F · P
Francesco Piras

Strategist · CEO · Advisor

Francesco
Piras

Build. Expand. Lead.

I build and grow crypto and AI businesses, turning a strong product into real growth: taking it to market, expanding it internationally and building the commercial engine behind it.

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From Strategy to International Growth

I take crypto and AI products through the steps that turn them into businesses that scale.

Product to Market

Build & Launch

Product to Market

  • —Product & Market EntrySet the positioning, business model and launch strategy.
  • —International ExpansionOpen new markets through partnerships, channels and a clear plan for entering each one.
Teams & Decisions

Lead & Scale

Teams & Decisions

  • —Commercial LeadershipBuild and lead the sales team, the process and the pipeline that drive growth.
  • —Executive AdvisoryHelp founders and leadership teams make the strategic and operational calls that matter.

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Growth, Built in the Field

Hands-on leadership, business development and launches in digital assets.

300+

01

Scaling a Digital-Asset Firm from Zero

Role
Co-Founder & CEO
Context
A Swiss tokenization firm, started with no clients, no inbound and no sales team.
Outcome
300+ engagements in 25+ countries and hundreds of deals closed. Clients ranged from exchanges and fintechs to a European bank and global brands. I built and led a team of 10 specialists plus external partners.

100

02

A Global Luxury Brand’s First Phygital Launch

Role
Token launch partner
Context
A global fashion house releasing a limited sneaker collection signed by an NBA player, with an NFT attached to every pair.
Outcome
100 signed pairs sold through the brand’s own e-commerce, each with an exclusive token as proof of ownership. It was the brand’s first token, and one of the first fashion launches anywhere to combine tokens with physical products.

~50

03

Shipping the Crypto Engine of a Consumer App

Role
Crypto product lead
Context
A consumer brand adding a crypto layer to its mobile app, with five vendors covering the app, design, backend, e-commerce, community and crypto.
Outcome
I led the crypto product vertical and coordinated it with the other teams, around 50 people in total, through to a shipped crypto engine.

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Experience

  1. Sep 2026 – Present · BrightNode

    Web3 Advisor

    Following my exit from day-to-day management, I continue to support BrightNode in a non-executive advisory capacity.

  2. 2018 – 2026 · BrightNode · Switzerland

    Co-Founder & CEO

    Co-founded and led a Swiss digital-asset and tokenization firm. Grew it from zero to 300+ engagements in 25+ countries, owning P&L, pricing and the service catalogue. Designed tokenized instruments, custody models, stablecoin and payment flows for regulated clients, turning MiCA, FINMA, VARA, MAS, SFC and SEC rules into product decisions, backed by a network of custodians, exchanges, liquidity providers and market makers.

  3. 2020 – 2024 · Uniscrow

    Co-Founder

    Blockchain-based digital escrow platform built on smart contracts. Led positioning, pricing and go-to-market with regulated financial institutions; secured grants from the Algorand Foundation and the EU TruBlo programme; recognised by SMAU as one of Italy's most promising startups.

  4. 2022 – 2025 · Tradelite Solutions · FIDES Loyalty

    Blockchain Advisor

    Advised a Munich fintech on token design and growth incentives for gamified financial literacy, and a Zug startup on tokenomics and the shift from loyalty points to on-chain rewards.

  5. 2018 – 2022 · Monetum

    Marketing Manager

    Led the Italian go-to-market for a Swiss-licensed Payment Service Provider bridging traditional payments and crypto, aligning commercial activity with a regulated compliance framework.

  6. 2017 – 2020 · Tokenpolis · Estonia

    Co-Founder

    One of Europe's first advisory firms for token offerings and digital assets. Built revenue and pipeline from zero and advised clients end to end on business model, smart contracts and go-to-market.

  7. 2015 – 2021 · Associazione Bitcoin Sardegna · Frankfurt School

    President · EU Mentor

    Led one of Europe's earliest Bitcoin non-profits, growing a community of 1,000+ participants across 40+ events. Mentor in BlockPool, the EU programme selecting 25 blockchain startups from 27 countries.

  8. 2001 – 2018 · SoSeBi · Progetta Cultura · Intermedia

    COO, Founder & CTO

    18 years in enterprise software: led operations, product and sales at a top-3 Italian GLAM software SME, and delivered digital projects for public institutions including the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance.

  9. 2006 · Google

    Quality Rater

    Italian Language Quality Rater. Trained on Google's extensive guidelines, helping assess which changes make Search more useful and categorizing information to improve Google systems.

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Certifications & Qualifications

Certifications

  • Blockchain Technologies: Business Innovation and Application

    MIT Sloan School of Management

    2018

  • DFIN-511 Introduction to Digital Currencies

    University of Nicosia

    2014

Education

  • High Qualification, Direction and Management

    Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan

    2005

  • Degree, Political Science

    University of Cagliari

    2004

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