Francesco is available for hire

Francesco Castellano

Verified Expert in Management Consulting

Management Consulting Expert

Monza, Province of Monza and Brianza, Italy

Toptal member since June 29, 2017

Bio

Francesco has 20+ years of experience across strategy, finance, venture building, and entrepreneurship. He started in FP&A at General Electric, advised investors and corporates at Bain & Company, helped launch Uber in Italy, and served as managing director of a tech marketplace. Francesco later founded Tondo, where he builds ventures, innovation programs, and circular-economy initiatives with startups, corporates, and public-sector partners.

Career Highlights

Founder | CEO

Tondo Lab

Supply Growth and Operations Manager

Uber Technologies

Associate | Senior Associate | Consultant

Bain & Company

Education Highlights

Executive Course

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Executive Course

Harvard Business School

Coursework Toward a PhD

University of Bologna

Case Studies

Strategic Plan | Market Analysis and Competitive Landscape

Business PlanningMarket Research & AnalysisStrategic Planning & ExecutionCompetitor Analysis & Profiling

Business Due Diligence I Market Forecast & Competition

Due DiligenceMarket Research & AnalysisCompetitor Analysis & ProfilingPrivate Equity

Business Development Strategy | Scenario Analysis

Growth StrategyBusiness DevelopmentScenario Analysis

Business Due Diligence | Business Plan Review

Due DiligenceBusiness PlanningFinancial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)

Expertise

Business Strategy
Circular Economy
Financial Modeling
Management Consulting
Market Research
Startups
Venture Funding
Venture Studio

Work Experience

Founder | CEO

2020 - PRESENT

Tondo Lab

Assisted a major Asian energy company in creating a sustainability-focused venture-building factory by crafting its partnership model and investment strategy.
Assessed key sustainable and circular tech trends across the US and Europe for the venture-building arm of a major real estate services company, quantifying market potential and identifying high-value opportunities.
Designed and implemented a venture-building program focused on circular deep tech, managing startup scouting and selection, coordinating mentors and partners, and supporting ventures on business models, go-to-market, and financial planning.
Served as interim COO for a pioneering drone company entering the European market, developing pricing, contracts, business plan, and go-to-market strategy while building the operating model from scratch.
Developed the financial plan for a fish-industry startup tackling waste reduction, supporting a successful €20 million Series A round.
Coordinated market and technical due diligence for a next-generation wastewater treatment plant producing bioplastics, reviewing and redeveloping the financial plan behind the investment decision.
Supported a major multi-utility in scouting circular and sustainable startups and launched an innovation call related to circular solutions in collaboration with a multi-utility, an IT company, and a food company.
Developed the financial plan for a new automotive design player focused on electric vehicles, including profit and loss, cash flow, and balance sheet across five entities.
Assessed a mobility player in the Middle East to identify and design the main organizational and technological elements of a new operating model.
Supported a project related to advanced manufacturing/3D printing applications, evaluating business potential, go-to-market implications, and commercialization opportunities.

Focus areas: Project Management, Fundraising, Project Management Operations, Finance, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Energy Utilities, Internet of Things (IoT), Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Fundraising Strategy, Leadership Strategy, Project Leadership, Market Research, Management Consulting, Market Research & Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Market Fit, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Market Sizing, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Circular Economy, Sustainability Strategy, Private Equity, Business Strategy, Venture Capital, Small Business Consultants, Open Innovation, Circular Transition, Venture Funding, Startups, Business Models, Strategic Planning, Forecasting, Coaching, Revenue Growth, Partnerships, Presentations, Business Plan Consulting, Fleet Management, Venture Studio, Operations Management, Team Management, Leadership, Chief Operations Officer (COO), Education Technology (Edtech), Startup Accelerators

Founder | President

2018 - PRESENT

Tondo

Built an innovation platform, supported by a European grant, to drive local circular-economy development through strategic projects, startup collaboration, and multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Developed circularity assessment tools at the product, company, and city levels, using recognized methodologies and standards.
Designed and ran an acceleration program for circular deep-tech startups, defining cohort structure, mentoring tracks, validation activities, and partner engagement around pilot opportunities.
Coordinated sector and territory studies, including material flow analysis at the city level and sustainability/circularity assessments in the fashion and textile industry.
Supported ecosystem development through innovation calls, startup selection, and collaboration between corporates, cities, universities, and other partners.

