# Forward Invest

> Forward Invest is a permanent capital holding company that acquires and scales profitable, founder-led B2B software, AI, and cybersecurity companies across Europe and North America — holding them permanently with no forced resale timeline.

## Executive Summary
- **Legal Entity**: Forward Invest S.r.l. (Società a socio unico)
- **Registered Office**: Via Adelaide Ristori 38, 00197 Roma (RM), Italy
- **Company Registration**: Registro delle Imprese di Roma · REA RM-1794105
- **Share Capital**: €100.000 i.v. (fully paid-up)
- **Management & Coordination**: Società soggetta all'attività di direzione e coordinamento di Zero S.r.l.
- **VAT ID**: IT18586341002
- **Tax Code**: 18586341002
- **Certified Email (PEC)**: forwardinvest@pec.it
- **Website**: https://forwardinvest.ai/
- **Contact**: contact@forwardinvest.ai
- **Model**: Permanent capital holding company & operating partner (long-term alternative to traditional 3-5 year private equity buyout cycles).

## Core Focus & Acquisition Criteria
- **Sectors**: Mission-critical B2B vertical software, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Defence & Dual-Use Technology, Energy & Industrial Automation.
- **Financial Profile**: €500K+ recurring/profitable revenue, positive operating cash flow, sticky customer base with mission-critical workflow integration.
- **Geography**: Primary focus on Italy and Europe ("Europe, Italy first"); bolt-on acquisitions and international expansion across Europe and North America.
- **Ownership Model**: Long-term permanent home. No fund maturity pressures, no forced exit horizons.

## Dual Founder Paths
1. **Sell Your Company (Permanent Acquisition)**: Full liquidity for founders ready to step back or retire, protecting company culture, legacy, and team permanently.
2. **Operational Partner (Growth & Group Equity)**: Partial liquidity while founders continue leading or transitioning, backed by Forward Invest's shared executive C-suite and holding-level equity upside.

## Leadership & Governance
- **Simone Massaro** — Chief Executive Officer & Founder (Serial software founder; hands-on technical and commercial leader with exits in industrial software).
- **Ernesto Ciorra** — Chief Investment Officer (Entrepreneur, investor and innovation executive; co-founded a consulting company now valued near $1B; 9 years Chief Innovability Officer at Enel scaling 3 unicorns).
- **Philippe Dieffenthaler** — Board Director (25+ years senior corporate finance executive; 17 years at General Electric executing $5M–$600M M&A transactions; former Group CFO of private family office with €100M+ exits).
- **Charles Dieffenthaler** — Board Member & Chief Financial Officer (Corporate finance background across General Electric, CGG, and BaxEnergy; leads deal structuring, financial due diligence, and capital allocation).
- **Lorenzo Massaro** — Chief Technology Officer (CTO at Eternal Tech; expert in real-time control algorithms, power systems, and AI engineering).
- **Paolo Cenciarelli** — Chief Marketing Officer (Brand strategist, creative director; founder of Thalamus Charles; Professor of Digital Communication at Sapienza University of Rome).
- **Eleanor Manley** — Chief AI Officer (AI strategist, ML engineer, Techstars alumna, speaker at NATO and European Parliament, lecturer at IE Business School).
- **Advisory Board**: Senior expertise in management systems audit (NATO auditor Colonel D'Auria), statutory auditing & Big Four diligence (Marco Coletta, Partner at AndPartners, ex-EY), and defence/naval command (Admiral Ruggiero Di Biase).

## Official Pages
- [Home](https://forwardinvest.ai/): Overview of the permanent capital holding model, operational bench, and investment thesis.
- [For Founders](https://forwardinvest.ai/founders.html): Acquisition criteria, dual transaction pathways, 4-step closing timeline, and founder FAQs.
- [Team](https://forwardinvest.ai/team.html): Full roster and biographies of executive directors, operational partners, and advisory board.
- [Legal Notice](https://forwardinvest.ai/legal.html): Corporate identification, regulatory disclosures, and terms of use.
- [Privacy Policy](https://forwardinvest.ai/privacy.html): GDPR-compliant privacy and data protection framework.
- [Cookie Policy](https://forwardinvest.ai/cookie.html): Cookie notice and technical storage information.

## Full LLM Knowledge Base
- [Full Context (llms-full.txt)](https://forwardinvest.ai/llms-full.txt): Complete, unshortened markdown knowledge corpus for LLM ingest and citation.