This project aims to guide you in developing the essential soft skills needed to successfully lead an innovative project. Through the mentoring program, you will gain awareness and preparation regarding the challenges women face in the startup world.

 

Alumnae of Politecnico di Milano, who have already founded their own startups, will accompany small groups of female students in a training path composed of four meetings. During these meetings, you will develop the entrepreneurial skills necessary to start a startup, tackling key topics such as female leadership, negotiation, resource management, networking, resilience, proactiveness in seeking investments and risk-taking.

These skills are not only crucial in the startup ecosystem but will also enhance your value as a professional in the job market.

 

The project is dedicated to female Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students in Engineering, Design, and Architecture and will be held in English.

 

Career Advisors from the Career Service will meet with the students who have correctly submitted their applications and will organize an Innovator Interview, an individual interview to highlight innovator skills, which are a fundamental requirement to access the mentorship program.

 

The project is part of the “Am I An Innovator?” pathway.

 

Join the launch event on October, 1st to learn more about the program, the mentors and the topics covered! During the kick-off, you will receive more information on how to apply and become one of the students or PhD candidates participants for mentoring.

 

To complete your registration, scroll to the bottom of the page.

 

The mentors involved are listed below:

Alessandra Accogli, CEO e Co-Founder di Sinergy Flow 

She completed her PhD at the Polytechnic University of Milan, focusing on the development and optimization of next-generation batteries based on abundant and environmentally sustainable materials, earning her degree cum laude in July 2021. In 2019, she was awarded the Rocca Foundation Doctoral Fellowship to conduct research at the Electrochemical Energy Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked on sodium–air batteries. In May 2020, she received the Lamborghini Future FAB Award – 2019 Edition in the Technology category. For her commitment to responsible innovation and technology ethics, she was also honored with the Tecnovisionarie Award, a recognition celebrating women who combine vision, sustainability, and social impact. In 2025, she received the B-Factor Award, promoted by the Fondazione Marisa Bellisario, which recognizes women capable of generating impact through leadership, innovation, and strategic vision, highlighting her as an example of female entrepreneurship driven by change and the creation of sustainable value.

 

Anastasiia Nosova, Co-founder and CEO at Cyrillic 

Technology entrepreneur, Co-Founder and CEO of Cyrillic, a deep-tech startup developing advanced technologies for AI data centers. Previously, she worked in the semiconductor industry. She later founded "Anastasi In Tech," a YouTube show and one of the largest independent media platforms covering AI, semiconductors, and the future of computing. Her content reaches millions of professionals worldwide and features interviews with leading researchers, founders, and executives shaping the future of technology. Anastasiia has a background in electrical engineering and has completed an executive education program at Stanford University. She is currently completing her MBA at POLIMI Graduate School of Management. Through her entrepreneurial activities, she advocates for breakthrough computing technologies that can power the next era of AI.

 

Federica Biancon, Chief Operations Officer, Operational Scaleup at PhotonPath 

Management Engineer with an MBA from MIP Graduate School of Business of Politecnico di Milano (now GSoM), completed partly at California Polytechnic State University. My journey in innovation began at PoliHub, where I worked as an Investment Manager supporting entrepreneurial projects born within the Politecnico di Milano ecosystem, from students to researchers to faculty. I helped first-time founders launch their startups and prepare for fundraising, and was directly involved in setting up Poli360, the deep tech fund dedicated to early-stage ventures from the university. After that, I moved to Berlin to join the Corporate Venture Capital arm of Hyundai Motor Group, gaining hands-on experience in CVC investments and open innovation. I later returned to Italy to join PhotonPath, one of the projects I had supported in its early days, as COO and late co-founder. Today, I lead all operational aspects of the company, from financial planning and investor relations to supply chain, production, and team development. I’m passionate about turning ideas into real businesses and helping others grow through practical, honest mentorship, especially women who are ready to shape their own entrepreneurial journey. 

