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After more than 15 successful years in the renewable energy sector, Andrea Bernardi has launched Columbus Capital, an Italian SF with the goal of acquiring and managing a Southern European SME. He has attracted the support of prominent entrepreneurs, institutional investors, and seasoned national and international executives. Among his backers are Secways, Cabiedes Inversiones, Luis Camilleri, Novidam, Orca Equity Partners Iniginy, Mazovia DCI, Pablo Guida, Visconti Capital and Stephan Morgan.
Born in Bologna into a family of small business owners, Andrea has held various leadership roles in international corporations throughout his career. He began at Enerray (Maccaferri Industrial Group) in Italy in 2010, moving then as Area Manager for Photovoltaic Systems in Romania, later leading the company’s subsidiary in Mexico and Central America. In 2018, he joined Enel Green Power as Head of Asset Management, serving as CEO and General Manager of seven SPVs. In 2020, he moved to Spain to become Head of Stewardship Development Iberia at Endesa X. Most recently, he returned to Enel Green Power and Enel X in Italy as Head of Strategy and Business Development, where he was responsible for originating and launching renewable energy projects.
Leveraging on his specific background, professional experience and passion for renewable energy and sustainability, while Andrea will conduct a geographically agnostic search between Italy and Spain, his industry expertise makes the energy transition sector his primary focus. In particular, he is targeting companies active in:
- Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC), management and maintenance of assets and infrastructure in the electrical, gas, and fire prevention sectors;
- Energy efficiency services, including HVAC and heat recovery systems, also under the ESCO model;
- Engineering, advisory, and consulting services related to digitalization and the energy transition, including decarbonization and electrification. This includes implementation and operation of energy assets, energy efficiency projects, power generation, battery systems, grid flexibility, and e-mobility.
In addition, Andrea has identified a further sub-sector of interest that aligns well with Columbus Capital’s strategy: the Green and Circular Economy, particularly in the area of waste and non-waste recycling.
In a context where the number of searchers is constantly increasing, Andrea believes that offering a differentiated approach allows investors to add value to their portfolios and explore less crowded sectors with lower competition. Additionally, entrepreneurs (sellers/founders) are much more willing to hand over their company — where employees are treated like family — to a skilled and experienced profile. They view execution as more specific and definitely mandatory once the target has been acquired.
