VGen

What VGen does

VGen (legal entity VGen LAB S.r.l.) is an Italian crowdsourcing and talent acquisition platform headquartered in Rome that connects companies with the under-30 demographic through challenge-based competitions and community-driven engagement. Founded in 2018, the company operates a two-sided model: on the demand side, enterprises and government entities such as BIP, Accenture, Randstad, Azimut, EY, Deloitte, Eni Joule, and Trentino Sviluppo commission challenges, hackathons, business games, job simulations, talent programs, and HR marketing campaigns; on the supply side, young participants access these opportunities through a community network of 60+ student associations, university clubs, Junior Enterprises, and media pages spanning Italian universities. The platform's product suite includes the VGen Platform itself, Challenges (with sub-types covering Job Position, Job Simulation, Talent Program, Call4Ideas, Hackathon, and Idea Generation), Ambassador Programs, Live Webinars, in-person events, and paid training pathways (Percorsi di Formazione) such as the Enterprise Architecture course co-developed with BIP, Cefriel, and Politecnico di Milano.

The underlying technology is described in general terms as a crowdsourcing platform without a documented proprietary stack, SDK, or API. Distribution is the company's primary asset: a peer-to-peer community network that it sells to enterprise clients as its core employer-branding value proposition. Revenue is generated through three professional-services streams — corporate challenge and hackathon organization, HR marketing and employer branding services, and participant-paid training courses priced in EUR inclusive of VAT — with a 20% referral discount on training purchases and a 14-day refund policy. Pricing for corporate services is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company remains Italy-only in operations despite a "Europe" market classification, has 1-10 employees, has not raised disclosed funding, and is led by co-founders Gabriele Belfiore and Riccardo Madrigali (CEO), with Ludovica Franchitti as CMO.

VGen's commercial model is fundamentally a services business wrapped around a community distribution moat rather than a SaaS or marketplace product, with revenue predictability tied to a small set of repeat enterprise clients (notably BIP and Azimut) and to the cadence of challenge-based engagements that the community network can support.

Name

VGen

Legal name

VGen LAB S.r.l.

Website

https://vgen.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VGen is an Italian crowdsourcing platform that connects enterprises such as BIP, Accenture, EY, and Eni Joule with under-30 talent through challenges, hackathons, training programs, and HR marketing campaigns distributed via a 60+ partner university community network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Talent Acquisition Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Vendor Management System (VMS) & MSP-Led Contractor Programs (BPACAGAF)

Keywords

• Talent acquisition platform
• Crowdsourcing challenges
• Employer branding services
• Hackathon organization
• Graduate recruitment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Training Programs and Courses: VGen sells training pathways (Percorsi di Formazione) to participants, including certification upon completion. These are priced in EUR inclusive of VAT and can be purchased through the platform.
2. Challenge and Hackathon Organization Services: VGen organizes challenges, hackathons, and business games for corporate partners, providing talent acquisition and employer branding services. Companies launch challenges to source solutions and identify talent, with VGen facilitating the full experience.
3. HR Marketing and Employer Branding Services: VGen supports companies with tailor-made HR marketing activities to improve employer brand targeting young talent under 30. Services include ambassador programs, online/offline events, and targeted campaigns distributed across the VGen community network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VGen operates a digital platform that connects companies with young talent (under 30/35) through challenge-based engagements including Challenges, Hackathons, Job Simulations, Talent Programs, Business Games, and HR Marketing campaigns. Companies pay VGen to design, organize, and distribute these engagement programs, leveraging VGen's nationwide community network of students, universities, and associations to source candidates, crowdsource ideas, and build employer brand. VGen also sells paid Training Programs (Percorsi di Formazione) directly to individual participants with certification upon completion.

Product overview

VGen operates as a platform-plus-community model consisting of the core VGen Platform (crowdsourcing/challenge platform), the Community network (largest Italian under-35 talent network), and multiple engagement products including Challenge, Job Simulation, Hackathon, Business Game, Live Webinar, Events in Presenza, Ambassador Program, HR Marketing, and Talent Program. The Blog serves as a content and thought leadership channel. Companies use VGen to run challenges, hackathons, and talent programs to recruit young professionals, while students and graduates participate to win prizes, gain experience, and access job opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 university and student association events conducted for Azimut across multiple Talent Program editions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core, major and regional.

