Speech title
Inspiration, contamination, entrepreneurship: a success story from the Harvard Innovation Lab
Job Profile
While a student at Harvard, Livio co-founded Vaxess Technologies, an innovative life sciences company based on research developed by Prof. Omenetto at Tufts University and Irvine at MIT. The company develops a new class of vaccines that can be administered via a sustained-release microneedle patch and do not require refrigeration. Vaxess has raised ~$20mn from Venture Capital (Norwich Ventures/Bioinnovation Capital) and various public institutions, including the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Vaxess was also recipient of the prestigious $1mn first prize of the Verizon Powerful Answer Award. Vaxess was the recipient of first prize in the Harvard President’s Challenge for social entrepreneurship (2013) and the Harvard Business School New Venture Competition (2013).
Livio is an entrepreneur working at the intersection between private and public sector, developing breakthrough technologies for sustainable development. In 2014, Livio was named by Forbes Magazineone of the Forbes 30 under 30 top innovator under 35 by Wired Magazine. Livio was a finalist of the Rolex Award for enterprise. He also co-founded Cambridge Crops, and Moveo, start-up companies based on Harvard and MIT technologies in the robotics and ag-tech fields. Harvard Business School (HBS), Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS) and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) published teaching case-studies on Vaxess Technologies.
Livio participates to policy debate related to technology and innovation via his affiliation to Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). In 2016, he addressed the United Nations General Assembly calling for member countries to renew funding commitments for new technologies to advance Sustainable Development Goal 3 (health). He received a Master in Public Policy (MPP) from HKS and both a Bachelor and Master degree in economics from Bocconi University (summa cum laude). Before Harvard, he worked as economist at the United Nations in their Cambodia office helping farmers making silk. Livio is is an avid kitesurfer and is proud to speak some Khmer and indonesian Bahasa.