Focus areas: Circular Economy, Innovation, Fundraising Strategy, Leadership Strategy, Project Leadership, Open Innovation, Circular Transition, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), Nonprofits, Donations, Sustainability Strategy, Sustainability, Coaching, Presentations, Operations Management, Team Management, Leadership, Chief Operations Officer (COO), Education Technology (Edtech), Startup Accelerators

Founder I Managing Partner

2016 - 2020

Novu Ventures

Developed the strategic plan for a large Singaporean educational institute entering the European market, including market analysis, competitive landscape, company position, and business plan.
Created a go-to-market strategy for a North American carpooling platform entering a new country, assessed main marketing channels, approach per channel, segments, and main messages.
Set up the operations–including defining operational processes, KPIs, and the action plan–as well as the go-to-market strategy for a personal services platform, launching operations in the Italian market.
Supported the implementation of strategic partnerships, including company presentation, identification of possible targets, and main synergies for an e-grocery platform scaling up operations in Italy.
Analyzed the market and the competitive landscape for an IT outsourcing company operating in the US and Africa, backed by Google Ventures.
Evaluated a potential target in the Italian market for a large global private equity firm.
Identified the most disruptive innovations that could impact a major beauty player.
Supported the launch of a new Italian entity for an international mobility player offering vehicle rental services and introducing a new low-cost product line.
Built the financial model and the investor decks to support the financing from a major bank and the fundraising from investors for a robotics startup.
Served as the temporary business development director for an international professional service firm, managing the sales plan definition and reorganizing sales activities.

Focus areas: Project Management Operations, Education, Energy, Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, Market Research, Market Opportunity Analysis, Strategy, Innovation, Fundraising, Go-to-market Plans, Strategic Partnerships, Investor Relations, Investor Presentations, Project Management, Revenue & Expense Projections, Strategic Planning, Management Consulting, Competitive Analysis, Market Fit, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Market Sizing, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Private Equity, Business Strategy, Venture Capital, Small Business Consultants, Technology, Open Innovation, Venture Funding, Startups, Business Models, Forecasting, Coaching, Revenue Growth, Partnerships, Presentations, Car Rental, Business Plan Consulting, Venture Studio, Operations Management, Leadership, Startup Accelerators

Managing Director

2015 - 2016

Home Professional Services Marketplace

Fleshed out the business development strategy, including significant partnerships to develop, main categories to focus on, and new cities to launch, along with the financial plan.
Updated, periodically, investors and shareholders on main KPIs, such as cost per user acquisition, cost per request, and revenue growth and strategy implementation.
Defined the marketing strategy, including marketing channels and budget allocated per channel, and monitored acquisition performance per channel.
Defined operational KPIs, operating processes like acquisition and training, and principal focus areas.
Fundraised the initial seed capital from angel investors and implemented two strategic partnerships with main industry leaders.

Focus areas: Strategic Planning & Execution, Operational Finance, Pitch Decks, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Fundraising, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Venture Capital, Technology, Venture Funding, Startups, Strategic Planning, Revenue Growth, Partnerships, Presentations, Business Plan Consulting, Operations Management, Board Reporting, Team Management, Leadership, Chief Operations Officer (COO), Startup Accelerators

Supply Growth and Operations Manager

2014 - 2015

Uber Technologies

Launched Uber in a new city, Turin, in the Italian market, achieving 15 weeks of continuous double-digit growth, and awarded as one of Uber's fastest-growing cities in Europe.
Led the supply growth, including marketing and acquisition process for Italy, coordinating efforts for all five cities: Milan, Rome, Turin, Genoa, and Padua.
Identified channels for driver acquisition like Google AdWords, Facebook, job boards, and radio; defined the channel strategy and monitored the acquisition performance.
Built up the metrics to monitor the onboarding process for driver acquisition; created the procedures for each process step, and improved the training material.
Led the business development for Italy, assessing potential new products (e.g., UberEATS) to launch in the Italian market.
Managed the operations and monitored the overall supply performance for Turin; identified and negotiated main strategic partnerships to support business development.

