Leopoldo Palazzi Trivelli, VC investment associate at Rabo Investments, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2025.
Leopoldo Palazzi Trivelli picked up his passion for fintech innovation while working with tech companies as an equity analyst for a bank. Moving to Netherlands-based Rabobank’s corporate venturing team has given him the chance to pursue that passion.
“Between enjoying working in tech and wanting to be of help to entrepreneurs, I figured that early-stage investing and specifically venture capital was the best way forward for me,” he says. “I made that transition two-and-a-half-years ago and I am really enjoying the role and helping entrepreneurs.”
Palazzi Trivelli is a VC investment associate at Rabo Investments and, although strategic investment covers a wide domain for a bank, the past year has seen him focus on regulatory technology, preventing fraud and money laundering, leading investments in money laundering detection startup Hawk and risk analytics software provider ThreatFabric in recent months.
“Fighting financial crime is something that interests me very much,” says Palazzi Trivelli. “Preventing fraud and making the world a better place is something I really enjoy being part of.”
“Between enjoying working in tech and wanting to be of help to entrepreneurs, I figured that early-stage investing and specifically venture capital was the best way forward for me”
Palazzi Trivelli is an outdoor sports enthusiast, who takes in everything from hiking and climbing to kite surfing. But his ultimate aim is to bring a new revenue model to Rabobank, or to improve part of the bank’s operations, through an introduction to a startup.
“In fintech, what excites me is that banks are sometimes very conservative organisations,” he says. “They really struggle to improve and change their proposition to make themselves future proof. I really enjoy the challenge in changing them.
“When you see a product or service the bank offers to its clients, thanks maybe to an introduction you made to a startup, that is really rewarding. The innovation element is really what drives me and gives me enjoyment from the job I do.”
See the full list of Rising Stars 2025 here.
