I Don't Know Where, But I Know the How
“I don't know what I will be doing ten years from now, but I know what values will push me forward. I don't know where I’ll be working, but I do know how. I would like to continue to be an entrepreneur, work for sustainability, and give my contribution to overall direction of change.” Because of her young age, 27, Olimpia Santella's gaze is fixed on the future, despite already having accumulated a dense curriculum of educational and professional experiences, culminating in with the founding of the startup Cloov in 2022, where she is now CEO. “A strong propensity for quantitative problems and scientific subjects led me to enroll at Bocconi in 2016, for the program in Management and Business Administration,” Olimpia summarizes. “For my Master of Science, growing interest in the world of startups led me to pursue a Double Degree at Bangalore, the capital of India’s Silicon Valley, precisely to delve deeper into this world. The contact with my Indian classmates, many of whom were older than me and already in professional employment, gave me a hands-on approach to the subjects I was studying that I was still lacking. In general, I believe that the opportunity to meet people from all over the world with different experiences is the real added value of the university experience, an opportunity nobody should miss.”
Right after graduation, Olimpia Santella landed in the world of investment banking in London, where she worked for Mediobanca following M&A operations also for some fintechs, where, in fortuitous circumstances, she met the present Cofounder of Cloov, Chiara Airoldi. "We met exchanging materials and ideas on a topic which we both felt strongly about, namely the amount of waste present in the fashion industry and the possible solutions to enable circular economy processes in that world," says the female entrepreneur. "These exchanges morphed into a project, when we started talking to some brands encountering some interest. In the end we decided to give life to a startup, Cloov precisely, which helps fashion houses integrate second-hand sales, rental and repair services within their core businesses. Fashion companies today are increasingly open to offering these services, not only with a view to environmental sustainability, but also as new levers for marketing and production efficiency. The most exciting aspect of being an entrepreneur is that in a relatively short time you can see the effect of your work on structured corporations, and I must say that today we are already starting to see some results.”
An added value that is not indifferent to one’s professional commitment, even more so if at the root of the enterprise there are not only business logics, but objectives with strong ethical connotations. “For Chiara and I, the idea of having to act on the sustainability front to change the state of things was the strongest motivation and what gave us the initial push,” continues the former alumna. “I truly believe that the world cannot continue on the purchase-use-waste paradigm of consumption, but must evolve towards new schemes: you do not purchase a good but you pay for access and use, then reintroduce it into the market circuit. It is already like this in many sectors, mobility first and foremost, and it must be like that in fashion, too. The paradigm we are proposing companies is one we personally believe in.” Living the founder’s life does not mean that Olimpia has abandoned her other values, first of all leaving some of her personal life free from the encroachment of work. “When you are an entrepreneur you never stop working; to defend one’s personal living space and leisure time there is only one secret: include everything in your daily planner.”