Focus areas: Growth, Operations Management, Business Development, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Technology, Startups, Business Models, Revenue Growth, Partnerships, Presentations, Team Management, Leadership, Startup Accelerators

Associate | Senior Associate | Consultant

2010 - 2014

Bain & Company

Defined the business plan for an international manufacturing player operating in the automotive industry.
Identified addressable markets, built a business model, and created a growth strategy for a mid-sized energy service player.
Wrote the business plan to help an infrastructure and public services player raise financing from a major bank.
Optimized the cost structure and working capital for two major energy players.
Developed more than five strategic, business, and commercial due diligence plans for several retail, industrial, and energy players.
Implemented post-merger integration processes for two major energy players as the project manager.
Built a credit risk model and dashboard for a major multinational energy player.

Focus areas: Project Management Operations, Financial Modeling, Change Management, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Performance Improvement, Strategic Planning & Execution, Market Research, Management Consulting, Market Research & Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Market Sizing, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Private Equity, Business Strategy, Strategic Planning, Revenue Growth, Presentations, Business Plan Consulting, Board Reporting

Associate Financial Analyst

2008 - 2010

General Electric

Identified key areas for sales linearity improvement (e.g., planning, sourcing quality, and manufacturing processes).
Defined the detailed quarterly sales plans for manufacturing and sourcing and developed a root cause analysis for variances.
Developed a monthly dashboard for the manufacturing metrics (e.g., cost per material input and labor cost per hour).
Created a detailed forecast on material input during a Six Sigma project, which improved the budgeting process.
Supported the global supply chain management with a specific financial analysis during the quarterly FP&A update.

Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Presentations

Financial Analyst

2008 - 2008

Lazuli Solutions

Developed financial models to evaluate investment projects in the energy sector for leading investment banks in London.
Created a financial model for a major offshore wind farm in the UK.
Built a financial model for a large solar plant in Africa.
Underwent training in financial modeling development using the F1F9 methodology in New Delhi.

Focus areas: Financial Modeling, Business Plan Consulting

Education

2022 - 2023

Executive Course in Circular Economy and Sustainability

Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Online

2019 - 2019

Executive Course in Disruptive Strategy

Harvard Business School - Online

2006 - 2007

Coursework Toward a PhD in Business Management

University of Bologna - Bologna, Italy

2004 - 2005

Master's Degree in Finance

24ORE Business School - Milan, Italy

1998 - 2004

Bachelor's/Master's Combined Degree in Business Administration

University of Naples Federico II - Naples, Italy

Skills

Finance

Cost Efficiency, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Venture Funding, Angel/Seed Funding, Private Equity, Fundraising, Financial Modeling, Market Research, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Budgeting, Due Diligence, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Forecasting, Pricing, Revenue & Expense Projections, Market Opportunity Analysis, Operational Finance, Corporate Finance, Accounting

Output Software

Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel

Industry Expertise

Open Innovation, Energy, Technology, Startup Accelerators, Education Technology (Edtech), Retail & Wholesale, Food & Beverage, Venture Capital, Nonprofits

Geographic Expertise

Italy, Europe, Middle East

Other

Operations Management, Strategic Planning, Business Strategy, Circular Economy, Business Planning, Market Research & Analysis, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Training & Training Content Development, Business Models, Consulting, Post-merger Integration, Pitch Decks, Growth Strategy, Strategy Planning, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Strategy, Business Development, Training, Startups, Personal Services, Scenario Analysis, Investor Presentations, Communication, Financial Consultation, Education, Management, Market Sizing, Business Consulting, Small Business Consultants, Management Consulting, Energy Sector Expert, Growth Strategy Consultants, Financial Analysis, Fundraising Strategy, Leadership Strategy, Project Leadership, Competitive Analysis, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Market Fit, Sustainability Strategy, Circular Transition, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), Sustainability, Coaching, Revenue Growth, Partnerships, Presentations, Business Plan Consulting, Team Management, Leadership, Chief Operations Officer (COO), Innovation Management, Innovation, eCommerce, Robotics, Manufacturing, Donations, Venture Studio, Car Rental, Fleet Management, Board Reporting, Strategic Planning & Execution, Performance Improvement, Change Management, Project Management Operations, Growth, Project Management, Investor Relations, Strategic Partnerships, Go-to-market Plans, Internet of Things (IoT), Entrepreneurship, Energy Utilities, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Finance, Sustainable Development, Sustainability Reports, Organization, Economics, Planning, Marketing

Collaboration That Works

How to Work with Toptal

Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.

