Isabella De Michelis
CEO & founder
ErnieApp
Isabella De Michelis di Slonghello is a leading figure in the digital world, known for her groundbreaking work in data governance and user privacy. As the CEO and founder of ErnieApp Ltd., she's revolutionizing how individuals and businesses manage data.
ErnieApp: Making Data Easy and Fruitful
Launched in 2020, ErnieApp's core offering is the Privacy Knowledge Manager, a unique digital service designed to simplify data governance for end-users while also making it beneficial. With over 180,000 active users across Europe, the Americas, and Southeast Asia, ErnieApp continues its rapid growth.
The company recently introduced its Ernie bot service and is soon launching the Right to Monetize functionality. This innovative feature, built on the Ernie Marketplace, aims to optimize data sharing and reuse between users and businesses. ErnieApp operates on a game theory principle, where cooperation among all parties leads to greater collective gains. It provides high-quality, consented data to businesses while it ensures a frictionless privacy and security experience for users.
A Career Dedicated to Tech and Policy
Before founding ErnieApp, Isabella spent over 12 years as VP EMEA Government Affairs and Global Technology Policy Strategy at Qualcomm Inc. Her extensive career also includes executive roles at Cisco Systems EMEA, Iridium LLC, Elsacom-Finmeccanica, Telespazio, and Stet, focusing on technology policy, regulation, market access, and intellectual property.
Influencing the Future of Tech and Data
Isabella's influence extends beyond ErnieApp. She serves as a Board Member (NED) at DoValue and is a member of the Italian Presidenza del Consiglio's Task Force for AI adoption in Public Administration. She represents ErnieApp in the Data Transfer Initiative, a tech alliance led by Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon. Her expertise is recognized internationally, with appointments as an expert in ITU-T's SG17, focusing on AI privacy and security standardization as well as in IEC and GaiaX.
From 2020 to 2023, she served as a Board Member (NED) at Cassa Depositi e Prestiti - Ventures, a major Italian government venture financing fund. In 2024, she founded High Pulse GmbH, a boutique tech and regulatory advisory firm.
The Right to Monetize: A New Economic Theory
Isabella is the author of the Right to Monetize economic theory. This theory proposes a new, balanced relationship between users and companies in the digital realm, suggesting that users should be fairly compensated for their contributions to digital value creation, with such value measured and paid as a royalty.
She frequently advises European governments and institutions, lectures at universities, and moderates discussions on innovation, competition policy reform, and the interplay of privacy, technology, and competition.