Carmen Palmisano — Founder, Software Engineer, System Architect, Operator-Investor
Builder, not talker.
I break down problems and build solutions.
One exit (Mars PLM), three active companies across three different worlds: enterprise PLM, mobility, skate. Same pattern in all of them: I see a problem nobody is seriously solving, and I solve it.
- Active companies
- 3
- Exit
- 1
- Years as founder
- 11
- Years writing code
- 18+
Bio
Solving problems is my way of being in the world.
I grew up in Locorotondo, in Italy's Valle d'Itria. Computers came early: a Commodore with big floppies and pixelated games on a black screen, then a Windows 95 nobody else had at home. I spent nights building websites, Access databases, small automation programs. Everything I could think of building.
In school, algorithms relaxed my brain. I'd see "obvious" what my classmates found hard, and it still happens at work today: sometimes the team is still framing the problem and I've already seen the solution. It's my one and only superpower.
At 24 I was tech lead of a division at the company I worked for. At 28 I founded my first company.
Mars PLM is a B2B solution for manufacturing companies. I built it inside my consulting and software company, because in consulting I kept seeing the same problem and never the solution. It was acquired in 2025. From there: RUUN, Dashed. Three different worlds, one signature: decompose, restore order, make things work. Marketing comes after. Maybe.
What I believe
- 01 Build something that works first. Then, maybe, talk about it. Reverse the order and you're being a marketer, not a founder.
- 02 You can scale and make money with ethics, without screwing people over. Clean growth is slower in the first months and infinitely more solid over the years.
- 03 Surface-level work is a form of disrespect: toward the problem, the customer, and the people you collaborate with.
- 04 If something in your company isn't working, fix it now. Every month of indecision is entrepreneurial life you don't get back.
Companies
Three worlds, one pattern.
Each company started from the same trigger: I saw a problem nobody was solving, and I went to solve it.
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Mars PLM
EXIT2018, exit 2025 · Founder, CEO
SAP-native B2B solution for manufacturing companies: product lifecycle management from design to post-sales. Built inside my consulting and software company, because in a decade of consulting I kept seeing the same problem, never a solution. Acquired by a multinational in 2025.
Visit site -
RUUN
ACTIVE2024, attiva · Founder, CEO
Shared mobility for Puglia airports. NCC first, ride-sharing later, where public transport stops. Born from the problem I lived myself, every time I went home.
Visit site -
Dashed Skate For Food
ACTIVE2026, attiva · COO
Skater-to-skater skate brand. In January 2026, during a trip to Vietnam, I met Mattia and invested in one of my passions. I joined as COO to rewrite the internal processes when I saw what was underneath. Skate isn't an online shop, it's a culture.
Visit site -
spot2fakie
COMING SOON2026, coming soon · Advisor
Community app to map spots for skate, bmx and rollerblade. The operating team leads the product; I lead launch and go-to-market as advisor.
Visit site
Press
Mentions.
-
StartupItalia · 2021–2022
Unstoppable Women: most influential women in Italian innovation (two years running)
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Il Gazzettino · 2022
Carmen Palmisano in the list of most influential women in innovation
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la Repubblica · Bari · 2025
Shared low-cost airport shuttle: a startup idea from Locorotondo
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AgoraBlog · 2025
Carmen Palmisano launches RUUN, improving transfers to and from Puglia airports
Work with me
Three ways we can work together.
- 01
Investor
I invest in startups where the team makes the difference. Capital and time: problem-decomposition sessions, uncomfortable questions when the product breaks. If you only want the money, I'm not the right one.
For founders at first or second round.
- 02
Fixer / Strategic advisor
I step into Series A or B tech startups that have lost clarity on product, processes, governance. I tell the truth even when it's uncomfortable. Retainer + equity, never hourly consulting.
For founders/CEOs with promising products struggling to scale.
- 03
Co-founder / Key talent
If you're a senior dev escaping the corporate world and want a small project where your work actually matters, no politics, merit over meetings: look at the companies I've founded and reach out.
For people willing to earn less for autonomy and impact.
Contact