The Luiss graduate Donato Ruberto is among the 100 top young entrepreneurs listed by Forbes. He recounted his experiences that allowed him to receive this important recognition.
Donato recalled his experience at the University as follows. “I studied Economics and Management and majored in Marketing, between 2010 and 2013. During the final year of my Bachelor’s Degree, I began to gain experience working in start-ups, a world I became fascinated by from the very beginning. I sought to create my own and dedicated 6 months to its realization. Then I received an offer from Airbnb and I moved to Milan. Subsequently, I worked as a Marketing Manager at CaseVacanze.it and then at Amazon. But I always wanted to return to the world of start-ups, so I co-founded Mutuiamo”.
Donato shared a piece of advice that brought him to the University. “I am Italian-Peruvian and studied in an Italian school in Lima. In Peru, they spoke very highly of Luiss and several professors also recommended the University knowing about my interest in economics”. Donato stated “the added value of the University is the teaching staff, all highly regarded in their sector and with important experiences in business. A factor that helps students to best prepare for the world of work”.
Among these, he cited Maximo Ibarra, who taught Service Marketing and was Wind’s CEO. Donato stated, “he greatly inspired, each of his lessons was a life lesson”. Gianluca Mattarocci was also mentioned, “he was thesis supervisor which focused on Corporate Finance. Both professors had a profound impact on my learning experience”.
On his work experiences, Donato explained: “my background is not vertical in the world of finance, but the project I follow operates in the credit sector. We want to revolutionize access to mortgages, through a remote and free service, that can support people to find the best solution on the market”. The company shows a clear growth trajectory. Donato reported, “we started two years ago in a team of 5 and we are currently over 50 employees. We work with 3 partner banks - Intesa, BNL and Credite Agricole - and we are soon to work with companies on the international level. In 2020, we supported over 25,000 people and in 2021, we aim to support over 50,000 users”.
Looking at the future, the main objective for Mutuiamo is “to improve the way people overcome the obstacles associated with mortgages. We aim to become a leader in the sector”. On a personal level, Donato shared he would like to continue to devote time and efforts into creative projects, and to develop alongside people who he enjoys to work with. He stated, “this is today’s picture and I hope to maintain this vision in the future”.
To those who are seeking to embark a similar path, Donato recommends, “not to give up, to endure moments of difficulty, striving towards goals with resilience, because perseverance pays off”.