Andrea Poffe
scholarship
In memory of the untimely death of its founder Andrea Poffe, the Zero-Gravity company supports the scholarship project for the entire cycle of studies at the Milan Polytechnic each year. The initiative aims to identify, inspire and support the new generation of students towards an entrepreneurial perspective too often mistakenly considered in Italy to be the prerogative of a select few. Just like Andrea, who started out in Verona, and was a brilliant student thanks to scholarships from the Milan Polytechnic and Harvard University in the United States, he chose to leave a position as an investment banker in New York to found Zero-Gravity, a successful entrepreneurial initiative in Italy.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
The fellowship has been active since the Academic Year 2021/2022 and currently awards a scholarship to a new student, covering the entire cycle of studies at Politecnico di Milano, three-year or single-cycle, and the tuition fees of the Collegio di Milano for 80% reduction, with student co-funding of 20%.
BENEFITS
The winner will receive a scholarship, not as a cash disbursement to the scholarship holder, but instead to directly cover the costs of:
- Enrolment at the Politecnico di Milano for 100% reduction, full coverage;
- College of Milan tuition fee for 80% reduction, with student co-funding of 20%.
The grant will continue for the entire three-year or single-cycle study cycle, subject to the following conditions:
- Fulfilment of the permanence requirements at the Collegio di Milano and in relation to the Formative Pact;
- Participation in events and testimonials related to the promotion of the Fellowship project, i.e. sharing one's experience, ambitions and reflections where appropriate.
RECIPIENTS AND CRITERIA
Students from all backgrounds may apply:
- Are currently in their fifth year of secondary school;
- Have obtained an overall average grade point average of no less than 8/10 considering the first four years of Italian upper secondary school, or foreign equivalent;
- Once new graduates intend to enrol at Politecnico di Milano in the first year of a degree or single-cycle course, by 30 October;
- Pass the selection process of the College of Milan.
Only in the event of a tie will selection be based on the criterion of the candidate residing the farthest as the crow flies from the College of Milan.
THE STORY OF ANDREA
ndrea Poffe was born in Verona on 8 April 1980 and died in Milan on 4 May 2020.
Always passionate about sport from a young age, he practised semi-professional cycling in his teens. After graduating with honours in mechanical engineering from the Milan Polytechnic, he obtained a second degree in industrial engineering from the Ecole Centrale in Paris.
After a brief academic research experience at MIT Boston in 2005, he returned to Italy. He began his professional career as a business consultant for the American company McKinsey & Co. In 2007, he returned to the US to obtain a Master's degree in Business Administration from Harvard University. He graduated in 2009 and started a new career in high finance for the investment bank Morgan Stanley, first in London and then in New York.
In 2011, at the age of 30, Andrea gave up his corporate career and returned to Italy to pursue sports and find a more rewarding lifestyle. In the same year, Andrea founded Zero-Gravity.
In 2018, Andrea opened the largest and most innovative sports centre in Italy in Milan, dedicated to acrobatic disciplines: freestyle skiing and snowboarding, parkour, acrobatic gymnastics, trampolining and aerial tools.
Today, Zero-Gravity is a well-established reality with 4 centres located in Milan, Rome, Turin and Bergamo, with over 100 professionals within it, and represents a unique example of social innovation.
