Home: Venice, Italy. Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium. Profession: Venture investor. Alma mater: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); University Catholic of Louvain (BE). Languages spoken: French, English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch.
Current project: To help scientists commercialize their inventions to save real world problems. Latest accomplishment: Mentored the team of startup Forma Systems, who won the MIT Climate and Energy Prize. Latest contribution to others: Serving on the MIT Corporation’s Visiting Committees for both the Sloan School of Management and the Department of Architecture. What’s been your big (or biggest leap)? Starting a PhD at MIT in my thirties. Hobbies: Collecting French and Italian paintings, Venetian glass, Italian design furniture and objects. Recent travel or adventure: A cultural trip to Sicily to discover the Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, and other influences.
What one word would your closest friend use to describe you? Faithful. Moral compass: Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you. How do you define a perfect friendship? Trust, reciprocity, common values, and common interests. What is your greatest joy? Watching my niece and nephew grow up. What is your greatest fear? Nuclear arms proliferation. Climate change. What is at the top of your bucket list? Seeing the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia. How do you relieve stress? Taking a walk. What ingredient is essential to your perfect vacation? Culture.
What was your first paying job? Research assistant at the Catholic University of Louvain. What was your favorite college course? Negotiation class. What book have you repeatedly read? Disciplined Entrepreneurship, by Bill Aulet. What’s prominently featured on your home or office wall? My MIT diplomas. Besides your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your life? My professors. What company or organization do you most admire? The United Nations. What personal circumstance has had the greatest influence on your life? Studying and working at MIT.
What is your big idea?
Helping academic scientists and engineers to commercialize their inventions.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field? Mentoring selected teams of academics to bring their invention to market. What change would you like to see in the world? I long for a world without war. What mega-trend most excites you? The convergence of various disciplines. What mega-trend most concerns you? Climate change. Arms proliferation. The retreat of democracy in the world.
Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? Jesus. After your loved ones, what object would you first save from your burning home? My files. What advice would you give your younger self? Follow your intuition. What day in your life would you choose to re-live? Venice with my niece and nephew, when my niece said “es el día más chulo del mundo.”
Personal mission: Supporting academic scientists and engineers in translating their laboratory breakthroughs into market-ready innovations. Personal motto: Learn by doing. Favorite quote: What is not given is lost (a proverb often attributed to Indian wisdom).
