Francesco Paola, ISB class of 1984, has just released his first novel, “Left on Rancho,” a contemporary foray into the world of a burned-out tech entrepreneur who ventures into the world of the cannabis industry in California.
Francesco Paola, ISB class of 1984, has just released his first novel, “Left on Rancho,” a contemporary foray into the world of a burned-out tech entrepreneur who ventures into the world of the cannabis industry in California.
Paola was born in Turin, Italy and raised in Italy, Thailand and Australia. He attended university in the U.S. gaining a degree in engineering from M.I.T. and an MBA from UC Berkley. An accomplished technology executive specializing in the technology startup ecosystem, Francesco has written numerous technical blogs, white papers, and articles over the course of his 25 year career. His two year sabbatical from 2029-2021 led him into the world of the legal cannabis industry in California, which helped him form the basis of his first novel.
Here's what he says about his time in Thailand:
“I attended ISB from 1973 to 1977, 1st through 4th grade (the first year that the middle-school classes returned to the Bangkapi campus), and from 1979 to 1982 (8th through 10th grade), with a hiatus in Melbourne, Australia in the interim and subsequent years (I graduated from Xavier College in 1984). Growing up in Bangkok--and attending ISB--in the seventies and early eighties shaped who I am today. Exposure to, and immersion in, diverse cultures shaped my outlook, sharpened my tolerance, and gave me the experience necessary to adapt to many situations in many locations, domestic and foreign. I was fortunate that my father spent almost fifty years in Thailand before returning to Italy in 2018. During my frequent trips to Asia for work in the last twenty-five years, I would often plan my schedule around long weekends in Thailand, Hua Hin in particular, where my father lived. These visits allowed me to maintain a strong affinity for the country, its culture, and its people. Thailand remains such a vital part of who I am that the two main characters in my novel Left on Rancho met and grew up in Bangkok, attended ISB, and then made their separate ways to the United States to seek their fortunes.”
Regarding his first novel, here are some comments:
- Alumni