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Startup and
SME consulting

Hi, I'm Alessandro Cataldo and I help people starting a company check whether the idea has a market and I work with SMEs on marketing strategy. We start from the offer and the numbers, then move to the channels that bring customers in. You can bring me in as a consultant or propose a collaboration in exchange for equity.

50+
Startups and SMEs supported
€5M+
Raised by those teams

Areas of work: agrifood, disability and accessibility, digital and tech, work for equity, validation, positioning, go-to-market, investment rounds.

01 My background

Where my work comes from

I have lived with cerebral palsy since birth. I am used to looking for solutions when the available ones do not work for me. At work I start from the same place: understand the problem before choosing how to solve it.

Alessandro Cataldo Montevarchi, Tuscany, born 2002

02 What I do

Consulting and
marketing

I help you work out who to sell to and with what offer. Then I work with you to reach those customers, checking costs and results as we go. How involved I get depends on the stage of the project.

Business development

Validation and business model

Starting from early stage projects, we check whether there are customers willing to pay and whether the revenue can cover the costs. Then we define the offer and how to take it to market. If you are raising, I prepare the investor materials with you.

  • Validation of the model and the revenue assumptions
  • Positioning and structure of the offer
  • Pricing, cost per customer and margins
  • Round preparation and investor materials

Marketing

Marketing for startups and SMEs

We choose the channels together, based on the customers you want to reach and the budget you have. I run the work and we measure what it contributes to sales.

  • Marketing strategy and growth plan
  • Online positioning, SEO and GEO
  • Google, Meta and LinkedIn campaigns with results tracking
  • Running and updating campaigns and content

Work for equity

Work for equity

On some projects I consider coming in as a working partner. Work for equity means shares in the company in exchange for my work, with a commitment we define together.

  • Equity in exchange for strategic and hands-on work
  • Limited availability, a few projects at a time
  • Sectors: agrifood, accessibility, digital and technology
  • Both sides assess the fit before any shares change hands

03 The starting point

Where do you start?

Pick the situation closest to yours to see how we could work together. The timings are indicative and depend on the project.

01 I have an idea I want to know whether it can become a business

Before you invest in building it, we check whether the problem you want to solve matters to potential customers. We agree on a test and a budget to find out whether anyone is willing to pay.

How we validate the idea

  1. A map of the problem, the customer and the real competitors
  2. Model and pricing assumptions, written down
  3. A test with potential customers on an agreed budget
  4. A read of the results and a decision on the next step

Indicative duration: 4 to 6 weeks · You keep: the test results and what you need to decide whether to carry on

02 Growth has stalled I want to know what is holding sales back

We look at where you lose potential customers and what each one costs you. The problem can sit in the offer, in the price or in the channels you use. We start from the data to decide what to change.

How we rework the marketing

  1. Diagnosis: where customers are lost and where margin is lost
  2. Repositioning the offer and reviewing prices
  3. A growth plan with channels, budget and expected numbers
  4. Work on campaigns, website, SEO and content

Indicative duration: 2 weeks of analysis, then ongoing support · You keep: a priority list and a plan with budget and targets

03 I'm looking for a partner I want someone who works on the project

I consider projects in the sectors I know, with a team already committed. Before we talk about shares, I want to understand what I can contribute and how much work it takes. Then we set the terms of the collaboration.

How we assess the collaboration

  1. A first conversation about the project and the expectations
  2. A look at the market, the team and the data available
  3. A possible 30 to 60 day trial phase, on agreed terms
  4. Shares, commitments, targets and exit terms, all defined

Format: work for equity, a few projects at a time · Needed: a committed team and a market need worth testing

04 How I work

How I work with you

We start from the data you have, test the assumptions and decide where to invest. These are the stages, with timings to adapt to your situation.

Alessandro Cataldo at a table with a team, filling in a lean canvas together
A session with the team Lean canvas in hand, Santa Chiara Lab, Siena
  1. 01

    Understand

    We go through revenue and costs, listen to customers and compare the alternatives already on the market.

    1 to 2 weeks

  2. 02

    Validate

    We design tests for demand and willingness to pay. We agree up front how we will read the results.

