young professional of the year
2020
GILROY
spice of life awards
Gianfranco
I
FILICE
Written By Kimberly Ewertz
t’s not surprising that Gianfranco
Filice was selected as Young
Professional of the Year consider-
ing all that he’s achieved in his 21
years. Out of an intern class of 350 he
was the only college freshman selected
to join Visa as a business analyst. He
also interned at the global management
consulting firm, McKinsey & Company,
after being selected from more than
100,000 applicants. He also spent a
summer working as a business analyst
in Goldman Sachs’ New York office, and
most recently with the venture capital
firm, Matrix Partners. As if that weren’t
enough, he’ll be starting work with a
group equity firm upon graduating from
Stanford this June.
How has this young man accom-
plished so much? His answer: his par-
ents, Franco and Nadina Filice.
“My mom is amazing, I don’t think I
would have the eloquence or the ability
to articulate my ideas without her,” he
said. “She has modeled for me what it
means to be a human being that can
spread love and joy regardless.”
It’s no wonder his mother has been
such a powerful role model. When
Gianfranco was 13, Nadina was diag-
nosed with Stage IV stomach cancer and
given a slim chance of survival.
“I saw my parents meeting with dif-
ferent doctors and constantly going
through chemo treatments. It was a dif-
ficult time,” he said.
His father Franco, has equally influ-
enced his life.
“There was a period of three or four
years where my dad stopped working
and became mom’s personal nurse,”
Gianfranco said. “He’s been very sup-
portive and definitely someone who has
helped model and shape my view of
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SPRING 2020
the world. I’m very lucky to get to have
these two role models in my life.”
After witnessing all his family went
through, Gianfranco realized that time
is a precious commodity and he wanted
to make a difference. At the age of 14,
he focused his energies on founding his
own company, Ripple Designs, which
produced creatively-designed products
tied to charitable donations. During the
company’s run, Ripple provided over
10,000 people with access to drinking
water and 5,000 emergency meals. But
even with the success of the company,
he felt unfulfilled.
“I was at an extremely low point,”
he said.
At age 20, he decided it was time to
focus his attention inward, but to do that
he would need help.
“As one learns how to struggle one
learns how to deal with pain,” he said.
“And life, with its ebbs and flows, will
always find a way to test your persis-
tence and your ability to maintain your
character in the face of difficulty.”
Gianfranco began working with a
life strategist and 18 months later came
away with the realization that the deep-
est sense of fulfilment comes from giv-
ing, and he wants to give to those who
need it the most.
“Roughly fifty percent of all Americans
are four hundred dollars from financial
ruin,” he said.
With his long-range goal of estab-
lishing a financial technology company
aimed at creating an automated and
tailored solution to address that prob-
lem, Gianfranco knows he can make a
difference.
“That’s something I’m willing to
devote my life to. Character equals desti-
ny and destiny equals fulfillment in life.”
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