Share your needs

Discuss your requirements and refine your scope in a call with a Toptal domain expert.

Choose your talent

Get a short list of expertly matched talent within 24 hours to review, interview, and choose from.

Start your risk-free talent trial

Work with your chosen talent on a trial basis for up to two weeks. Pay only if you decide to hire them.

Top talent is in high demand.

Start hiring

Work Experience

Founder | CEO

2020 - PRESENT

Tondo Lab

Assisted a major Asian energy company in creating a sustainability-focused venture-building factory by crafting its partnership model and investment strategy.
Assessed key sustainable and circular tech trends across the US and Europe for the venture-building arm of a major real estate services company, quantifying market potential and identifying high-value opportunities.
Designed and implemented a venture-building program focused on circular deep tech, managing startup scouting and selection, coordinating mentors and partners, and supporting ventures on business models, go-to-market, and financial planning.
Served as interim COO for a pioneering drone company entering the European market, developing pricing, contracts, business plan, and go-to-market strategy while building the operating model from scratch.
Developed the financial plan for a fish-industry startup tackling waste reduction, supporting a successful €20 million Series A round.
Coordinated market and technical due diligence for a next-generation wastewater treatment plant producing bioplastics, reviewing and redeveloping the financial plan behind the investment decision.
Supported a major multi-utility in scouting circular and sustainable startups and launched an innovation call related to circular solutions in collaboration with a multi-utility, an IT company, and a food company.
Developed the financial plan for a new automotive design player focused on electric vehicles, including profit and loss, cash flow, and balance sheet across five entities.
Assessed a mobility player in the Middle East to identify and design the main organizational and technological elements of a new operating model.
Supported a project related to advanced manufacturing/3D printing applications, evaluating business potential, go-to-market implications, and commercialization opportunities.

Founder | President

2018 - PRESENT

Tondo

Built an innovation platform, supported by a European grant, to drive local circular-economy development through strategic projects, startup collaboration, and multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Developed circularity assessment tools at the product, company, and city levels, using recognized methodologies and standards.
Designed and ran an acceleration program for circular deep-tech startups, defining cohort structure, mentoring tracks, validation activities, and partner engagement around pilot opportunities.
Coordinated sector and territory studies, including material flow analysis at the city level and sustainability/circularity assessments in the fashion and textile industry.
Supported ecosystem development through innovation calls, startup selection, and collaboration between corporates, cities, universities, and other partners.

Founder I Managing Partner

2016 - 2020

Novu Ventures

Developed the strategic plan for a large Singaporean educational institute entering the European market, including market analysis, competitive landscape, company position, and business plan.
Created a go-to-market strategy for a North American carpooling platform entering a new country, assessed main marketing channels, approach per channel, segments, and main messages.
Set up the operations–including defining operational processes, KPIs, and the action plan–as well as the go-to-market strategy for a personal services platform, launching operations in the Italian market.
Supported the implementation of strategic partnerships, including company presentation, identification of possible targets, and main synergies for an e-grocery platform scaling up operations in Italy.
Analyzed the market and the competitive landscape for an IT outsourcing company operating in the US and Africa, backed by Google Ventures.
Evaluated a potential target in the Italian market for a large global private equity firm.
Identified the most disruptive innovations that could impact a major beauty player.
Supported the launch of a new Italian entity for an international mobility player offering vehicle rental services and introducing a new low-cost product line.
Built the financial model and the investor decks to support the financing from a major bank and the fundraising from investors for a robotics startup.
Served as the temporary business development director for an international professional service firm, managing the sales plan definition and reorganizing sales activities.

