Since graduating from Westminster in 2023, Riccardo Facciolongo has gone onto sell his Westminster Big Idea competition public vote-winning business EasyTap and found another start-up, Fastech. As Riccardo takes the next steps in his career, he shares his journey so far to inspire other Westminster entrepreneurs.
Why did you choose to study at the University of Westminster?
I was looking for a university that combined an international perspective, entrepreneurial support and a practical course that would help me on my career path. The fact that Westminster was in a central location, just near Baker Street Underground Station for the Westminster Business School, made me think of the opportunities and the connections that you can make living in a location like London. People told me that at Westminster they support students who think outside of the box. If you want to stand out, they offer loads of programmes, from support with your early-stage startup and your idea, to consultation on your CV, cover letters and much more. Also, I was really interested in the Economics and Management BA Honours course, which offers flexibility and a wide range of modules. I liked the personalisation that you have in the second year, when you can choose elective models and personalise your studies.
What inspired you to set up EasyTap?
The idea came to me during a networking event organised by the university. There were lots of students and professionals meeting for the first time, exchanging ideas and contact details. But everyone was using paper business cards and honestly, it just felt completely out of place in a world where everything else is digital. People were handing me their cards, and I found myself either losing them, stuffing them in my pocket or wasting time typing their details into my phone. It was slow, messy, and impractical. I remember one moment clearly: a man gave me his card, and while trying to manually add his info, I stopped and said, “You know what? Let’s just connect on LinkedIn.”
Later that day, I was on the Tube, and as I tapped my contactless card at the barrier, it suddenly clicked - why aren’t we using the same Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to instantly share contact information? From there, I started doing research to build something practical, scalable and sustainable: a digital business card that’s reusable and helps people connect instantly. In my vision, this wasn’t just a card, it was a full networking tool, supported by an app that lets you track the location where you connect, see analytics like card clicks, and export contacts. These tools are valuable not just for students building their network, but also for professionals, salespeople and companies who attend events and need to connect with dozens of people at a time efficiently and meaningfully.
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Well, the journey has been long. It’s like a roller coaster, there are ups and downs all the time, so resilience is really important. Balancing studies and startup life is a challenge, because you’re doing a degree which requires you to study constantly while also running a business and overcoming all the challenges that come at the beginning. I faced an issue with the Co-founder I started the journey with who in the end disconnected me from the first version of the idea. From there, I had to build everything from scratch again. I also had trademark issues. I applied for the trademark too late and another company registered a similar name to mine, so I had to face a legal dispute with the other party. I also had to manage a team without any large funding, especially in the early stages. These are all factors that influence your stress levels, but after all, it's been extremely rewarding with everything I’ve learnt and the experiences I've had, and I'm immensely grateful for the people that I’ve connected with. What helped me was resilience, the mentorship and support I received from people around me and knowing to never give up!
How did your course at Westminster help prepare you for starting and running a successful business?
The course gave me strong foundations in strategy, economics and marketing, which I directly used when building EasyTap. It gave me support when I started to build a business plan, validate my idea with surveys and do market research, but most importantly, Westminster encouraged me to explore the risk and ask questions. The fact that I could talk with my professors any time I wanted and with people that have many years of experience in teaching and supporting businesses, as well as the entrepreneurship support at the University, the mentorship and the enterprise workshops, were all really helpful.
You participated in the Big Idea competition at Westminster. How did the competition help you achieve your goals?
It gave me a structure. I learned how to present my pitch clearly to judges, explain my business model in an effective way and most importantly, the Big Idea helped me to validate my idea early on. When you have an idea, what you want is to get feedback and feel like you're actually doing something good, because so far, it’s all in your mind and you need to build it and make it live for the markets. So, with the Big Idea, it was great just to get all the feedback from the judges, and the colleagues also offered really detailed and useful advice to prepare you to pitch at the final round. At first, I didn't win, but it gave me the energy to keep going with what I was building. The second time I joined in 2023 I made it to the finals, won the public vote and secured £5,500. This helped me to build the second version of EasyTap, so moving from a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to a complete product and taking it to the next level. To conclude, it gave me confidence, and I felt seen and supported.
You provided three student internship programmes over three years. Why do you think it is important that students can access real-life work experience?
Theory is important, but it’s nothing compared to building something real. With EasyTap I ran three internship programmes over three years, which involved over 50 students joining to work in marketing, development, and operations. What’s great is that you’re given the opportunity to do work that has an actual impact on a startup. For us, they weren’t just interns, they were contributors, and this experience helps students test what they're good at, build confidence, create a network and share ideas between each other.
Can you share a moment from your time at Westminster that stands out as a key learning experience?
I would definitely say the Big Idea. Pitching at the finals in front of many people helped me to build my confidence and learn to simplify complex ideas because when I need to talk about the technicality of my app, it's not always understandable for the audience. So, it taught me how to simplify complex ideas.
Another standout moment was the University providing me the opportunity to lunch with Westminster alumnus Tej Lalvani, CEO of Vitabiotics and former Dragon’s Den investor. This is one of the many examples of what the University can do if they see that you want to work hard and have an idea that has potential.
What advice would you give to current Westminster students with dreams of starting a business or who are just embarking on their entrepreneurial journey?
Don’t wait for the perfect time. Start a small test, be open to feedback and use the University to experiment. Ask for help and access all the resources around you. Really take advantage of all the moments because when you’re at university it seems like it's a long journey to graduation. But then when you arrive to the graduation you think how fast it has gone. So really try to take advantage of all the support they can give you. Ask questions in class and try to participate in all the programmes that the University provides. For example, the Big Idea competition.
What is next for you?
I exited EasyTap in January 2025 and have continued working on my other company, Fastech Solutions Ltd. Our mission is to help businesses grow and establish a strong online presence by building smart digital strategies and delivering tailored IT solutions. One of our most exciting milestones so far has been collaborating with Benefit Cosmetics UK, part of the LVMH Group. Right now, my focus is on scaling Fastech, supporting other founders with their digital growth, and continuing to learn and evolve as I build this next chapter.
Learn more about Business and Management courses at the University of Westminster.
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