I was born in 1980 in Florence, Italy - the birth place of the Renaissance. At the age of four I moved with my family to Nicaragua, a country that was undergoing the Sandinista revolution.
For the next few years we traveled and lived between Italy and Nicaragua. It was then that I developed my love for traveling and different cultures. Most importantly it helped me to see the injustice and struggle that poor people face.
At the age of 13 I started illegally riding my sister’s scooter around the narrow streets of Florence. The next year I made the Italian National Rowing team. The following years were filled with success at Italian Championships, numerous national and regional races, wining important international races and participating in the World Rowing Championship.
I gave up rowing to dedicate more time to my studies. In 2002 I graduated cum laude and several honors with a bachelor of science in chemistry and a minor in mathematics. Then I pursued a master’s degree in business and biotechnology, which allowed me to secure a job after graduation and become a published author in the scientific journal, Nature.
At the age of 24 I started working for a pharmaceutical consulting company. I had a big office overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Orange County, California working for Fortune 100 clients.
Two years later, all that would change and I would find myself negotiating room rates in run-down hotels or trying to find a safe place to pitch my tent with no income and a bmw bike that is getting tired. Along the way I found amazing people that made all the sacrifices worthwhile.
The trip finished after 12 months on the road, visited 21 countries and riden 55,000km. I started from scratch in Nicaragua - no money and no job. Now I have a series of start-ups that are generating money, some pay for my adventures and some are non-profit with a social purpose.

I still travel quite a bit for work and get my adventure fix!