BEST Milan

What BEST Milan does

BEST Milan (legal name: BEST – Milano) is a non-profit, non-governmental student organization founded in 1998 at Politecnico di Milano and operating as the Milan local group within the broader BEST (Board of European Students of Technology) international network. It serves engineering and technology students primarily through three core offerings: BEST Courses (academic courses delivered by European professors and industry experts, recognized with 1 ECTS credit per completed course), Events and Competitions (engineering challenges, regional meetings, and symposiums distributed across 81+ Local BEST Groups), and Student-Company Connections (workshops, lectures, competitions, and training sessions linking students with potential employers). The organization does not operate proprietary technology of its own, instead leveraging the broader BEST international network platform and standard digital tools for event management and member coordination.

The business model is non-commercial: courses are subsidized with participant costs capped at a maximum of 80 euros plus travel, covering board, lodging, academic instruction, and cultural visits. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and there are no funding rounds or external investors; operations are supported through volunteer leadership, parent affiliation with BEST International, and a portfolio of corporate partnerships including Siemens, EY, Reply, Fincons, Agorize, Red Bull, VGen, Citterio, Snow Week, and Tech Europe Foundation. Go-to-market is community-led, with continuous open recruitment at Politecnico di Milano's Campus Leonardo, complemented by an organic social presence on Instagram, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn, and a Linktree hub consolidating external links.

The organization reports its parent network reaches 96 universities across 32 countries with 3,300+ active members and approximately 1 million students engaged annually, positioning BEST Milan as one node in a pan-European student ecosystem. Leadership consists of student volunteers, including President Luis Mariduena, Secretary Dylan Ortiz, and Vice President for Human Resources Marco De Bernardi, with the main office located at Campus Leonardo, Building 25, 1st floor.

Name

BEST Milan

Legal name

BEST – Milano

Website

https://bestmilan.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BEST Milan is a non-profit student organization founded in 1998 at Politecnico di Milano, delivering subsidized academic courses, competitions, and career programs to engineering and technology students as the local chapter of the pan-European BEST network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Extracurricular & Educational Programs

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships (EDAHAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA), Transfer/University-Parallel Community Colleges (EDAHADAF)

Keywords

• Student organization services
• Academic course programs
• Engineering competitions
• International student networking
• Intercultural exchange programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership and course participation: As a non-profit student organization, BEST Milan operates through voluntary participation. Courses are subsidized with participant costs capped at 80 euros maximum plus travel, making events accessible without generating profit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BEST Milan is a non-profit student organization that delivers subsidized academic courses, engineering competitions, intercultural events, and student-company connection programs for engineering and technology students. Its core offerings are technical and cultural courses (with 1 ECTS credit recognition, capped at 80 euros plus travel), networking events and competitions across the European BEST network, and corporate exposure programs linking students with partner companies such as Siemens, EY, and Reply.

Product overview

BEST Milan is a student organization (not a commercial product company) offering a portfolio of services including: BEST Courses (academic excellence through technical education with 1 ECTS credit recognition), Events and Competitions (networking and skill-building activities across Europe), and Student-Company Connections (bridging students with employers through workshops and training). The organization operates as a unified service portfolio focused on student development, international networking, and career preparation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BEST Courses Academic courses offered to students from across Europe covering technical topics through lectures, workshops, and case studies led by top European professors and industry experts. Courses are recognized with 1 ECTS credit and are subsidized at a maximum of 80 euros participation plus travel, covering board, lodging, academic courses, and cultural visits.
• Events and Competitions Engineering challenges, competitions, and events organized across the BEST network, including trips, Regional Meetings, and Symposiums for Education. These enable networking opportunities among European engineering students.
• Student-Company Connections Programs that connect students with corporate partners through workshops, lectures, competitions, and training sessions, enabling companies to engage with potential recruits and helping students transition to the job market.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 ECTS credit awarded per completed course
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• VGenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVGen partnership to support student development and professional networking initiatives.
• Red BullminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnergy drink brand partnership supporting student events and activities.
• ReplyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology company partnership for student professional development.
• CitteriominorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood company partnership supporting student events.
• Snow WeekminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWinter sports event partnership for student activities.
• FinconsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIT consulting firm partnership for student professional development.
• EYminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional services firm partnership supporting student career development.
• Tech Europe FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology foundation partnership for European tech student initiatives.
• SiemensminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustrial technology company partnership for engineering student programs.
• AgorizeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInnovation platform partnership for student challenges and competitions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ELSA (European Law Students' Association): Pan-European student-run association with local groups at universities, organizing academic events, competitions, and international exchanges. Same volunteer-led, multi-country university chapter model as BEST Milan.
• ESTIEM: European Students of Industrial Engineering and Management; organizes local groups at technical universities across Europe, running competitions, lectures and company visits for engineering students. Highly comparable as a pan-European, student-led engineering network.
• EESTEC: Electrical Engineering Students' European association; organizes workshops, exchanges and conferences for electrical engineering students across Europe. Directly comparable as a European student-run technical university network.
• IAESTE: International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience; runs paid technical internships and exchanges across 80+ countries. Closest functional peer to BEST Milan's cross-border engineering student mobility and company-bridged programming model.

Broad incumbents

• AIESEC: Global youth-led organization running international exchanges and leadership programs across 100+ countries. Broader and more established than BEST Milan, but analogous in combining student mobility, partnerships, and volunteer-led local chapters.
• IEEE Student Branch: Global student chapters of IEEE hosted at technical universities; run technical talks, competitions and networking for engineering students. Similar university-anchored, student-volunteer model with industry sponsor overlap.

Others

• European Students' Union (ESU): Umbrella organization representing national student unions across Europe. Thematically adjacent as a pan-European student network, but focused on policy and representation rather than course delivery.

Regional players

• EuroTech Universities: Alliance of leading European technical universities including Politecnico di Milano. Comparable in enabling cross-university engineering student activity, though operating at the institutional rather than student-organization level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/best-milan
• Instagraminstagram.com/best.milan

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 BEST Milan