UB Group acknowledges Stefano De Togni as beacon of courage, conviction

NEW DELHI — UB Group celebrated the glorious careers of prominent leaders from around the globe, leading by example with resilience, diligence, and perseverance on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, 2022.

The launch showcased the first edition of the unique dark mode Coffee Table Book, “Who’s Who of The World,” which was unveiled during its virtual event. This exquisite ceremony saw the presence of trailblazers from various industries like Stefano De Togni who have scaled massive heights of success and have shared their passionate journey.

With a number of patents and startups to his credit, Stefano De Togni is a leading entrepreneur from Verona, Italy. Yet among the first things he tells you is, “I have no appetite for business if the business is oriented to wealth. I’m happy only when I see somebody smiling at me, grateful for the help they received from me.”

This attitude is what defines Stefano, the man who’s out to make a difference. Born in Legnago, in a wealthy family with an older brother, Stefano was always recognized as a charismatic leader of friends, curious about everything, and open to anybody. He loved to play football, tennis, guitar and sing songs with friends.

After Classics studies (Latin, Greek, Philosophy, History) in high school, he studied Economics at Bocconi University, the most prestigious Business and Economics University in Italy. He even spent six months at HEC, the most prestigious Business University in France, as an exchange student. Yet his great interest was always Religion and Philosophy.

Stefano never liked a neoliberal and classic economy. And while he disliked the traditional economic theory and business methods, he pursued it for 30 unhappy years. With no real interest in business, he soon put all his strength and passion into innovation.

Firstly with a Start-up, HSHS, then in AtosORigin, a multinational ICT consultant company. There was never a strategy behind his choices, only a sense of confusion towards anything ‘useless’. “I felt I should have been born into the XIX century when a handshake was more worthy than a written contract,” opines Stefano.

After studying Knowledge Management in 1993 and having failed with his first start-up, he returned to work in an ICT company. He found great admiration in his colleagues and managers, who trusted him and gave him a lot of freedom to work in his unique way.

In 2004, he started four other innovative Startups, one of which was the very successful ‘Jump High Solutions’. Jump High was into Business Development and Account Management with Banks, Local and National Transport operators, and prototyping and development of mobile/web platforms integrated with proximity technologies (Barcode and NFC) in various fields such as ticketing, payment, voting, check-in for Internet, etc.

After that, there was no looking back as Stefano fast gained acclaim as a start-up mentor and business developer. Today, he is a high-end strategic advisor to diplomats, opinion leaders, artists, royal families, and UHNM networking for Peace and Development of Culture and Economy in five continents. He continues to be an experienced ICT start-up owner with a demonstrated history of working in Innovation Development and Digital Transformation.

Yet, Stefano still dreamed of deep refocused humanity goals worldwide. Thus he founded ‘Paradise 360’, an ethical marketplace similar to a social cooperative but directly controlled by him. This is his effort to follow the right path to change the world, from neoliberal capitalism founded on the maximization of profit to ethical, inclusive and supportive capitalism, where the first goal is to help and support the most fragile people.

Living a life of such accomplishment, Stefano has been bestowed with many honours. However, he doesn’t consider them his biggest achievements.

“I finished Bocconi University on time with full marks. But the most intelligent people are not those with great theoretical knowledge, but those who build something new and concrete in their lives, especially if this innovation is for the common good. So I am proud to have known Mother Teresa of Calcutta for more than my 110/110 at Bocconi University,” he says.

He adds, “I’m more proud of Paradise 360 which started five months ago, than 10 years of a great career in my first multinational ICT consulting company. From a personal point of view, I’m most proud of my daughter and my girlfriend.”