Mid-August rewind: a selection of my top reads
A quiet moment to revisit some of the essays that sparked the most replies, shares, and thinking time this year.
It’s Ferragosto week in Italy. That rare stretch in mid-August when emails vanish, offices empty out (for real), and even the most hardened executive trades KPIs for beach towels and snorkels.
I’m back in Puglia, my home region in Italy. A place once seen as rustic and remote, now steadily rising as a hotspot for global nomads, luxury travellers, and (increasingly) investors looking to build the next boutique hotel or agriturismo. The kind of place where a long lunch turns into a business conversation without feeling like work.
Just yesterday, I walked through an old masseria being converted into a wellness retreat by a couple from London who came here last summer and never left. Sounds familiar? They’re not the only ones.
Anyway, while most inboxes are on pause, I figured this would be the perfect moment to (re)share a few of my most-read essays from the past months. If you’ve joined this newsletter recently, chances are you missed some of them.
I’ll drop them below, one by one light, punchy, worth saving.
Wherever you are, in the shade of a pine tree, lost in a book, or just trying not to check your tasks: I hope you’re finding time to pause and enjoy your loved ones.
Buon Ferragosto. May your break be slow, salty, and slightly offline.
Talk soon.
This one is still my best (performing) post so far:
How to Innovate When Nothing is Defensible Anymore
In a world shaped by AI, rapid replication, and flattened access to knowledge, the traditional sources of advantage have lost much of their defensive power. Differentiation still helps, but it doesn’t hold. Scarcity exists, but only briefly. Protection is porous.
Venturing Insights #3 - The Power Law for Investors, Startups and Corporates
In the heart of Silicon Valley lies a creed as bold as it is transformative: the belief that most of society's problems can find resolution through technological innovation.
Venturing Insights #13 - It's all about Knowledge
Previously on Open Road Ventures: In the last episode of Venturing Insights, I shared some tips for enjoying an ‘Innovator Summer,’ including recommendations for books, podcasts, and even music. If you missed it, you can catch up here!
Are you a Superconnector?
Superconnectors are strategic nodes in the innovation ecosystem: not just facilitators, but accelerators of progress. Their role? Bridging gaps, mapping technological landscapes, and making sure the right collaborations happen at the right time.
Venturing Insights #23 - Who holds the keys?
When corporate decision-makers can interact with startups on the ground level, we see faster results and, most importantly, solutions that stick.
Venturing Insights #29 - Incentives are like the wind
Corporate venturing is ambitious, it’s risky, and it’s hard. You can give your venture the best resources, the most talented team, and even a bold mission. But without the right incentives to align everyone’s motivations, it’s like setting sail on a calm, windless sea. Nothing moves.
And last, but not the least:
Venturing Insights #0 - What is, really, Innovation?
Since this is my first post here, I want to start from the very basics, in order to set the foundations for the next ones.
That's why, today we'll delve into the essence of innovation, a cornerstone not only of Venturing but also of Open Road Ventures.
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As usual, a soundtrack for you: