Valter Longo Ph.D., the Founder and President of the Create Cures Foundation based in Los Angeles, California (USA) and the Fondazione Valter Longo in Milan (Italy), is a best-selling author who was selected by Time Magazine as the world’s Most Influential Nutrition & Health Expert for his research on nutrition and fasting-mimicking diets to improve health and prevent disease.
An Italian-American biogerontologist and cell biologist, he is the Edna Jones Professor in Gerontology and Professor in Biological Science at University of Southern California; the Director of the Longevity Institute at USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, which is one of the leading centers for research on aging and age-related disease; and the Director of the Longevity and Cancer Program at the IFOM Institute of Molecular Oncology in Milan, Italy.
Among his awards, he has received the 2016 Glenn Award for Research on Aging, which was based on the discovery of both genes and dietary interventions able to regulate aging and prevent diseases; the 2013 Vincent Cristofalo “Rising Star” Award in Aging Research from the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR); and the 2010 Nathan Shock Lecture Award from the National Institute on Aging (NIA/NIH).
Dr. Longo opened a premier specialty clinic in Los Angeles in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Create Cures Foundation Clinic focuses on nutrition for the prevention and treatment of major chronic illnesses. The CCF’s clinic uses research-based projects on longevity, aging, and disease associated with aging and clinical studies to provide therapies and assistance in an integrative manner to combine traditional medicine with innovative, well-grounded, and integrative interventions, which helps ensure healthy lives, improve the well-being of all ages, and reduce mortality due to non-communicable diseases, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, autoimmune, neurodegenerative disease, and obesity.
Academically, Dr. Longo earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and completed post-doctoral training in the neurobiology of aging and Alzheimer’s disease at the University of Southern California (USC). His research focuses on the analysis of multiple genetic mechanisms underlying aging and the identification of therapeutic strategies, including nutrition, to slow down or halt the onset of age-related diseases.
Dr. Longo donates all profits from his books to his two charitable foundations, including his best-selling book “The Longevity Diet” (“A dieta da longevidade”), which has been translated into 20 languages and sold in more than 28 countries. His Italian books include “Alla tavola della longevità” (“The Longevity Table”) and “La longevità inizia da bambini” (“The Seeds of Longevity are Planted in Childhood”), which was recently released. In 2012, he appeared on the Emmy-nominated series “Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman” to discuss his research on prolonging longevity. Dr. Longo is also a global keynote speaker with the American Program Bureau.
Expert Clinician & Consultant
Teresa Lawsky is an expert clinician and consultant in breast health care. She has spent the last two decades, focused on the health of women. Teresa has a diverse background from nationally acclaimed cancer centers across the United States, including New York University’s (NYU) Langone Health Perlmutter Cancer Center in New York City and Hoag Memorial Hospital’s Breast Care Center in Newport Beach, California.
Teresa is currently the Founder and CEO of The Laurus Project®, a breast cancer non-profit organization. She is a member of the National Consortium of Breast Centers and the Society for Integrative Oncology. She enjoys spending her free time traveling with her husband and two young sons.
CEO and Founder at Seven Hound Ventures
Sean Trigony is an investor, serial entrepreneur, and business advisor, with a strong interest in food technology, longevity, and mental health and wellness. He is the Founder and serves as Managing Partner at Seven Hound Ventures (7HV); the single-source, boutique venture capital fund based in Los Angeles is focused on pioneering startups that curate, create, and inspire entrepreneurs to change the world. More recently, his focus has shifted towards investing in and advising companies and entrepreneurs that facilitate or accelerate the inevitable end of factory farming and the unnecessary suffering of all animals globally.
7HV’s early investments in iconic brands and businesses are improving the way technology and science come together to enhance the lives of millions of people and billions of animals around the globe every day. Mr. Trigony also serves as an Advisor to Finless Foods, a cell-cultured tuna company; an Advisor to Field Trip Health, whose mission is to heal the sick, and better the well, through therapeutic psychedelics; is a Co-Founder of Revinate, the industry-leading guest feedback and reputation management platform for the hospitality industry; and is an active investor with over 40 investments to date including Atai Life Sciences, Beckley Psytech, Jellatech, Little Spoon, L-Nutra, MindMed, Orbillion, Real Sleep, Rebellyous Foods, Spiritual Gangster, Tilray, and Vosges Haut Chocolate.
Mr. Trigony holds a degree from Vanderbilt University.
Managing Partner and Co-Head at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors
Ken Leonard is a managing partner and a co-head for Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors’ middle market direct lending strategies. Prior to joining Kayne Anderson, Mr. Leonard was with Cerberus Capital where he was a co-founder of Dymas Capital Management and helped lead the development of a middle-market, private equity-focused lending business. While at Dymas, he played a leadership role in completing over 130 transactions with underwritten commitments of more than $4.5 billion.
Prior to joining Cerberus, Mr. Leonard was a senior vice president in the merchant banking syndications team at GE Capital from 2001 to 2002, where he headed up the syndications effort. From 1998 to 2001, he oversaw the corporate finance syndications team of Heller Financial. From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Leonard served as an investment professional in the turnaround private equity group of Heller Investments, Inc. Mr. Leonard serves on the Advisory Board of Youth Technology Corps, which is a nonprofit that provides technology and engineering education to at-risk youth through after-school clubs, competitions, and camps. Mr. Leonard earned a B.A. in Finance from the University of Iowa in 1986 and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellog School of Management. He is passionate about health and wellness, as well as educating the public regarding healthspan extension.
Silicon Valley-based Global Entrepreneur and Strategist
Paolo Privitera is a Silicon Valley-based global entrepreneur and strategist with a passion for innovation and growth using the power of data, strategic analysis, creativity, and teamwork. He has more than 25 years of experience in tech and internet-based businesses.
Born and raised in Venice Italy, he founded his first Internet company in 1994 when he was 16 years old. He is currently the CEO and co-founder of Evensi, the world’s largest events discovery and promotion network, with more than 150 million events, 50 million users, 7 million event organizers. Mr. Privitera has founded 6 companies, invested in more than 70, and advised hundreds. He has also received 10 career awards and 4 of his companies had an exit. Mr. Privitera is also a mentor at 500 Startups, Google Launchpad, China Accelerator, Start-Up Chile, Health Wildcatters, and an advisor at Future Food Institute. He loves to give back and help other people and companies.