 

Georgiana Olteanu, Perfecting Stent-graft Implantation at AllStent

From Romania, I began my journey in Biomedical Engineering with a bachelor’s degree at University Politehnica of Bucharest, before pursuing a master’s degree at the Polytechnic University of Milan. During my studies, I completed several internships across different areas of the healthcare sector, including a project at University College London and a one-year experience as Founder’s Associate at DaVinci Salute, now a recognized digital health scale-up. At Polimi, I actively participated in university life by taking part in initiatives such as Am I an Innovator?, the Startup Bootcamp, and other Career Service activities, while also serving as an ambassador for the Biomedical Engineering program. For the past year, I have been co-founder of AllStent, a deeptech startup developing digital twin technologies to support preoperative planning in TEVAR surgeries. Within the team, I am responsible for marketing, investment strategy, and relationships with partners and stakeholders, with the goal of bringing concrete and scalable innovation to the healthcare sector.

 

Lucia Chierchia, Managing Partner & Chief of Open Innovation Ecosystems at GELLIFY 

Adjunct Professor at Politecnico di Milano GSoM and Bologna Business School.
25 years professional experience in global technology organizations, in aerospace and consumer good sectors.
Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering in Politecnico di Milano; Executive Master in Technologies & Innovation Management in Bologna Business School.
BoD member in different accelerators and startups.
Most Powerful Women FORTUNE Italia, Inspiring Fifty, Unstoppable Women StartupItalia

 

Maria Alexandra Cetățoiu, Co-Founder at CC Cardio

PhD candidate in Bioengineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan. Her research, supervised by Francesca Berti and Giancarlo Pennati, and conducted in collaboration with the CardioEngineering Team and the BioCardioLab, focuses on the development of advanced computational pipelines for the study, diagnosis, and treatment of complex congenital heart diseases. Prior to starting her PhD, she earned a Master’s degree in Medical Sciences from the Warren Alpert Medical School. She is also co-founder of CC Cardio, a MedTech startup recently awarded first place at the Boldbrain Startup Challenge, focused on the development of a circulatory support pump specifically designed for single-ventricle hearts.

 

Mariagrazia Brunetti, Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO, Board Member, Experienced BusinessManager

Mariagrazia is the founder of Quence, an Italian company focused on SW Quality Assurance & Testing Automation and ALM for IT and Financial Markets. After the Master Degree in Electronic Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, she started her career in Agusta Helicopter in the SW Engineering Team, where she led an international SW Engineering Project dealing with the SW Methodologies and standards for a new helicopter’s on-board SW.  In 1995 she joined SIA SPA and in late 90s she moved to an italian System integrator specialized in consulting and SW Development and projects for the Telco Mobile Infrastructure Providers. In 2014 founded Quence who’s mission was to bring SW Quality Assurance, SW Testing, Application Lifecycle Management methodologies, best practices and processes to face and win the challenges of Agile, DevOps and shortening of Time-to-Market of SW-Centered businesses and companies. In 2022 Quence was acquired by TXT e-solutions SPA, an Italian fast-growing Group listed in the Italian Stock Exchange that aggregates an ecosystem of excellences, as TXT Quence is the expert in SW QA for all the TXT Group. She led the position also as a CEO and Member of the Board till April 2025. From 2021 to 2025 she also was Vice President and member of the Directors Council of Assintel, the national association of reference for ICT and Digital companies of Confcommercio - Imprese per l'Italia. She started and led the “Innovation Women2030” working Group. From 2023 she participates as a Mentor to the Women Empowerment Program initiative.

 

Selvaggia Fagioli, Co-Founder & COO at SenseFound 

SenseFound is a startup management system that supports you from idea validation to achieving a market fit. We combine the precision of AI with the expertise of humans to scientifically validate startup ideas. Our platform analyses data points such as market size, competition, customer interviews, pricing validation and technical feasibility, and delivers a clear 'Build, Pivot or Kill' recommendation backed by evidence.

I am also the PMO and an investor at TechBricks, a venture studio that transforms innovation and talent into enterprises by connecting frontier technology with impact capital to address the significant challenges that future generations will face. I am a speaker and role model for younger generations, promoting diversity among startup founders and investors. I am also the co-founder of My Career Canvas, an inclusive platform that empowers individuals to take control of their professional lives and reach their full potential, regardless of their status, age, skills, or background.

 

We look forward to seeing you! Register now!

Places for this activity are limited and participation confirmation will follow the chronological order of registration.