ABOUT STASIA
STILL BUILDING. STILL LEARNING.
Entrepreneur, investor, speaker and host of Unfiltered Minds — building companies, conversations and opportunities around the world.
THE STORY SO FAR
I STARTED AT 16.
BUILT. exited.
THEN QUESTIONED EVERYTHING.
I built businesses to create freedom. Travelled the world to find perspective. And somewhere along the way, life taught me that success means very little without purpose.
This is the story of how my definition of success changed — and what I'm building because of it.
16 YEARS OLD
MY FIRST BUSINESS
I started before I knew what I was doing.
- I grew up in Italy, raised by nuns. Discipline, faith and structure shaped my earliest years — long before business ever did.
- At 16, I moved to London, where I launched RealLead, a marketing agency serving the real estate industry.
- Built from scratch. Learned sales, marketing, client acquisition and operations by doing.
- Won. Lost. Repeated. Made money, lost money, made mistakes — and learned more from real experience than any classroom could have taught me.
- Discovered the power of ownership: entrepreneurship isn’t just about making money. It’s about creating opportunities, taking control of your future and building financial freedom.
- The biggest lesson? You don’t need to have everything figured out to start. You figure it out by starting.
17 YEARS OLD
FROM SERVICES TO TECHNOLOGY
I realized that building a business and building an asset are two different things.
- Started developing proprietary software alongside RealLead to automate processes and scale operations.
- Shifted my focus from selling services to building technology, systems and scalable infrastructure.
- Learned how technology could reduce operational dependency, improve margins and increase enterprise value.
- Discovered the power of owning assets rather than relying solely on selling my time and services.
20 YEARS OLD
THE EXIT
I knew how to make money. I had no idea how to manage it.
- Sold my first business to private equity at 20.
- Packed my bags and started travelling the world, exploring new cultures, markets and opportunities.
- Discovered that building a successful business and building personal wealth require two very different skill sets.
- Made expensive financial mistakes that completely changed my understanding of money, wealth and financial independence.
- Developed a passion for financial education and empowering others, especially women, to take control of their financial futures.
- The biggest lesson? Making money creates opportunities. Understanding money creates freedom.
21 YEARS OLD
BUILDING AGAIN
New businesses. New markets. Bigger ambitions.
- Founded YouNotUs, leveraging my marketing experience to build and scale B2C e-commerce businesses.
- Expanded into new industries and international markets, experimenting with different business models and growth strategies.
- Worked alongside founders and companies backed by investors such as Y Combinator and Sequoia Capital.
- Deepened my expertise in distribution, consumer psychology, customer acquisition and scalable business models.
- Learned that building a successful business isn’t just about having a great product. It’s about creating the systems and distribution needed to scale it.
22 YEARS OLD
THE WORLD BECAME MY CLASSROOM
Opportunity has no borders. Neither should ambition.
- Built a life across continents, travelling and exploring business ecosystems throughout the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Traveled and lived across over 28 countries.
- Studied different markets firsthand, discovering why strategies that succeed in one country can fail completely in another.
- Learned how culture influences consumer behaviour, negotiation, trust, leadership and business relationships.
- Developed a global perspective on entrepreneurship, identifying opportunities beyond geographical boundaries.
- Realised that some of the most valuable business lessons aren’t learned in boardrooms, but through people, cultures and experiences.
23 YEARS OLD
When everything changed
I had spent years chasing success. Then life made me question what success actually meant.
- I was in South Korea, preparing to travel to China for six months of training with Shaolin monks, when I lost my sister just before Christmas.
- Her passing changed everything. I began questioning my ambitions, my relationships, how I spent my time and what I truly wanted from life.
- Asked myself one question: "Am I genuinely fulfilled?" The answer was no. I realised that achieving more meant very little if I wasn’t creating meaningful value for others.
- Five months later, my journey took me to Colombia, South America, where new people, cultures and life experiences continued to reshape my perspective.
- Became increasingly passionate about empowering women, particularly through entrepreneurship, financial education and access to opportunities.
- Made a conscious decision to build a life and businesses centred on people, meaningful relationships, freedom and lasting impact.
- The biggest lesson? Success means very little if you don’t find meaning in what you build and the lives you touch.
UNFILTERED MINDS
CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER
Some ideas never leave you. They wait until you’re ready to bring them to life.
- Launched my first podcast at 17, then stopped. Looking back, it was one of my biggest mistakes and taught me the value of consistency and long-term thinking.
- Years later, returned to that original idea with a different perspective, shaped by entrepreneurship, personal loss, and experiences across the world.
- Created Unfiltered Minds — my return to that idea: raw, meaningful conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, operators and unconventional thinkers about business, money, failure, relationships, ambition and everything behind the version of success the world usually sees.
