Simone Massaro's entrepreneurial journey: a modern odyssey
Some journeys are about leaving.
Others are about learning
how to come back differently.
Simone Massaro returned to Sicily by choice, not as an endpoint: to turn global experience into local impact and prove that world-class innovation can grow in Italy, scaling from Sicily to the World. His path, across more than 25 countries, runs from the University of Catania to over a decade of industrial software in Boston, and from founding BaxEnergy to his role as Managing Director at Yokogawa.
Chapter one
WHEN THE MISSION CHOOSES YOU
Like Ulysses leaving Troy, Simone Massaro's story starts with a departure. Leaving home isn't optional, it's a necessity. The first step is always the hardest: stepping into uncertainty armed only with vision and ambition. Read the full story →
Chapter two
NAVIGATING UNKNOWN WATERS
As in Ulysses' odyssey, his path abroad meets obstacles at every turn. From Cyclopes to sirens, the road is full of distractions, temptations and detours. Each challenge tests resilience and sharpens strategy, turning trial into insight.
Chapter three
CONFRONT THE ABYSS
The "innovation black hole" is the low point of Simone Massaro's journey: the phase where failures, setbacks and unknowns push every limit. Growth happens here, when fear meets focus and ideas either break or transform.
Chapter four
FROM GLOBAL INSIGHT TO LOCAL IMPACT
Simone Massaro returned to Sicily as a tech entrepreneur, opening a research and development centre in Catania in 2011 and using global experience as the blueprint for disruption at home. Coming back isn't the end; it's a strategic re-entry, where observation, planning and timing are everything. Read the full story →
Final chapter
BUILD, RECLAIM, DOMINATE
In the final stage, he reclaims his space in Sicily, sets new rules and scales impact from home to the globe. Since his return, Simone Massaro has founded Eternal Tech, Forward Invest, and launched entrepreneurial philanthropy projects. Transformation is complete: not just surviving the journey, but using it to create something world-class. Read the full story →
Frequently asked questions
about Ulisse's Journey
What is Ulisse's Journey?
Ulisse’s Journey is the story of Simone Massaro’s path as an entrepreneur, told in chapters on simonemassaro.com. Like the journey of Ulysses, it crosses continents, industries and technological shifts and goes through setbacks such as the “innovation black hole”. It also tells his strategic return to Sicily, where international experience becomes local impact.
Why did Simone Massaro return to Sicily?
Simone Massaro returned to Sicily by choice, to turn international experience into local impact. After a path across continents, industries and technological shifts, his return is not an endpoint but a strategic re-entry. Global insight becomes the blueprint for disruption at home, proving that world-class innovation can grow in Italy.
Can world-class innovation grow in Sicily?
Yes, according to Simone Massaro. His entrepreneurial journey rests on the conviction that world-class innovation can grow in Sicily and scale to the rest of the world. Back home after an international path, he applies what he learned across continents and industries to build, set new rules and scale impact from Sicily to the globe.
How can global experience create local impact in Italy?
Global experience creates local impact when it becomes a blueprint, not a souvenir. In Simone Massaro’s story, knowledge gained abroad across industries and technological shifts returns to Sicily through a strategic re-entry. There, observation, planning and timing turn international insight into disruption and scalable impact in Italy.
What is the "innovation black hole"?
The “innovation black hole” is the low point of Simone Massaro’s path as an entrepreneur, told in the third chapter of Ulisse’s Journey. It is the phase where failures, setbacks and unknowns push every limit.
Growth happens there: when fear meets focus, ideas either break or transform.
Why are Italian professionals returning to Southern Italy?
Professionals returning to Southern Italy are often drawn by remote work, a better quality of life, lower living costs, tax incentives such as Italy’s regime for workers relocating to the country (regime impatriati) and the growth of local innovation hubs. Simone Massaro’s return to Sicily after an international career reflects this movement. He frames it as a strategic choice: bringing global experience home to build and scale innovation from Sicily.
