From college pals to billionaires

FOUR former college friends who founded software rollup Bending Spoons SpA have emerged as Italy’s youngest cohort of self-made billionaires.

Matteo Danieli, Luca Ferrari, Francesco Patarnello and Luca Querella each have a net worth of more than US$2bil, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Their wealth is based on Bending Spoons’ trading debut on July 1, 2026, in New York in an initial public offering (IPO) valuing the Milan-based company at approximately US$18.4bil.