A conversation with Davide Mamone: Covering infrastructure through the people behind the deals

As real assets continue to gain momentum across private markets, institutional investors and wealth channels alike are increasing allocations to infrastructure, energy and other tangible assets that sit at the center of economic growth. At the same time, new trends are reshaping the landscape, from the rapid expansion of data centers supporting artificial intelligence to ongoing investment in renewables and digital infrastructure. As these trends accelerate, journalists are helping investors and industry leaders make sense of a market that is becoming both larger and more dynamic.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Davide Mamone, Real Assets Senior Reporter for FT Specialist’s FundFire Alts whose path into financial journalism has taken him from the suburbs of Milan to reporting from New York on some of the most complex corners of private markets. Davide began his career covering local politics in Italy before moving into international reporting across the United States. Throughout that journey, he has remained focused on the people behind the headlines. Whether speaking with CEOs, investors or policymakers, Davide approaches infrastructure and finance through a human lens, grounded in the belief that companies and markets ultimately reflect the communities and individuals who shape them.

Our conversation breaks down Davide’s journey into journalism, his approach to keeping the human element at the center of his reporting and the major trends shaping infrastructure and real assets today. Let’s dive in.

EB: You grew up in Italy and now you report from New York on some of the most complex corners in private markets. How did that journey unfold and what first sparked your interest in journalism?

DM: I am from the suburbs of Milan, a small city called Corsico, and my interest in journalism began there. The idea of helping and providing resources for my community has always been important to me. My first stint in journalism was covering city council meetings in my hometown, where I started writing about local politics, which was effectively like attending journalism school for me. Covering local politics helped me learn how to do the job, boots on the ground. During that time, I learned how to read a city budget, how to interview politicians and how to develop relationships with sources. My journey started unfolding from the suburbs of Milan to the city itself when I started as a metro reporter for MI-Tomorrow – a local Italian paper – which eventually brought me to New York in 2017.

I fell in love with the United States when I was a child, so when I had the opportunity to move to cover U.S. politics I said yes. I covered politics and daily news until 2021 as a foreign correspondent for an Italian audience. Then, when I won a fellowship with The Poynter Institute and moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, I began covering immigration and detention centers for The Advocate | New Orleans Times-Picayune. During that time, I met an incredible group of colleagues who were deeply dedicated to their community. Working alongside them reminded me of my first journalism job in Milan and it was clear that there was the same strong sense of community. When I moved back to New York, I covered antitrust for a few years, which eventually led me to joining FundFire in May of 2024.

EB: There’s a really special connection to community that you’ve been lucky to find in your career.

DM: Community means everything to me. It’s something that I still apply in my role today. My community is no longer the people I live with in a small town, instead, it’s a community of investors and managers. But stripped down, we are all people. In a way, I serve my communities by sharing news that can be helpful for them to navigate their own boards or businesses, and for me, that is the ultimate goal of journalism.

EB: You joined FundFire in 2024 and cover real assets with a focus on infrastructure, energy and real estate. What drew you to the beat, and what surprised you most when you took on this role?

DM: As a person who was born outside of the U.S., I believe you cannot fully understand the country without understanding its business community. Covering real assets has been an incredible opportunity to better understand both this country and society. Infrastructure is something very tangible. Sometimes when you cover finance, it can be easy to lose connection to something that is concrete and the ties to real life and real people. Real assets are physical assets that communities across the U.S. interact with every day. You use an airport, you drive over a bridge and you rely on data centers or fiber networks, which are all very real and visible parts of daily life. That is what drew me to the infrastructure beat and the finance community more broadly.

When I started covering infrastructure, I was told that it was a stable, predictable asset class, and what pleasantly surprised me was how fast paced it actually is, especially with the AI infrastructure boom and the rapid expansion of data centers we’re experiencing now.

EB: You bring up a great point about the AI infrastructure boom. There are exciting developments nearly every day in this space. Is this one of the leading trends you’ve been closely following?

DM: The development of the AI infrastructure revolution is the biggest trend this year. There’s ongoing dialogue around whether it’s a bubble, and that conversation will continue to unfold. Our reporting at FundFire Alts has focused on where managers, investors, pension funds and HNWIs are finding opportunities as demand surges. It will be fascinating to see whether the strategies people are pursuing ultimately deliver the returns they expect.

EB: Something I’ve particularly enjoyed about your reporting, and getting to know you over the years, is how you prioritize keeping humanity and people’s stories at the center of your work. What’s that process look like for you?

DM: I believe that companies reflect human values, and the human element is essential for them to operate and grow. Aside from being the spokesperson or face of a company, CEOs are first and foremost people, with families and friendships who live in a society they are part of and possibly want to make better. If you forget that in your reporting, you miss opportunities to tell real stories. When you integrate the human element into reporting, readers are more engaged and find relatability in the stories you are sharing.

EB: Has there been a story you’re especially proud of or one that taught you something unexpected?

DM: Absolutely. The first story I want to share is one I wrote in Italian during my years as a foreign correspondent, when I was granted media access to an asylum shelter at the border between the U.S. and Mexico. It was February 2020 and there were many asylum seekers waiting for their court dates. During my time there, I connected with a pastor in Neuvo Laredo who brought food, clothes and toys for children and their families living in shelters while awaiting their hearings. Hearing their stories and having the privilege and responsibility to share these stories with local communities is something I will never forget, and it taught me a lesson in human resilience.

Another story I’m proud of came during my fellowship in Louisiana when I was covering ICE. I was following an operation near New Orleans and wrote a long-form story for The Advocate. Covering immigration at that time was especially heavy for me because I was working on a Visa myself. That experience showed me how much misinformation exists around immigration and reinforced the importance of balanced reporting. It’s our role as journalists to educate communities, and that remains true in my current beat as well.

EB: What does it mean to you to be on the infrastructure beat and what’s one piece of advice you’d pass along to the next generation of journalists?

DM: It has been an incredible opportunity to learn more about how the U.S. operates. Covering infrastructure today means covering innovation, geopolitics and of course the traditional pillars of the beat like fundraising and deals. The scope of these stories is expanding far beyond what people once considered traditional infrastructure. When I think about the next generation of journalists, my advice is to never stop learning. Above all else, stay human.

Best of New York

To close out, I asked Davide some rapid-fire questions on the best spots in New York City. Let’s see what he had to say…

EB: A controversial question to start. Best slice of pizza?

DM: Joe’s Pizza. Easy.

EB: Favorite after-work happy hour spot?

DM: SoHo Room on Spring or SullaLuna (they have a great Spritz!).

EB: New Yorkers love their parks and for good reason. Which is your favorite?

DM: Prospect Park. I had previously lived in Park Slope, and my favorite part of the day was walking on the beautiful trails and spending time in nature. As an Astoria resident now, I can’t forget about Astoria Park though.

Davide is a senior reporter covering real assets for FT Specialist’s FundFire Alts, covering real estate, infrastructure and energy transition. Based in New York, he joined the team in 2024. Previously, he wrote about antitrust at Global Competition Review and worked as a reporter at The Advocate | New Orleans Times-Picayune in Louisiana. He also worked as a US foreign correspondent for Italian outlet Mi-Tomorrow. He graduated with a BS in Humanities Studies and an MS in Communications and Journalism from the University of Milan, Italy. For further insights, you can read Davide’s latest work here.