After completing his MBA in Entrepreneurship at EU Business School in 2020 and living in several countries – including Latvia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Spain – Nicolas Verderosa made a bold decision: to return to his hometown in Irpinia, a rural region in southern Italy. What many would have seen as a step back, he transformed into an opportunity. “Every time I returned from my travels, I realized how beautiful my home was. There, I saw opportunity and wonder,” he recalls. That realization became the spark for Ruralis, the company he founded to revive rural tourism and give small towns a new voice on the global stage.
The evolution of Ruralis
Ruralis did not start as the tech-driven ecosystem it is today. In its early days the company organized excursions and travel packages, operating much like a traditional agency. But one request changed everything: in 2021, a property owner asked for help uploading his villa to major booking platforms. Almost immediately, bookings surged. Verderosa quickly realized the potential – there were hundreds of accommodations in Irpinia with no digital visibility.
From there, Ruralis pivoted into something much bigger. Today, it offers hosts a comprehensive platform that connects to more than one hundred online travel agencies, including Airbnb and Booking.com. The app centralizes pricing, communication, and bureaucracy, allowing property owners to focus on what matters most: hospitality.
Technology and AI at the service of hospitality
For Verderosa, technology is not an obstacle but a lever. “The world is changing quickly and technology is booming, so you can either be afraid of it or use it to your advantage,” he says. Ruralis has chosen the second path, integrating technology and artificial intelligence to support hosts and improve guest experiences.
One example is particularly telling: if a property receives repeated complaints about a mattress, the system alerts the owner and advises a replacement. This proactive approach demonstrates how AI can make hospitality smarter and more responsive, ensuring that even the most remote rural accommodations meet modern standards.
The challenges of rural areas
Verderosa is also realistic about the obstacles rural regions face: poor infrastructure, lack of innovation, and the constant outflow of younger generations to cities. “Younger people tend to escape to the cities as there is less innovation in rural areas” he observes.
Yet the pandemic and the rise of remote work have shifted perspectives. “We now have more remote workers, who are able to live in rural areas. Before, it was impossible to start a company in a small town” he notes. Ruralis aims to seize this opportunity, contributing to a more balanced relationship between rural communities and urban centers, and helping to make local economies more sustainable.
An entrepreneurial spirit rooted in resilience
Verderosa’s drive to build businesses has been present since childhood. “I once even wanted to have a lasagna business with my grandmother” he recalls with a smile. That early spark evolved into a determined entrepreneurial mindset, one that values resilience and independence.
In Italy, where the startup ecosystem is less supportive than in countries like the U.S., he opted for bootstrapping. “Bootstrapping gives you a lot of control; We ensure that we deliver value to the client, and so from there we are able to reinvest” he explains. This approach has allowed Ruralis to grow steadily, expanding its team from five to twenty people in just one year, while increasing both sales and bookings.
The impact of international education
For Nicolas Verderosa, education has never been limited to classrooms. It began in high school, when he spent a month in England living with a host family. Later, during his economics studies in Milan, he won two Erasmus+ scholarships that took him to Latvia and Spain. Eventually, he even worked on his thesis between Italy and New York, focusing on the rise of smart working.
What might sound expensive was, in fact, often more affordable than staying at home. “Thanks to Erasmus+, it actually cost me less to live abroad than to remain in Milan, because the scholarships covered many of the expenses,” he recalls. “This experience broke the myth that you need a lot of money to educate yourself by traveling. If you look for opportunities, they exist.”
Beyond the financial side, the cultural exposure was transformative. Studying abroad meant encountering different teaching styles and perspectives. “Even if some courses felt lighter than in Italy, I learned so much simply from being exposed to international classmates and professors,” he explains. Those experiences encouraged him to think globally while staying grounded in his local roots; an approach that still defines his vision today.
A mission with heart and technology
Today, Nicolas Verderosa represents a new generation of entrepreneurs – deeply connected to their roots, but equipped with a global vision. Ruralis is more than a startup; it is a bridge between tradition and innovation, local communities and international markets.
Recognition has already come, with Verderosa being named to Italy Forbes’ “Under 30” list in the Social Impact category. Still, he remains focused on the road ahead. “There is not a specific achievement I am proud of, but many” he says, underlining that every step forward contributes to the larger mission: breathing new life into rural towns and proving that they can be a driving force for the future.