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2026 Connect Money Next Gen Alternative Investment Awards
Winners
- Akman Bets on Vertical Integration to Unlock Institutional Capital
- Reifsnider Puts Education at the Center of Alternatives Sales
- Hockaday Builds Education-First Approach to Alternatives Marketing
- Royce Connects Tax-Aware Planning With Advisor Development
- Carranza Brings Client-First Planning to Alternative Investments
- Tang Expands Cottonwood’s Global Capital Markets Platform
- Gioseffi Helps Take C-PACE Mainstream
- Jensen Makes Case for Direct Indexing
- Panagiotakopoulos Expands Access to Net Lease Investing
- Palangio Hernandez Builds the Infrastructure Behind Alternatives Growth
- Amarosa Pushes Discipline Over Hype in Tech Investing
- Johnson Turns Complex Capital Stacks into Deals that Close
- Hayes Wants Interval Funds Pitched as Offering a “Defined Exit Path”
- Corral Bets on AI to Widen Access to Alternatives
- Desrosiers Expands the Firm’s Global Investor Base
- Robinson Combines Financial Services Investing With Mental Health Advocacy
- Vankayalapati Targets Tech Companies Powering the Financial Economy
- Clemente Co-Leads Secondaries Push at $95B Private Markets Firm
- De Santis Brings a Global Perspective to Consumer Tech Investing
- Asher Brings $5B in Deal Experience to Monroe’s Alternative Credit Platform
- Conway Brings Endowment Experience to Wallace Foundation
- Laufer Targets AI-Enabled Software for High-Stakes Industries
- Price Leads MLG Capital’s Midwest Investment Push
- Lee Turns Relationships Into Off-Market Retail Deals
De Santis Brings a Global Perspective to Consumer Tech Investing
Muse Capital principal draws on startup operating experience and venture training
Maria De Santis is a principal at Muse Capital, an early-stage consumer technology venture firm that invests in what it calls “companies that should exist,” particularly those reimagining how people care, live and play.
At Muse, Maria supports sourcing, diligence and platform strategy across the firm’s three investment verticals. She focuses on the intersection of technology, cultural behavior and shifting consumer expectations, especially in women’s health, an area she is deeply passionate about.
Muse Capital co-founders Assia Grazioli-Venier and Rachel Springate launched their firm in 2016. Its “care” bucket, shaped by Grazioli-Venier’s experience with breast cancer, includes menopause care, fertility, maternal health, elder care, and mental health—areas historically underfunded by venture capital. Notable portfolio companies include Midi Health, a virtual care clinic for menopause; BeSound, which modernizes breast care; and Conceivable Life Sciences, which automates IVF processes using AI. Muse Capital bets big on women’s health and sports.
With a multicultural background and early-stage operating experience in Europe and the U.S., Maria brings a global perspective to identifying emerging consumer trends. She began her career in Madrid as head of business development for a venture-backed mobility startup, where she led international expansion and developed customer acquisition strategies across Europe, particularly in Italy, scaling consumer platforms through partnerships.
She graduated in the top 10% of her class from IE Business School and later earned a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. At USC, she served on the investment team of the Marshall Venture Fund, conducting diligence and pitching to an investment committee that included partners from Kleiner Perkins, Index Ventures, Y Combinator and Upfront Ventures.
Her favorite part of the job, she says, is spotting clarity in the chaos and helping founders turn it into momentum.