In this episode I interview Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni, a multi-million-dollar businessman and vegan investor.
Sebastiano was recently profiled in Forbes magazine in connection with a 20-course, gourmet plant-based dinner created by chef Daphne Cheng that he hosted in New York.
Born in Milan, Italy, he was taught wine appreciation by his father as a child and is the owner and chairman of one of the most renowned and pioneering organic and biodynamic wineries in Europe, Querciabella. Querciabella is a vegan winery with the best critic scores in the world.
Sebastiano is the chairman and CEO of NKGB strategic consultancy, the chairman and owner of Opteres, an exclusive fine art network that consults with and facilitates sales to private clients and banks, and plans to launch a classical music label in 2017.
In July 2014, he was appointed by the Italian Prime Minister to the post of Advisor to the Minister and Foreign Direct Investment Senior Advisor with the Italian Ministry of Economic Development.
A passionate animal activist, Sebastiano sits on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Advisory Board and since 2012 has invested millions of dollars in various vegan-run businesses, including Beyond Meat and Matthew Kenney Cuisine, plus a range of cruelty-free textile and technology firms.
In this interview Sebastiano discusses:
- What he looks for in a business when considering investing in it
- The number one mistake business owners make when approaching investors
- Why vegans must get over any negative connotations they may have around money and business
And much more
Visit the Querciabella website
Visit the Opteres website
Brands mentioned in vegan business news roundup:
Hampton Creek
More Than Meat
Ravi DeRossi
Love, Peace and Sol
Jeremy Miller
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
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Katrina Fox is an award-winning vegan journalist, publisher, speaker, PR consultant and media trainer who teaches vegan business owners, entrepreneurs and change makers how to get free publicity by sharing their stories. Katrina was a regular contributor to Forbes for a year, writing about vegan and plant-based business. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Vegan Business Media, the host of Vegan Business Talk podcast, and the author of Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. Katrina is also the creator of Vegans in the Limelight: Online PR course for Vegan Business Owners and Entrepreneurs. For more information and to hire Katrina, email her at katrina [at] veganbusinessmedia [dotcom]
