The space economy is expanding enormously, with the participation of an ever-increasing number of actors, and today stands at a value of about 400 billion dollars, destined to become a 'trillion economy' within a few years. With advances in technology and growth in funding, both public and private, a host of opportunities for activities have opened up – from services deriving from satellite technology, to space mining, to the development of innovative space exploration and communications technologies, to even talk of space tourism… In this Story Scanner episode, Simonetta Di Pippo, former director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and new director of the Space Economy Evolution Lab (SEE Lab) at SDA Bocconi, talks about why the space economy is such a hot topic at the moment and the opportunities it has opened up, but also the challenges such as the sustainability of the ecosystem and governance of space. Whilst Giovanni Sylos Labini, CEO of Planetek Italia, gives some insight from a company working in the space economy field.

Used for multiple purposes, from charitable projects through to music bands to fund a new album, crowdfunding has really taken off in recent years by startup companies or growing businesses as a way of accessing alternative funds. Some studies show that crowdfunding is in fact becoming a substitute for venture capital investments at the seed stage. Other studies estimate the global crowdfunding market reached a value of US$ 13.35 billion in 2021 and that it will continue to grow 15% annually in the next years. In this episode of Story Scanner podcast, Charles Williams, professor of business strategy at Bocconi, tells us about this rise of crowdfunding and the crowdfunding forms that entrepreneurs are turning to. He also talks about a recent study of his on the importance of how early-stage entrepreneurs tell their story to potential funders, looking at how crowdfunding audiences react to different narratives. Whilst Benedetto Pirro, Bocconi alumnus and cofounder of Crowdfundme, a crowdinvesting platform, tells us what trends he is seeing in the world of crowdfunding and how entrepreneurs should best prepare for a crowdfunding project.

Banking, budgeting, saving, debt and investing underpin many important financial decisions we make in our lives and ‘financial literacy’ is the ability to understand and make use of a variety of financial skills to make informed decisions and help us avoid making poor financial decisions, and thus achieve financial stability. And making informed financial decisions is more important than ever with individuals today more responsible for their personal finances and with financial services and markets rapidly changing, with developments in technology and new and more complex financial products. But indications are that widespread financial literacy is still lagging. A 2020 survey by the OECD’s International Network on Financial Education, for example, indicated that about half of the EU adult population does not have a good enough understanding of basic financial concepts. In this Story Scanner podcast, Annamaria Lusardi, a Bocconi alumna, Professor of Economics at George Washington University and director of Italy’s Financial Education Committee and Francesco Saita, professor of Financial Markets and Institutions at Bocconi, talk about the state of financial literacy around the world, why today knowing the ABC of finance is as important as knowing how to read and write, the most efficient measures and actions to help raise and promote financial literacy and how to close the financial literacy gender gap.

In the life of each of us there often comes a moment that, looked at in retrospect, appears to be a moment of change, a real turning point. When this happens in the professional sphere, the path often requires the acquisition of new and different skills and in this step lifelong learning plays a vital role, whether it is reskilling or upskilling. Back in 2017 The Economist indicated lifelong learning as the new "economic imperative" - an obligatory path for the generations that would have to face the changes onset by factors such as digital transformation which amplify the need for an accelerated reconversion of human capital and that the Covid pandemic has now only further accelerated. In this episode of Story Scanner podcast, Giuseppe Soda, Dean of SDA Bocconi school of management, talks about the role and relevance of continuous education in today’s world and the requirements it should respond to. Whilst Isabella Castiglioni, founder of DeepTrace Technologies, and Pau Rodríguez, CEO of Methinks AI, talk about the role continuous education had in the turning points in their professional lives.

For many startups, a lucrative exit is the final goal: the culmination of a journey that started with an innovative idea and has gone through rounds of financing, milestones, periods of despair and moments of euphoria. And timing the entrepreneurial exit is a make-or-break decision in most cases - with startuppers facing a dilemma between selling early at a lower price or investing in the development of their invention into a proper innovation and selling later at a higher price.. but only if they survive… In this episode of Story Scanner podcast, Bocconi professor Andrea Fosfuri, talks about his study, published in Management Science, that analyses how startups decide when to sell, which startups can best afford to wait and which have to commit to the early, less lucrative market. Federico Isenburg, Bocconi alumnus and CEO of Nutribees, talks about his experience of first exiting a startup and then buying into one. Whilst Nico Valenti Gatto, Operating Director of B4i, gives his viewpoint on if and how very early stage entrepreneurs should think about an exit and what buyers should consider when they approach a startup.

There is now light at the end of the Covid19 pandemic tunnel as we benefit, thanks toscience and research, from greater understanding of the virus and from vaccines andimproved models of care and treatment. This episode of Story Scanner looks at what wehave learnt, the role of research and how we can be better equipped to face futurepandemics. Jérôme Adda, Dean for Research at Bocconi University, talks about theimportance of research and science in the last 18 months and of his studies looking intocomparative cost-effectiveness analysis of public policies during Covid19 and otherepidemics. Aleksandra Torbica, Director of CERGAS Bocconi and special advisor tothe Chair of the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s Pan-European Commission onHealth and Sustainable Development talks about the main findings andrecommendations of the Commission‘s report  ‘Drawing light from the pandemic: a newstrategy for Health and Sustainable Development’.

The role of the mentor has been established for centuries in such fields as the arts andcraftsmanship. But only more recently have business people and scholars recognized thevital role mentors can play in the business world. A role now established as an importantfigure in company HR, career development and counselling programs and in guidingbudding entrepreneurs and startuppers. And in this particular moment mentors canplay an important role in helping rediscover motivation and confidence after thedifficult years of the Covid pandemic. In this episode of Story Scanner podcast,Bocconi’s professor Vincenzo Perrone gives insight into the importance of mentoring,the ideal characteristics of a good mentor and the essence of a positive mentor-menteerelationship. Luca Colombo, Country Director Facebook Italy, and Bernadette Bevacqua,President & CEO Henkel Italia, talk about their experiences of mentorship in thebusiness world and give some tips for mentees.

Networks shape all our lives - consisting of the web of relationships supporting the manyfunctions we fulfill in life and at work, from taking decisions to socializing, innovating, planning,learning, and developing careers. And relationship networks appear increasingly relevant todaydue to the exponential growth of interconnectedness between systems, societies, and economies– with social and competitive processes occurring in an increasingly ‘small’ world. In thisepisode of Story Scanner, Giuseppe Soda, Dean of SDA Bocconi, helps us understand moreabout the ‘power’ of networks and their relevance in the business world, including insight from a particular study on their influence on innovation and creative processes. Whilst Sonja Opper,Global Strategy professor at Bocconi, discusses with us about networks in different contextsaround the world and a study of hers on the effects of CEOs’ social networks on businessstrategy.