Habacus was born in 2017 from an initiative of the current CEO Paolo Cuniberti, who has almost thirty years of experience in the financial sector in investment banks and international finance that led him to found this company to bring innovation to the model of student loans for students in need of more or less advanced education.Habacus was born in 2017 from an initiative of the current CEO Paolo Cuniberti, who has almost thirty years of experience in the financial sector in investment banks and international finance that led him to found this company to bring innovation to the model of student loans for students in need of more or less advanced education.

The world of educational loans in Italy is light years away from European standards. While abroad it is in fact common practice to stipulate financing contracts with credit institutions before enrolling at university, this issue is semi-discovered in our country.

In fact, students mostly rely on the most widespread welfare in Italy, which is the family welfare and which translates into an outlay ranging from 34 to 45 thousand euros for a three-year period at public universities, figures that obviously rise exponentially if one chooses private facilities. Schools in Italy are among the most expensive in Europe, scholarships are few and spread in an uneven and structured way and, despite this, the issue of educational loans is virtually unknown.

A hiatus that limits access to post-diploma training and is reflected in the economy and the country’s prospects: statistics (as confirmed by the in-depth study below, ed.) indicate that for years there has been a growing gap between the levels of education in Italy and those of other Western countries, and how the famous “social elevator” is out of order, with a selection of talents that actually rewards census more than merit and that in the long term leads to a loss of competitiveness at 360°, for companies, institutions and society as a whole.

This is exactly the gap that Habacus – on which LIFTT announced an investment of €300,000 within a total round of €1,820,000 – aims to bridge with its proprietary digital platform. In the €1million and €820,000 investment round in which mostly individuals participated, LIFTT instead participated as the first institutional investor.

The investment and support will help the realization of the objectives, such as continuing the development of the business from both the technological and commercial side, the strengthening of the structure and the search for new partnerships.Habacus is a de facto first mover in this sector and gathers around its platform all the stakeholders of the “knowledge eco-system”, which is strategic for the growth of the country-system.

Habacus provides first of all an orientation to the students who request the certification, guiding them to conscious and coherent study choices, and then allows students to find funds as credit instruments in the most different forms and/or as scholarships. The idea of Habacus is to act as a privileged interlocutor between the world of credit and that of the school, guiding and rationalizing the educational path of students, facilitating their access to student loans thanks to the certification of academic performance and credits through its platform.

Habacus is a de facto first mover in this sector and gathers around its platform all the stakeholders of the “knowledge eco-system”, which is strategic for the growth of the country-system. The company has already established partnerships with over 900 educational institutions, banks and companies: more than 20,000 students have already been certified to access the services provided by the platform. A win/win system that, thanks to digital innovation, facilitates orientation and schooling, empowering young people and facilitating future access to the world of work.

LIFTT’s investment will be focused on the development of IT and commercial areas and consolidates the presence in the education industry, where we are already active with Usophy and Maieutical Labs. A sector that reflects the vision of sustainable investment, positive impact on the territory and technology transfer that is part of our DNA.“We believe and strongly support this initiative that is totally in line with the vision of LIFTT to build a strong interaction between the world of research and education and the real economy. Habacus makes educational lending and high-level training accessible and sustainable, creating an “ecosystem of knowledge” unprecedented in Italy that involves all the strategic stakeholders for the growth of the system-Country, and represents a key lever to ensure the future of our country through the best possible enablers: young people.”