ABOUT US
Our story
Diamante Società Benefit (SB) srl is the result of a positive fervent movement involving research, public funding, innovation awards, start-up competitions, and European projects.
It all started from Linda Avesani’s idea of using plants to produce compounds with high added value to develop new therapeutic and diagnostic systems for autoimmune diseases. Supported by Dr. Roberta Zampieri, some initial diagnostics and therapies are developed.
Given the excellent scientific results, Linda and Roberta, understanding the potential of the project, decide to “think outside the box”, glimpsing a new entrepreneurial perspective.
Hence the involvement of Dr. Valentina Garonzi, in the task of carrying out the analysis of the economic-financial sustainability of the project. This meeting allowed for the formation of the team that is now the Company’s Board of Directors.
CORE TEAM
Founders
Valentina Garonzi
Responsible for the strategy, economic/financial and general management of the company activity.
Since the beginning CEO of Diamante, responsible for the transition from academic project to spin-off and award-winning Innovative PMI. Coordinates the financial and economic resources of the European and Italian grants. He began her career as a business analyst at CIV, a multi-family office based in Milan.
MBA, MS in Economics, MS in Social Foresight.
LINDA AVESANI
Associate professor at the University of Verona, she is an international expert in the field of Molecular Farming.
His research activities are mainly focused on the study of the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Author of numerous scientific articles concerning the production in plants of biopharmaceuticals and nanomaterials deriving from plant viruses.
Responsible for several EU funded projects (Joint Project, ESF, Horizon 2020, FIRB).
Roberta Zampieri
Head of the scientific area, PhD in Biotechnology.
She has dedicated herself to the expression in planta of molecules of pharmaceutical interest with a particular interest in the transient production of peptides through the use of different plant viruses. He has developed expertise in protein purification and characterization.
He has collaborated with Linda Avesani in various fields, in particular in the publication “Prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases by plant virus nanoparticles”, Zampieri R. et al. Advances in Science (2020).
OTHER CDA MEMBER
Elena Paola
LANATI
Lead Investor and board member
Entrepreneur, business angel, at the end of 2021, she sold her 3 companies (13 millions sales and 70 people), to Pharmalex, now part of Amerisource Bergen. As of 2023, Paola is leading two innovative and Benefit start ups in lifescience she founded, is investing in different start ups with main focus in lifescience, as business angel and is member of different board of directors/committee (Diamante, Doorway).
Evan
RENOV
Business Advisor
VC investor in high-tech and life science, Board Member, and Advisor for US/Israel-based companies.
ADVISOR TEAM
Jhon
BUTLER
Scientific Advisor
Previous Project Manager bringing new compounds to clinical proof-of-concept in pharma companies, several corporate staff functions such as Head R&D Coordination, and leading a Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine Program. Expert in molecular farming.
Patrizia
TAMMARO SILVIA
Business Advisor
+20y of experience in the financial sector.
Investor Relations Officer for listed companies and growth companies in the pre-IPO phase.
Julian
MA
Scientific Advisor
Professor Ma holds the Hotung Chair of Molecular Immunology. He has been Director of the Institute for Infection and Immunity at St George’s (London, UK) since 2014. He is the leader of the Molecular Farming field worldwide, with the coordination of several EU projects on PMF and with more than 300 publications on this topic.
Nidhi
SOFAT
Scientific Advisor
Is Professor of Rheumatology at St George’s, University of London and a Consultant Rheumatologist at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Her research interests include mechanisms of tissue damage and inflammation in rheumatic conditions and developing novel therapeutics, with more 150 articles on this topic.
JOIN US
Become a member of our team!
Send your application at
info@diamante.tech
