On a yearly basis, Forbes Italia draws up the list of the best Under 30 talents of the country. Roberto Sfoglietta, former Luiss graduate, was shortlisted for the “Venture Capital” category. He shared experiences of his pathway that allowed him to attain this prestigious award.
Roberto recalled his experience at Luiss: “I studied Economics and Business as a Bachelor’s Degree and then continued with a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship, graduating with 110 cum laude thanks to my thesis on blockchain. I began my university career wanted to experience a study period abroad. I did my Erasmus at the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen: an experience I greatly value”.
According to Roberto, the University’s strengths are “the expertise of the teaching staff, the strength of the network and international partnerships”. He particularly focused on the first point, defining it the reason that led him to choose to study at Luiss: “It is one of the most prestigious Italian universities, the Entrepreneurship course is one of the best in Europe”. Roberto cited Luigi Marengo, Economics Professor as having the greatest impact on his career. “He has always spurred me to develop interesting ideas. While I was drafting my thesis on blockchain with him, I was also working on my start-up on this very topic, so he helped me a lot”.
He recounted how the world of start-ups has always fascinated him: “I started at a very young age during my first year at university. I immediately realized the lack of capital for companies in their early stage and so I decided to establish the Starting Finance Deal. I am the General Manager of the company and I am extremely happy. We started as 4 employees, whereas today we are a group of 32 people, 120 investors and 6 million euros invested in the last 12 months. We are very happy with the achieved results and we are currently working on a series of new projects: our sector has room to develop and do great good”.
Roberto gave us an insight into his future goals. “We want to launch a Starting Finance Deal investment vehicle, which goes beyond the club of angels. I want to continue working in the start-up environment: it is my passion and wish to do it for a lifetime”. His enthusiasm and passion transpire in his words. To those that wish to undertake a similar career path, Roberto advises “to try it while keeping your feet grounded: it is not easy, because in Italy there are few opportunities for young people. It is hard to gain credibility, so you have to move forward with courage, determination and awareness. These are the key words”.