    2 to 4 weeks

  3. 03

    Build

    We turn the results into an offer and a commercial plan, with owners and budgets attached.

    4 to 8 weeks

  4. 04

    Grow

    We start the marketing work. Every month we put spend against results and decide what to keep and what to change.

    ongoing

05 Sectors

Sectors
I work in

My experience is concentrated in agrifood, accessibility and digital projects. I also consider work in other sectors when my skills fit what the job needs.

02

Agrifood

I trained at catering school and then in food and agriculture marketing at the ITS in Grosseto. With The AfterTaste and my work in *beeco I have worked on how product, price and sales channels fit together in food.

The AfterTaste · founder *beeco Food & beverage Supply chain and retail

03

Digital and tech

I work with startups building digital products and platforms, from testing demand to acquiring customers. With GEOrank I also work on how content surfaces in AI-based search engines.

AIUTASTARTUP · founder GEOrank · founder SaaS and platforms Rounds and investors

06 The numbers

The work in numbers

50+
Startups and SMEs supported across Italy
€5M+
Capital raised by the teams I supported
4
Projects founded from scratch: AIUTASTARTUP, The AfterTaste, GEOrank, Libera Associazione Disabili Imprenditori

07 What they say

People I have worked with

A committed and capable professional, able to listen to the client and at the same time steer them towards the right solution. Excellent.
Simone Bertin CEO, La Orange
I have worked with Alessandro several times and every time he surprises me more. With his straightforwardness he finds exactly the idea that finishes the job, through teamwork.
Davide Noto CEO, Tascapan
Alessandro proved to be very helpful, and above all a very capable professional. He solved my problem quickly, effectively and for good.
Pierpaolo Turri CEO, Maison Ginori Guelfa
Alessandro turns enthusiasm into competence. And it is contagious.
Renato Nesi Food marketer and trainer
Alessandro has always shown initiative and problem solving in every task he has been given. He is eager to learn and to test himself.
Gabriele Zappelli Director, Grosseto Export
A real professional. We have been working together for a while now and I recommend him without hesitation.
Nicola Donati CEO, The Island of Technology

The reviews were written in Italian and are translated here.

More reviews and references: LinkedIn

08 In the press

Press

Interviews about my work and about YES! by LADI, the incubation programme for disabled people who want to start a business. The articles are in Italian.

09 Institutions and partners

Who I work with

Someone coming from outside sees only your problem. Being inside an ecosystem means also seeing who is already solving it, who is about to fund it, and who hit the same wall before you did.

10 About me

Alessandro Cataldo: about me

I was born in Siena in 2002 and grew up in Montevarchi. I started in the kitchen, at catering school, then trained in food and agriculture marketing at the ITS in Grosseto. From there I moved into working with startups, on business models and marketing.

I founded AIUTASTARTUP, The AfterTaste and GEOrank. In 2025 came the Libera Associazione Disabili Imprenditori, which I chair, supporting disabled entrepreneurs and professionals. Out of that work came YES! by LADI, the incubation programme for disabled people.

I also bring these subjects to public talks. In December 2025 the University of Milan included me in the programme for the lecture Food Chemistry for Disability, alongside Chiara Di Lorenzo, on nutrition and disability.

What I have built

AIUTASTARTUP A support programme for innovative startups Founder
The AfterTaste A community of food marketers for F&B SMEs Founder
GEOrank Visibility in AI-based search engines Founder
Libera Associazione Disabili Imprenditori Non-profit association, founded in 2025 President
*beeco Startup development in agrifood tech Contributor
Alessandro Cataldo on stage at Techstars Startup Weekend Diversity & Inclusion in Parma
Techstars Startup Weekend Diversity & Inclusion, Parma
Alessandro Cataldo speaking to students, with the Libera Associazione Disabili Imprenditori slide projected behind him
Food Chemistry for Disability, University of Milan
Alessandro Cataldo working at the table with a group of participants, in front of the Agritech 4 Open Innovation worksheets
Agritech 4 Open Innovation, Milan

Let's talk about your project

The first call lasts 30 minutes and is free. You tell me where you are and what you want to solve. We work out whether to work together and where to start.

info@alessandrocataldo.it +39 339 4255390 LinkedIn Instagram

Or write to me here

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