Silvia Wang and the meritocracy found in start-ups
A life as an expat, designing start–ups, driven by the desire to find solutions that help people in their everyday lives. Silvia Wang is co-founder and CEO of Serenis, the tech company that is revolutionizing psychological support by making mental wellbeing more accessible. Born in Milan in 1986 to Chinese parents, and raised in Brescia, her entrepreneurial story began with the decision to study Economics, “thanks to the sacrifices of my parents, who did the impossible to guarantee me an excellent education.” After graduating with honors in Marketing from Bocconi University, Wang set her sights beyond Italy’s borders. She says: “I wanted to work abroad, but after an internship in a large multinational I realized that it was not the right environment for me. I’m an introvert by nature. At the time, the German incubator Rocket Internet was launching some start-ups in Southeast Asia. So, I packed my bags and stayed for three years as a Marketing Manager, first in Taiwan and then in Jakarta.” Her future husband and partner Marco Ogliengo also joined her on this journey.
The decision to return to Italy in 2015 was tied to family reasons. “We had decided to get married and when we thought about our future, Italy seemed like the best choice.” Together they decided to use the experience they had gained in Asia to create ProntoPro. In two years, the start-up became the number one marketplace for professional services in the country. By the end of 2020, they were ready to exit, and in 2021, Wang decided to launch her own start-up, Serenis.
“With COVID, there was a lot of talk about mental wellbeing, but it was an area where there were few digital solutions. Also, on a personal level, I had done psychotherapy, which had helped me a lot, so I was passionate about the topic,” she adds. Thanks to the experience of ProntoPro, which also involved a network of psychologists, Wang launched the new project and raised €6.5 milion in the first year.
As far as the challenges facing founders, she explains that these are mainly related to culture and certain stereotypes. “At the start-up level, I would say gender discrimination is almost non-existent. It’s a very meritocratic environment. But, when I think about the world we startups interact with, there are strong biases. Investors, funds and suppliers are used to dealing with men,” she adds.
Complicating a woman’s path is the loneliness of motherhood. “I am the mother of three and I’ve noticed that in Italy there’s not enough help: from nursery schools to babysitters, the system is inadequate. Even today, women are asked to make too many sacrifices,” she adds. This is why Wang has introduced equal maternity and paternity leave at Serenis. “Start-ups can set the standard, in this respect: they can implement solutions quickly thanks to lean structures and a modern, open mindset.” The call to the starter-uppers of the future is to break the rules.
“Girls often set their own limits. It’s a cultural inheritance, and when you’re used to restraint from an early age, it’s difficult to jump in and take risks. But you have to do it. My final piece of advice? I tell young people not to look for the most lucrative internship, but to choose companies where they can learn a lot from their initial experience.”