- Because the most valuable lessons rarely make it into the headlines.
- Today, Unfiltered Minds and Founder1st are my two primary focuses, alongside my advocacy for women’s empowerment and financial education.
- We teach women to earn. We need to teach them to own — more knowledge, more ownership, more choices.
- Working towards one ambitious mission: empowering one billion people through education, financial literacy, and technology, by sharing knowledge, creating opportunities, and making valuable conversations accessible to everyone.
- The bigger vision? Turn conversations into knowledge, knowledge into action, and action into opportunities for millions.
FOUNDER1ST
I realised that growing revenue and building a valuable company are two very different things.
- After years of building businesses and working with founders across different industries and markets, I became fascinated by what truly drives enterprise value.
- Marketing taught me how to generate demand. Building businesses taught me that demand means very little without the infrastructure to support it.
- Discovered that marketing and customer acquisition are only pieces of the puzzle. Sustainable growth requires strategy, profitability, strong leadership, and scalable infrastructure.
- Founded Founder1st to work with B2B founders and leadership teams on the bigger picture: positioning, client acquisition, distribution, strategy, profitability, operations, leadership and enterprise value.
- Brought together strategy, growth, technology, AI, and operational execution to help companies reduce founder dependency and create long-term enterprise value.
- The objective isn’t simply to help companies grow. It’s to help founders build businesses worth owning — and potentially worth acquiring.
- Built Founder1st around one philosophy: build a business that gives you freedom, not one that owns your life.
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
ONE WORLD. ENDLESS PERSPECTIVES.
I don’t believe your opportunities, ambitions, or freedom should be limited by geography.
Travelling across continents, building businesses in different markets, and connecting with people from all walks of life have fundamentally shaped how I see the world.
Different markets taught me about business. What works in the United States may fail in Europe. What succeeds in Latin America may require an entirely different approach in Asia. Opportunity is everywhere, but understanding local markets makes the difference.
Different cultures taught me about people. Beyond language and borders, I discovered the importance of relationships, trust, empathy, and understanding perspectives different from my own.
Different experiences redefined success. I learned that building wealth means little if you don’t have the time, independence, or freedom to enjoy it and share it with others.
Living globally taught me the value of choice. The ability to build across borders, explore new opportunities, form meaningful connections, and create a life aligned with my values.
My philosophy? Build without borders. Stay curious. Put people first. Create opportunities wherever you go.
Because true freedom isn’t about belonging to one place. It’s about having the freedom to choose where you belong, what you build, and the impact you leave behind.
WHAT I BELIEVE
PEOPLE FIRST. ALWAYS.
PEOPLE OVER PROFITS
Money is a tool, not the destination. Relationships, meaningful experiences, and the lives we impact are what ultimately matter.
HUMAN TO HUMAN
Behind every business, investment, transaction, and opportunity is a human being. Lead with empathy, build genuine relationships, and never forget the people behind the numbers.
OWNERSHIP CREATES FREEDOM
Build skills. Own assets. Create opportunities. True wealth is having the independence to make your own choices and live life on your own terms.
THE WORLD IS YOUR CLASSROOM
Stay curious. Challenge your assumptions. Learn from different people, cultures, industries, and perspectives. Growth begins when you step beyond what you already know.
REPUTATION COMPOUNDS
Revenue can fluctuate. Trust compounds. Keep your word, act with integrity, and build relationships that last longer than any business deal.
BUILD BEYOND YOURSELF
Success means little if it only benefits you. Create businesses, share knowledge, and open doors that allow others to succeed. The greatest impact is what continues long after you.
GIVE MORE THAN YOU TAKE
Philanthropy isn’t just about donating money. It’s about using your time, knowledge, resources, and influence to make the world better. Support education, empower women, expand opportunities, and invest in people who might otherwise never get the chance.
THE PHILOSOPHY
Build wealth to create freedom. Use freedom to create opportunities. Use those opportunities to make a difference.
Because the ultimate measure of success isn’t what you accumulate. It’s what you contribute.
THE BIGGER MISSION
WE TEACH WOMEN TO EARN. WE NEED TO TEACH THEM TO OWN.
When I sold my first business, I knew how to generate revenue. What I didn’t know was how to manage the money I’d earned. I made mistakes, learned and started asking why something so fundamental wasn’t taught earlier.
Financial independence is about understanding money, protecting it, growing it and having the confidence to make your own decisions. Through my involvement in projects across the United States, Canada, Europe and Latin America, I’m interested in expanding access to financial education, entrepreneurship and economic opportunity for women.
More knowledge. More ownership. More choices.
EXPLORE THE MISSION →