Alberto Zevi (1920 - 1993) was an extraordinary entrepreneur, an intellectual and an innovator with many and varied interests. Born in Verona in 1920, he graduated in Economics from Bocconi University. From Adriano Olivetti, he developed an interest in technological progress and entrepreneurial activities in different industries; with Luciano Foà he started various cultural projects, including the prestigious publishing house Adelphi; he was a friend of Giorgio Fuà and supported the establishment of ISTAO (in Ancona, Italy). He later supported industrial and market research at CSIL, which he founded in 1980, together with Massimo Florio and a small group of old and new friends.