Business · Companies · 20 hrs ago
Daria Pelini builds an Italian tech network in San Francisco
Daria Pelini moved from Rome to San Francisco after studying at Bocconi and now selects startup investments at venture capital firm Plug and Play.
She also helped found the city's Italian Tech Club chapter, alongside five other organizers, to connect Italians working in technology.
Its first gathering brought together more than 50 people from the Bay Area, including founders, investors and employees of major technology companies.
The club holds aperitifs, dinners, office visits, meetings with entrepreneurs and mentoring events to help members share knowledge and find contacts or collaborators.
The community grew to more than 100 members, and in February 2026 the Italian Consulate General hosted a gathering recognizing the organizers' work.
The network matters because it helps people in a large technology ecosystem meet and can open opportunities for those arriving from Italy.
Daria Pelini has helped build the San Francisco chapter of the Italian Tech Club to connect Italians working in technology and startups.
She works selecting venture capital investments at Plug and Play.
The club brings together founders, investors and technology professionals in the Bay Area.
Its events include aperitifs, dinners, office visits, meetings with entrepreneurs and mentorship opportunities.
The community grew to more than 100 members, and Italy’s Consulate General in San Francisco hosted a gathering in February 2026.
- Who
- Daria Pelini and fellow organizers Gaetano Coppoletta, Amedeo Baragiola, Francesco Mantovani, Iacopo Olivo and Beatrice Malizia.
- What
- They helped establish the San Francisco chapter of the Italian Tech Club to connect Italians in the technology sector.
- When
- The idea took shape after Pelini moved to San Francisco. The consulate hosted a gathering in February 2026.
- Where
- San Francisco and the wider Bay Area, California.
- Why
- To help Italian founders, investors and technology professionals exchange knowledge, find contacts and build collaborations.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Pelini and other organizers began working to establish a local chapter of the Italian Tech Club.
More than 50 Italians from the Bay Area attended, including founders, venture capitalists and technology-company employees.
The community grew to more than 100 members.
Italy’s Consulate General in San Francisco hosted a gathering and recognized the organizers’ contribution to the network’s growth.
- Venture capital firm
- Plug and Play
- First gathering
- More than 50 attendees
- Community size
- More than 100 members
- Consulate event
- February 2026
- Technology companies represented
- Google, Meta, Amazon, Netflix and Nvidia