Fiorenzo Manganiello is an international investor and art collector.
In 2018, with his business partner, Nessim-Sariel Gaon, Fiorenzo co-founded LIAN Group, an investment firm that builds, funds, and operates many of the most cutting-edge companies across technology, digital assets and infrastructure, and healthcare.
The firm leverages its investor-operator and discretionary direct investment models to catalyse the growth of its portfolio companies, supporting and delivering high-impact innovation across each of their industries. Some of its notable ventures include Cowa, a leading digital infrastructure provider powered solely by renewable energy, Polar, a European owner and operator of AI-ready data centre facilities, and Cheeze, a leading dental network based in Switzerland.
“The key to success is a millennial mindset."
He is also the founder of LIAN Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to educating and contributing to high-impact social initiatives.
While initially established to support promising artists in growing and building their networks, the Foundation has expanded to drive charitable initiatives around inter-faith dialogue, digital education, and longevity and well-being. It has previously collaborated and partnered with organisations such as the United Nations, Art Basel, Art Dubai, and Geneva’s Red Cross.
Fiorenzo began his career as an entrepreneur in financial services, and in 2016, he founded the investment banking arm of a prominent Swiss private bank, where he also led several teams for the bank’s UHNW clients.
He is fluent in six languages and has a distinguished academic background, holding degrees from Luiss Business School, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and IMD.
Fiorenzo is also an enthusiastic art collector, with a diverse collection spanning contemporary and digital art.
Beginning his collecting journey at 21 years old, he now owns pieces from a range of talented artists, including Peter Saul, Alex Israel, and DotPigeon, among others, via the LIAN Foundation – where he also supports up-and-coming artists to build their network and gain exposure.
Beyond his collection, Fiorenzo is also a representative of the World Academy of Art and Science and is a patron of the Tate family of art galleries.
Outside of LIAN, Fiorenzo is a noted expert on blockchain technologies, and since 2017, he has held professorships in the field at several prestigious universities worldwide. In 2018, he was awarded Blockchain Expert (Switzerland) of the year by Acquisition International, and he also currently features as one of Tech Capital’s ‘35 under 35’ of distinguished technology business leaders.
Fiorenzo’s expertise in blockchain has extended beyond academia, and he regularly features across the press as a commentator on the technologies and their major use case, cryptocurrency. He has recently appeared in the likes of CNBC, the Independent, CoinDesk, Business Insider, the South China Morning Post, and Investment Week – and in late 2024, featured on an expert panel in the FT Live’s Crypto and Digital Assets Summit Asia.