• ALITURminorOthersALITUR is a student association in the engineering field based in Rome. Listed as a community partner of VGen, contributing to the distribution network of under-30 engagement activities.
• BEST MilanminorOthersBEST (Board of European Students of Technology) is a global student organization active at Politecnico di Milano. VGen community partner for tech-focused student engagement.
• BEST Tor VergataminorOthersBEST at University of Rome Tor Vergata, listed as a community partner with a tech focus.
• CaFoscariNowminorOthersStudents union at Ca' Foscari University Venice, focused on social innovation. Community partner of VGen.
• E-Club PolimiminorOthersEntrepreneurship club at Politecnico di Milano, one of VGen's community partners.
• JEMIBminorOthersJunior Enterprise at Università Milano-Bicocca. VGen supported JEMIB's Virtuality-Unlock the Future business game as partner and sponsor.
• InvenicementminorOthersFeatured in VGen's Under 30 interview series. An innovative startup/small organization connected to VGen's ecosystem.
• JEBOminorOthersJunior Enterprise at Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, offering strategic marketing and finance consulting services. Founded in 2016 with 106 members. Part of the JEItaly network with 1000+ members nationwide.
• BIP (Business Integration Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIP is a key corporate partner that runs multiple programs through VGen including Enterprise Architecture training courses (with Cefriel and Politecnico di Milano), bootcamps, and talent programs. BIP is one of the most prominent enterprise clients featured on VGen's homepage, blog, and testimonials.
• AccenturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccenture is featured as a corporate client that has used VGen's community to find talent. Listed among 'companies that chose VGen's community to find talent' on the homepage.
• RandstadmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal staffing and recruitment company that has partnered with VGen for talent sourcing.
• AzimutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAzimut has run the Azimut Talent Program through VGen for multiple editions, targeting future financial consultants. This is a flagship case study referenced in VGen's marketing materials.
• EYmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErnst & Young has been a corporate client using VGen's platform for talent acquisition.
• DeloittemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeloitte has used VGen's community network to reach and engage young talent.
• Eni JoulemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEni Joule, the entrepreneurship and innovation arm of Eni, has partnered with VGen to engage young talent through challenges and innovation programs.
• Trentino SvilupporegionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional development agency of Trentino that has collaborated with VGen to reach young innovators.
• CefrielcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCefriel co-designs and co-delivers the Enterprise Architecture training course with BIP and Politecnico di Milano, featured on VGen's platform as a key educational partner.
• Politecnico di MilanocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolitecnico di Milano officially recognizes the Enterprise Architecture Master program co-designed by BIP and Cefriel and promoted through VGen. Listed as an academic partner in VGen's educational initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JobTeaser: France-headquartered career platform connecting students and recent graduates with employers across Europe. Operates a similar community-plus-employer model with content, events, and job/internship distribution — making it VGen's closest European peer.
• Handshake: US-based career platform built for college students and early-career talent, connecting them with employers for jobs and internships. Closely comparable mission (youth-to-employer bridge) with a direct sales motion to enterprise employers.
• WayUp: US platform focused on connecting employers with students and recent graduates for internships and entry-level roles. Highly comparable target demographic and employer-driven revenue model.
• Internshala: India-based internships and online training platform for students and young professionals. Comparable dual-sided model combining youth community with employer engagement and skill-building offerings.
• RippleMatch: US-based campus and early-career recruiting platform that uses automation to connect employers with student talent. Comparable employer customer base and challenge/hackathon-style engagement events.
• Wizbii: France-based platform for students and young graduates offering jobs, housing, events, and employer content. Closely aligned youth-community plus employer-engagement model in a European market.
• Magnet.me: Netherlands-based graduate recruitment platform that connects students with employers through profiles, events, and content. Operates a directly comparable student-to-employer matching model across Europe.
• Symplicity: US provider of career services and student-employer engagement software to universities. Comparable institutional/university customer base and employer-branding functionality, though more software-led.
• PathMotion: UK-based employer branding and candidate engagement platform enabling companies to communicate directly with prospective talent. Directly comparable HR marketing and talent community services sold to enterprise employers.

Others

• Universum: Global employer branding research, data, and insights firm serving similar enterprise clients. Comparable end customer (employers targeting young talent) but differentiated by data/research focus rather than community or events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/v0gen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vgen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VGen