Feral Advisor: In conversation with Alessandro Cerrone
It’s a great honour to have Alessandro Cerrone, Early stage tech investor on our advisory board.
“I envisage investors developing a taste and a good understanding of visual art, as well as being nicely rewarded along the way.” — Alessandro Cerrone
To start off, tell us a little bit about yourself! Where do you come from and what is your academic and professional background?
I’m Italian. I graduated in Computer Engineering in Rome, and a few years later moved to the UK to do an MBA at Cambridge. Professional background? Well, most recently I worked for an early stage VC and for a fintech accelerator, then advised a number of tech startups — going on to invest in a few of them. In my previous life, I worked in strategy consulting, mainly advising Private Equity funds on M&A deals.
Where does your passion for art come from?
I suppose as an Italian I enjoy and appreciate beautiful things and I am used to being surrounded by art. More recently, I’ve been quite intrigued by art as a financial asset class.
What was your first impression when you heard about Feral Horses?
After asking the typical 1000s questions, the business really made sense to me as an investor. Art is a large market, still old-fashioned and mostly offline, and Feral Horses has a neat business model with an innovative twist. Most importantly, they’re a superb team willing to take on the challenge to build something really ambitious.
What made you accept to become part of the advisory board?
I think it took me a split second to accept, having discussed Feral Horses with Francesco Bellanca (CEO) over coffee several times since last summer. I am now very excited to be part of the team, and to roll up my sleeves to help the business succeed.
What will be your role within this board?
To brainstorm, test and challenge ideas around overall strategy and business development, beginning with early-stage growth and marketing.
What are you most excited about regarding the future of Feral Horses?
I look forward to seeing the platform gaining momentum and growing exponentially. I envisage investors developing a taste and a good understanding of visual art, as well as being nicely rewarded along the way.
Feral Horses is the Stock Exchange for Art. We are now raising £100,000 through equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs.
Curious? Discover our campaign here.
