Building relationships
I strongly believe that ambition and ingenuity are the most fascinating qualities of humanity and nothing motivates me more than discovering and supporting founders with big dreams and bold ideas.
As I repeat myself on a regular basis: “Shoot for the moon, even if you miss it you will land among the stars”. V. Peale
While ambition and big ideas drive progress, in the innovation space where challenges are high and the error margin is slim, they are insufficient without practical team qualities. Therefore, I prioritize founders who pair their dreams with qualities that foster strong teamwork such as respect, trust, transparency, adaptability, receptiveness, and dedication. These traits, in my opinion, are what truly transform ideas with great potential into lasting success.
Background
As you may have guessed from my name, I hail from a small town in Northern Italy called Montecchio Maggiore that, not many people know, inspired the timeless tale of Romeo and Juliet. My journey has been anything but conventional, so bear with me…
As a child, I dreamt of becoming a footballer (though I wouldn’t have minded being an astronaut either). From the age of four, I poured my energy and passion into making that dream a reality and I managed to play as a goalkeeper at a semi-professional level from the age of 16 to 26.
It was eventually time to grow up and, in 2016, I moved to the United Kingdom to pursue a PhD in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Liverpool. After completing my doctorate, I joined the University of Leeds as a researcher working on validating a promising small-molecule therapeutic designed to prevent muscle wasting. While I enjoyed my time in the lab, I soon realised that my true passion lies in helping translate great ideas into tangible, positive impacts on society.
Determined to move further along the innovation chain, I transitioned into the University of Leeds' commercialisation team (TTO). My focus was primarily on Life Sciences and Medtech opportunities, though I also supported projects in DeepTech, AgriTech, FoodTech, and EdTech. During this time, my colleagues and I worked with academics to commercialise their clever inventions by launching new spin-out companies and helping them in securing investment as well as licensing deals with organizations around the world.
In 2025, I joined Mercia Ventures with a clear objective: to support ambitious founders in bringing their bold ideas to life and creating a lasting, positive impact on society.
I'm excited to partner with founders who dare to dream big and transform their great ideas into life-changing innovations
- Sport
- Astronomy
- Harry Potter
