The next session of the Fintech District’s mentorship program, scheduled for the 12 th of July, will address the theme of “Growth of the Organization”. Marco Imperiale, lawyer and innovation officer at LCA Law Firm, will talk about ” Negotiation strategies” exploring with our startups all the smart tools to manage relationships with co-founders, investors and advisors. We talked to him about the importance of negotiation also for young startups

Why is it important to talk about negotiation for a startup? It is not too early?

When you think about the skills that are necessary to survive in the startup world, negotiation is not the first word that comes to your mind. That happens until you realize that we negotiate at least 10 times every day, and that most of the times deals don’t go the way we would expect. Negotiation, however, is way more that the theory of reaching a good deal.

What do you mean then as negotiation? In what terms will it be discussed?

Negotiation is a toolbox that helps us understanding what we want and how to obtain it, sometimes in an unexpected way. It’s a set of skills that helps us building relationship, understanding our partners and clarifying our thoughts with all the players in the arena, including ourselves. Because of its interdisciplinary and unique nature, negotiation and conflict management tend to be conceived as a matter of talent and not of practice, and it’s hard for professionals to acknowledge how much they could gain developing their abilities in this field and getting involved in the learning process.

When the team of Fintech District told me about the mentorship program, we not only agreed to provide startups a 360 degrees skillset, offering that kind of support that would have helped them succeeding in a harder than ever market, but we conceived the mentorship program in a holistic way, which could focus at the same time on both soft and hard skills. Introducing the complex art of negotiation and conflict management fits perfectly into this strategy. I would also underline that we both conceive the Fintech District as a think-thank platform, a networking hub and a center for continuous learning. For all these activities, negotiation is not a corollary, but a pillar that support the entire structure.

What does being part of the mentorship program mean to you and LCA partners?

It’s an honor for me to represent LCA as mentor. We have a long-term relationship with the startup environment, and we intend with this initiative to strengthen and expand our connections with the players of tomorrow, both inside and outside the fintech arena.

Are you planning further mentorship sessions in the future for the Fintech District commmunity?

Later this year, two LCA partners, Andrea Messuti and Gianluca de Cristofaro, will join our forces providing legal support in the fields of corporate law and privacy matters. We wanted to show, with our time and effort, that we really believe in this initiative. Furthermore, we would like to stress that lawyers are not the professionals to call when you have a problem with counterparties. We are your partners in the long and complex process of building a successful business. We are your advisors and your first contact with a world full of complex rules. Hopefully, with our support, you will be able to reach your goals in a bigger, faster, and better way. Not to mention the most obvious, one, which is the compliance with the entire current national and international framework.

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