Managing Director

2015 - 2016

Home Professional Services Marketplace

Fleshed out the business development strategy, including significant partnerships to develop, main categories to focus on, and new cities to launch, along with the financial plan.
Updated, periodically, investors and shareholders on main KPIs, such as cost per user acquisition, cost per request, and revenue growth and strategy implementation.
Defined the marketing strategy, including marketing channels and budget allocated per channel, and monitored acquisition performance per channel.
Defined operational KPIs, operating processes like acquisition and training, and principal focus areas.
Fundraised the initial seed capital from angel investors and implemented two strategic partnerships with main industry leaders.

Supply Growth and Operations Manager

2014 - 2015

Uber Technologies

Launched Uber in a new city, Turin, in the Italian market, achieving 15 weeks of continuous double-digit growth, and awarded as one of Uber's fastest-growing cities in Europe.
Led the supply growth, including marketing and acquisition process for Italy, coordinating efforts for all five cities: Milan, Rome, Turin, Genoa, and Padua.
Identified channels for driver acquisition like Google AdWords, Facebook, job boards, and radio; defined the channel strategy and monitored the acquisition performance.
Built up the metrics to monitor the onboarding process for driver acquisition; created the procedures for each process step, and improved the training material.
Led the business development for Italy, assessing potential new products (e.g., UberEATS) to launch in the Italian market.
Managed the operations and monitored the overall supply performance for Turin; identified and negotiated main strategic partnerships to support business development.

Associate | Senior Associate | Consultant

2010 - 2014

Bain & Company

Defined the business plan for an international manufacturing player operating in the automotive industry.
Identified addressable markets, built a business model, and created a growth strategy for a mid-sized energy service player.
Wrote the business plan to help an infrastructure and public services player raise financing from a major bank.
Optimized the cost structure and working capital for two major energy players.
Developed more than five strategic, business, and commercial due diligence plans for several retail, industrial, and energy players.
Implemented post-merger integration processes for two major energy players as the project manager.
Built a credit risk model and dashboard for a major multinational energy player.

Associate Financial Analyst

2008 - 2010

General Electric

Identified key areas for sales linearity improvement (e.g., planning, sourcing quality, and manufacturing processes).
Defined the detailed quarterly sales plans for manufacturing and sourcing and developed a root cause analysis for variances.
Developed a monthly dashboard for the manufacturing metrics (e.g., cost per material input and labor cost per hour).
Created a detailed forecast on material input during a Six Sigma project, which improved the budgeting process.
Supported the global supply chain management with a specific financial analysis during the quarterly FP&A update.

Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Presentations

Financial Analyst

2008 - 2008

Lazuli Solutions

Developed financial models to evaluate investment projects in the energy sector for leading investment banks in London.
Created a financial model for a major offshore wind farm in the UK.
Built a financial model for a large solar plant in Africa.
Underwent training in financial modeling development using the F1F9 methodology in New Delhi.

Focus areas: Financial Modeling, Business Plan Consulting

Other Experience

Publication

A Deep Dive Into the Future of Mobility

https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/market-research-analysts/future-of-mobility

Publication

Feeding the Future: An Overview of Agrifood Technology

https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/market-research-analysts/agrifood-technology

Publication

Feeding the Future: An Overview of the Agrifood Industry

https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/market-research-analysts/agrifood-industry

Publication

The Impending Commercial Robot Revolution

https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/market-research-analysts/robot-revolution

Publication

Commercial Drones Are Revolutionizing Business Operations

https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/market-research-analysts/drone-market

Education

2022 - 2023

Executive Course in Circular Economy and Sustainability

Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Online

2019 - 2019

Executive Course in Disruptive Strategy

Harvard Business School - Online

2006 - 2007

Coursework Toward a PhD in Business Management

University of Bologna - Bologna, Italy

2004 - 2005

Master's Degree in Finance

24ORE Business School - Milan, Italy

1998 - 2004

Bachelor's/Master's Combined Degree in Business Administration

University of Naples Federico II - Naples, Italy

Skills

Finance

Output Software

Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel

Industry Expertise

Open Innovation, Energy, Technology, Startup Accelerators, Education Technology (Edtech), Retail & Wholesale, Food & Beverage, Venture Capital, Nonprofits

Geographic Expertise

Italy, Europe, Middle East