaio" (Il Sole 24 Ore, 2025).
Elisa Morsicani, ITLS | Italian Lifestyle - Ciampino, Rome
CEO of ITLS - Italian Lifestyle, a company specializing in SaaS solutions for e-commerce in China. With an experienced team and an innovative approach, ITLS supports Italian companies in their digital internationalization, focusing on sustainable growth and inclusion. Among its successful solutions, GOTOCHINA and VENTO DITALIA facilitate access to the Chinese market. He leads a resilient team that weathered the pandemic by investing in innovation and is now aiming to scale at the European level, seeking new funding and resources.
CHIARA NICOLANTI, Grandmother Nerina - Palombara Sabina, RM
Founder of Nonnas, an innovative startup that celebrates Italian culinary tradition with authentic, intergenerational cooking classes. Founded in 2020, it brings together grandmothers in their 70s and young Gen Zers to offer cultural and gastronomic experiences to an international audience, with a focus on the US market. Nonnas bridges generations and cultures, transforming tradition and memory into social and digital innovation, with live and online cooking classes, international partnerships, and multimedia storytelling projects.
SONIA PAONESSA, Amalia - Brescia
CEO and founder of Amalia, an innovative startup founded in Brescia in 2020, which transforms home care into a relationship based on respect, dignity, and professionalism, valuing caregivers as "CareMasters" with a system that combines technical expertise and personal affinity. With an innovative cultural and organizational model, she has improved the trust and quality of life of families and caregivers, with over 100,000 applications and nearly €9 million distributed to CareMasters. She demonstrates that social innovation means doing business while respecting people.
FRANCESCA PRETE, You Before Any Business - Milan
Co-founder and CEO of You Before Any Business (YBAB), an innovative startup and benefit company founded in 2023 in Milan. YBAB puts people at the center of organizational wellbeing with the first Italian platform for one-to-one corporate wellbeing programs, combining technology and humanity to create healthy, inclusive, and resilient work environments. With empathetic leadership, Francesca promotes a more humane and sustainable corporate culture, making wellbeing a strategic lever for growth and transformation.
CLAUDINE ROLLANDIN, Promama - Lavagna, GE
With a degree in Engineering and over ten years of experience in digital and consulting, she founded Promama after becoming a mother, transforming a personal need into a technological and social project. She has created an ecosystem that connects over 30,000 parents to family-friendly companies, with data-driven tools to enhance parenting talent. With a flexible and scalable model, Promama promotes a new work-life balance and truly inclusive innovation.
ROSY RUSSO, MiAssumo - Trieste
CEO of MiAssumo, the free platform that guides students aged 11 to 26 through educational programs, creates a certified CV, and facilitates the direct recruitment of talent: from school to work in one click. "Mamma" of Parole O_Stili, the association that created the Manifesto of Non-Hostile Communication, is also an Ashoka Fellow. A trainer and communicator, Rosy facilitates new networks (she calls them "Netily") that generate positive impact by using awareness, education, and language as tools for change.
SOFIA SANTI, ONEBra - Trento
With a doctorate and a strong social commitment, she is the CEO of ONEBra, a startup that has developed an innovative solution for women with breast asymmetry, particularly after invasive cancer surgery. ONEBra creates customized external prostheses using 3D breast scanning, 3D printing, and inserting them into bras certified as medical devices. It combines technology, design, and a focus on privacy to restore comfort, symmetry, and confidence, offering a new standard of female care and well-being.
SERENA SMEAZZETTO, NEXT Genomics - Sesto Fiorentino, FI
COO and biologist at NEXT Genomics, Serena combines science, technology, and humanity to innovate in precision medicine and promote personalized health. Founder of Sbilanciati , a platform for disseminating precision nutrition, she leads projects that integrate scientific innovation and organizational well-being. With empathy and vision, Serena develops ethical and sustainable models, aiming for social and international impact in the field of personalized health.
SILVIA STUPINO, AD ASTRA INNOVATION & DESIGN - Beinasco, TO
CEO of Ad Astra Innovation & Design, a startup that developed TrAIcorder, predictive software for non-invasive digital check-ups of physical, psychophysical, and metabolic risks. An entrepreneur since 2002, she led the CE certification and commercial launch, aiming to make the product accessible to hospitals, pharmacies, businesses, and non-healthcare facilities as a welfare tool. Low-cost and easy to use, TrAIcorder can be used remotely by people with limited mobility. It delivers immediate results by sending them to their cell phone.
DANIELA MARIA TENNA, Yorokobi - Pino Torinese, TO
The creator of Yorokobi, she promotes free and conscious sexuality through the sale of sex toys and outreach activities. With a gentle and inclusive approach, she works with young people, women, and couples, collaborating with industry experts to overcome taboos and cultural prejudices. Combining digital channels and physical encounters, she promotes self-awareness, well-being, and freedom of expression. Her innovation is cultural: normalizing what is still considered intimate and unspeakable to foster well-being, self-determination, and healthier relationships.
SERENA TOMMASINI, Zonzers - Milan
He's the creative mind behind Zonzers, the social app revolutionizing experiential tourism by focusing on authentic connections between people. He transformed a personal need into a platform that facilitates real encounters based on shared passions. The algorithm values experience, not performance, and combines technology and humanity. With the support of Kel 12, a historic tour operator, Zonzers aims to become a global social network for those seeking authentic experiences and genuine connections.
FEDERICA TOZZI, Onoblo - Verona
Managing Partner of Onoblo, a fully remote benefit company, she has made human innovation the heart of her business. A psychiatrist with international experience and a seasoned professional coach, she promotes a new organizational model based on trust, shared responsibility, and measurable social impact. Onoblo supports individuals and organizations through transformation, working on culture, operations, and well-being to transform work into a space of meaning, evolution, and care.
ANNA VINCI, Hello Elsa - Padua
Co-founder and face of Ciao Elsa, Italy's first pension tech company , she transformed a personal experience into an entrepreneurial mission: to make supplemental pension provision accessible and understandable to everyone. Through transparency, education, and technology, she launched Italy's first independent pension fund comparison site, helping thousands of people build a more informed financial future. Her goal? To democratize pension provision and make it a simple, useful tool accessible to everyone.
GIULIA ZANATTA, Aroundrs - Florence
He leads Aroundrs with a pragmatic and ambitious vision: making reuse the new normal. After an MBA and international experience, he founded a startup that combines technology, logistics, and circular design to combat pollution from single-use packaging. Active in cafeterias, events, and campuses, Aroundrs offers smart and traceable containers, helping companies and public administrations transform regulatory requirements into innovation. The goal: a simple and scalable digital infrastructure for reuse, for a waste-free future.
ELENA ZANIN, EZ Language Trainer - Belluno
Founder of EZ Language Trainer, she has developed an innovative method that integrates linguistic and psycho-emotional analysis, digital technologies, and gamification, guiding language learning through a motivating and personalized journey. This accessible and inclusive approach promotes empowerment and sustainability, opening new avenues of learning accessible to all ages and abilities. Her mission? To make language learning a tool for global growth, capable of improving self-perception and potential, thus fostering satisfaction and social positivity.
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