Andrea Carafa is a Silicon Valley–based technology and education leader who champions a humanistic approach to technology, catalyzes responsible AI and deep tech, and builds bridges among startups, investors, academia, public sector, and industry. He currently leads the Blackstone Launchpad powered by Techstars, and teaches innovation as well as advises startups as entrepreneur in residence at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has been recognized through roles and honors including World Economic Forum Global Shaper, member of the Fast Company Impact Council, member of the Partnership on AI, MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 ambassador and judge, Berkeley SkyDeck mentor, fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and contributor to the United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation Forum, among others.

Previously, Andrea conducted research, created programs and initiatives, mentored startups, and lectured on technology innovation, human-centered design, and entrepreneurship at Stanford, the University of Milan Bicocca, Grenoble-EM, Bocconi University, and the European Commission. He co-created an EU Knowledge Alliance aimed at spurring innovation and entrepreneurship in European universities, and inspired and helped CERN build CollSpotting, a data analytics platform that facilitates collaborative research, development, and technology transfer from research labs and companies to society. He was also the founder and CEO of the consumer tech startup ArtsUp, the food biotech startup Vita, and the innovation studio GYE. He has been invited as a speaker at summits hosted by organizations such as the World Economic Forum, United Nations, The Economist, and Fast Company.