Cosmico: how rethinking remote work turned into a €12M business

As part of the  B4i’s Future Founders Program, we hosted a fireside chat with Francesco Marino, founder of Cosmico. The session was moderated by Augusto Coppola, Program Director of the initiative, who has been instrumental in shaping the initiative and bringing inspiring voices like Francesco’s to the table.  

Throughout the conversation Francesco offered a deep dive into his entrepreneurial journey, sharing practical lessons on fundraising, team building, and navigating the highs and lows of startup life. In this article, you will find his best insights.  

Founded in February 2020, Cosmico has quickly scaled to over 25,000 professionals, 200+ clients, and €6.8 million in funding, while expanding into Spain and doubling its revenue within a year. 

In this interview, Francesco takes us through the real-world insights behind this growth. 

Francesco, before we dive into Cosmico’s journey, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into the startup world? 

Sure. I’m from Catania, born in 1990, and I studied Business Economics. My first real exposure to the startup ecosystem was back in 2013, when I co-founded my first company after completing a Digital Economics Master and participating in an Accelerator run by Telecom Italia. This experience was my “startup school” - full of hard lessons and a lot of trial and error. 

One of the highlights was getting the chance to pitch to Tim Cook, which was surreal at the time. I then moved into a role at a private investment firm, where I worked on digital innovation and small cap investing. Seeing startups from both sides - founder and investor - gave me a broader perspective, which I took with me when I started Cosmico in 2020. 

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Cosmico was founded just before the pandemic. What problem did you set out to solve, and how did you get started? 

Cosmico was born out of two converging trends I’d been watching for a while: the growing shortage of digital and tech talent, and the increasing desire for flexible, remote work. We launched in February 2020 – just a couple of weeks before the global shift to remote work accelerated everything. 

The concept is simple: we connect top-tier professionals with companies that need their expertise and manage the entire process from screening to onboarding. What made the difference early on was being hands-on: before building any technology, I manually matched talent with clients to validate the model. That scrappy phase taught us exactly what worked, and what didn’t. 

You mentioned that Cosmico wasn’t your first startup. How did your previous experience influence this one? 

My first startup was in 2013. It got some traction, but looking back, it was really my “startup of mistakes.” I was too focused on my own ideas and not enough on what the market needed. 

That experience has shaped everything I have done with Cosmico. This time, I listened to it first. Before writing a single line of code, I manually matched talent with companies. I was the MVP: I pitched clients, vetted candidates, billed - everything. That hands-on validation made all the difference. 

Building a strong team is often the hardest part in the early days. How did you approach this? 

This was one of my biggest lessons: don’t start a startup with your friends, become friends by building something meaningful together. My co-founders and I came from different backgrounds - branding, design, business - and that mix helped us cover all the angles. In the early stages, investors and early hires often buy into you, not just your idea. The credibility of your team is everything. 

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What was the moment when you realized Cosmico was really working? 

It’s all about retention - both on the client side and the talent side. When companies keep coming back and professionals stay engaged, you know you’ve built something valuable. We also reached a point where the platform was running smoothly without me being involved in every detail. That's a key sign of real traction. 

Fundraising is a huge milestone for any startup. What was your experience like? 

We bootstrapped the first two years, which was important for discipline. We raised €1.8 million in 2023 and €5 million in 2024. One thing I've learned: don't fundraise just to fundraise. Fundraising is a tool, not an end in itself. And be careful who you bring on board - smart money makes all the difference. 

We've been lucky to attract investors with deep expertise in consulting and technology, as well as two institutional funds that can support us through different stages of growth. 

What about recruitment? Has your team grown as fast as your revenue? 

Actually, no - and that was by design. Today, Cosmico serves 200+ customers with just 34 people. A lot of startups rush to hire after raising money, but that can backfire. I believe in growing the team only when it’s really needed. Staying lean forces you to be more focused and efficient. 

Have you ever felt like giving up? 

Definitely. Startup life is a rollercoaster. Some days you feel invincible. Other days, everything falls apart. I think of it like a relationship: if you have too many rainy days in a row, it’s time to rethink things. But if most days are sunny, you keep going - even through the rough patches. 

For founders reading this who are just starting out, what’s your biggest piece of advice? 

Talk about your idea. Don't keep it to yourself because you're afraid someone will steal it. The more you share, the more valuable feedback you’ll get - and you’ll find partners, collaborators, and even investors along the way. And remember: your job as a founder is to make decisions - early and often. Execution is more important than perfection.