Beatrice, from Milan to London to Promote Italian Handicraft

BEATRICE DE GRANDI, FOUNDER OF VIBE, AN ECOMMERCE SITE, IS CONCLUDING HER BACHELOR DEGREE IN MANAGEMENT

Beatrice De Grandi is at her third year of the Bachelor Degree in Management and, at the age of 21, she is the founder of a startup dedicated to the Made in Italy handicraft. “Living in the USA made me discover how the Italian handicraft is appreciated by foreign people”, she tells: “It was then that I decided I had to figure out how to provide these potential customers with the products of their dreams, at an affordable price”.
 
Officially launched in March 2014, VIBE has just been presented in London: it is an e-commerce platform that aims at valuing the creations of Italian artisans worldwide. With a peculiarity: “VIBE aims at consolidating a just-female network”, Beatrice explains. The first collection proposes a range of handcrafted leather accessories and bags, but Beatrice’s first objective is to expand her offer with new product categories.
 
The idea to found VIBE was born during her lessons at the Bocconi University: “From the very beginning I realized that what attracted me was the world of the enterprise”, the founder explains. “To create a project that was all mine has always been my secret dream and the path taken at Bocconi provided me with the tools to understand the rules and the mechanisms to embark in such an adventure”, she says. “The opportunity to deal with my professors and with the other international students gave me a lot of inspiration. A great support came from Aida Riolo and her colleagues at the Career Service, who addressed me to a range of meetings with startups’ professionals and experts and helped me to draft a more structured business plan”.
 
The initial investment, made without the support of an external funding, was mainly dedicated to the realization of the website, to the marketing activities and to the first partnerships.
 
The next steps in Beatrice’s plan are to find a partner with complementary skills, to extend the business at the international level, to diversify the production with a new line of jewelry and male leather goods and to expand the business to a younger audience.
 
The results are really encouraging by far and, after London, Beatrice is already creating a network of young promoters in Hong Kong and Miami, thanks to the engagement of other Italian students and graduates.

by Laura Fumagalli