He's 30, Raised $25 Million, and Bought Two Boring Businesses | Giuseppe Balzano Interview

What does it take to acquire companies, build a serial acquisition platform, and never sell?

My guest today is Giuseppe Balzano, founder of Novaterra, an Italian permanent capital holding company acquiring niche industrial businesses with defensible technology and intellectual property.

At just 30, Giuseppe has secured $25 million in equity commitments, pursued two acquisitions, and set out to build an industrial group that could endure for generations.

We discuss why Italy's overlooked industrial champions present an extraordinary opportunity, how to find businesses with near-monopoly positions, the realities of raising permanent capital, and why patience may be the greatest competitive advantage in investing.

We also explore Giuseppe's unconventional journey from venture capital to business ownership, his approach to acquiring and operating companies, and his ambition to build something his children might one day own.

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Building a company he never wants to sell
3:56 The mentor who shaped his long-term thinking
7:20 Why he left venture capital to build something permanent
9:42 Why Italy's industrial businesses are overlooked
12:29 Solo founders, co-founders, and playing the long game
15:05 How he learns and makes investment decisions
18:29 Inside his first two industrial acquisitions
23:37 The next acquisition: water management
24:25 Growing businesses without chasing growth
29:44 Finding acquisition targets other buyers miss
34:14 How to win the trust of family business owners
40:07 The brutal reality of raising $25 million
44:22 The numbers behind his fundraising process
48:12 Deal structuring: debt, equity, and ownership
50:09 Managing acquisitions without replacing CEOs
57:22 Founder incentives and building an ownership culture
1:02:49 Why finding great people is harder than finding deals
1:05:11 Building a legacy despite the odds
1:10:49 The road to a self-funding industrial compounder

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.