Renzo Rosso it's not just fashion and it's not just solidarity. On the planet of Rosso there is OTB, the holding company that brings together its fashion houses and which is preparing to go public next year, and there is the OTB Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Group, which intervenes in situations emergencies (from the pandemic to the war in Ukraine but also in cases of social difficulty) with initiatives of great generosity and efficiency. But there's so much more. “Before we dressed people well, now we also try to make them feel good” says the volcanic entrepreneur from Veneto. And this is precisely the logic behind Red Circle Investments, a private company founded and chaired by Rosso but managed by the dynamic wife-manager Ariadne Alessi who is its CEO. What do you do and where do you invest? It is present in companies projected into the future and united by a strong drive towards innovation, quality and sustainability which range in many fields but mainly in technology applied to traditional sectors such as agriculture and food in general, or applied to medicine and therefore to health, and only to a small extent in fashion. In recent years Red Circle Investments has put together about thirty direct and indirect shareholdings, generally with qualified minorities, which do not oblige management but ensure a place on the boards of directors to follow the evolution and development of companies, and above all in order to be able to make a significant contribution thanks to know-how acquired over time in various sectors. The latest participation was announced on May 17 and concerns Poke House, the global leader of the health bowl present in the world with 160 restaurants, over a thousand employees and 100 million euros. Not much has ever been known about Red Circle Investments. Today, with this interview with FIRSTonline, CEO Arianna Alessi raises the curtain on Red Circle Investments.
Dr. Alessi, is it possible to know the exact consistency of the Red Circle Investments portfolio, what are its objectives and how does it operate?
"Yes of course. With each of our new entries, the media attention for Red Circle Investments increases but it is important to better understand Renzo's vision and mine. Over the years we have accumulated various investments in many different sectors but all projected on innovation, quality and sustainability. Limiting ourselves to the main investments, we can say that we are present in food and tech-food with Cortilia, a B2C food e-commerce BCorp, with Planet Farms, another BCorp dedicated to the vertical cultivation of vegetables, and with the prestigious Masi Agricola winery. We also have cutting-edge tech holdings with Jakala (loyalty, engagement and performance marketing), Bending Spoons (mobile application development), Noosa (digital payment platform), and Wishi (personal shopper). In sectors related to fashion we are present in eyewear in Marcolin and Retrosuperfuture) and finally we participate in important international funds such as BlackRock, Five Seasons (the first European venture capital fund present in foodtech), and ICONIQ (prestigious Silicon Valley fund)”.
Let's dig deeper into your healthcare holdings. Where exactly did you invest?
“We are present in CoImmune, cell therapy to fight diseases through one's own immune system, in Philogen, which develops innovative treatments related to the fight against cancer, chronic inflammation and other pathologies, in Beyeonics, augmented virtual reality visualization system for eye operations, and in TechWald, a holding company that invests in the healthcare/medtech sector”.
But what is the red thread that holds all these participations together?
“We want to be present and invest in companies that are projected into the future and that operate today using cutting-edge technologies at the service of people and in general for a better quality of life. By eating well and healthy, you live better, significantly reducing the risk of disease. The companies we invest in are generally benefit companies, if not already Bcorp, with an eye to social issues and to minimizing any waste. We believe that today more than ever young people believe in companies that have a positive environmental and social impact. This is the future and this is the direction that we too are following. In most cases we have minority stakes with a seat on the board to understand the dynamics of the company and the specific sector, leaving the management of the business to the founders. Having the opportunity to see such diverse industries is incredibly open-minded, and gives a global view of where the world is headed. It's really very inspiring."
What are the companies where you have assumed direct management?
“Retrosuperfuture in which we have a 60% stake”.
How do you select the companies to invest in and what goals do you set for each time you take a stake?
“We are present in funds that invest in sectors that are strategic for us and are important observers for us, but for scouting we have various relationships and we act independently. The important thing for us is to choose healthy companies, which reflect our ethical values (therefore benefit companies with an important focus on a positive social and environmental impact), projected into the future, with strong growth potential and managed by visionary people like Renzo Red".
Will Red Circle Investments be an asset of the holding company that Rosso will list on the stock exchange next year?
“No, it is a private investment company owned by Renzo Rosso”.
Plans for the future?
“We don't like announcing them but making them happen. We have just presented our investment in Poke House alongside Angelo Moratti. We never stand still, so by the end of the year there will certainly be other new things to come".
We haven't talked about Renzo Rosso's wine business and your hotels. Does he tell us how they are doing?
“The Pelican Hotel in Miami and the new Ancora hotel in Cortina d'Ampezzo are assets of another company of Renzo's, Red Circle Srl, which I don't manage and which is separate from Red Circle Investments. On the other hand, I deal personally with wine as CEO of Brave Wine, a company that manages investments in the high-end wine sector. Among its investments, Brave Wine sees Diesel Farm, a company that defends the biodiversity and beauty of the hills of Marostica, in the province of Vicenza, by cultivating grapes and olive trees rigorously without synthetic chemicals, with traditional agronomic processes associated with innovative practices. But Brave Wine also manages significant stakes in Benanti, one of the most prestigious Sicilian wineries in the Etna area, and in Josetta Saffirio di Sara Vezza, which produces in Monforte D'Alba, in the province of Cuneo, Barolo and Nebbiolo among the most treasures of our country. In short, we don't lack work but we would never be able to do everything we do if there weren't a great passion and the desire to put our entrepreneurial skills at the service of society and the new generations".
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