about me:

Marco
Mari

Marco Mari

Entrepreneur + Researcher

2025

I am the Co-Founder of Italia Innovation and a PhD Candidate in Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering at Politecnico di Milano.
I am working on a general grounded theory of corporate statecraft. I am a graduate in International Relations at Harvard University and Juridical Science at Università Cattolica di Milano.

about me:

Marco
Mari

Marco Mari

Entrepreneur + Researcher

2025

I am the Co-Founder of Italia Innovation and a PhD Candidate in Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering at Politecnico di Milano.
I am working on a general grounded theory of corporate statecraft. I am a graduate in International Relations at Harvard University and Juridical Science at Università Cattolica di Milano.

research
interests:
political economy
corporate governance
regional economics
business history

research
interests:
political economy
corporate governance
regional economics
business history

The Thing I Enjoy Most:

Blurring the boundaries between research and practice

Thanks to my combined business and academic background, I enjoy diving into entrepreneurial ventures and cultural discoveries.

California Innovation Program
2019
I explored California’s manufacturing frontier, working alongside Italian and global actors to understand how value creation is reinvented within an audacious innovation ecosystem.
Research Program
San Francisco, CA
Una Nuova Stagione
2023
I engaged citizens and local stakeholders across territorial contexts in open-dialogue formats to co-design actionable pathways for economic and social development.
Living Lab
Valdagno, IT
illy Foundry
2016
I designed a corporate–startup initiative within illycaffè’s innovation ecosystem, collaborating with designers, developers, and business creators to shape next-generation experiences in the premium coffee domain.
Corporate Venture
San Francisco, CA
Panettone
2019
I prototyped an authentic farm-to-table interpretation of an Italian artisanal icon, merging heritage craftsmanship with Californian raw-material sustainability.
Product Development
San Francisco, CA

The Thing I Enjoy Most:

Blurring the boundaries between research and practice

Thanks to my combined business and academic background, I enjoy diving into entrepreneurial ventures and cultural discoveries.

California Innovation Program
2019
I explored California’s manufacturing frontier, working alongside Italian and global actors to understand how value creation is reinvented within an audacious innovation ecosystem.
Research Program
San Francisco, CA
Una Nuova Stagione
2023
I engaged citizens and local stakeholders across territorial contexts in open-dialogue formats to co-design actionable pathways for economic and social development.
Living Lab
Valdagno, IT
illy Foundry
2016
I designed a corporate–startup initiative within illycaffè’s innovation ecosystem, collaborating with designers, developers, and business creators to shape next-generation experiences in the premium coffee domain.
Corporate Venture
San Francisco, CA
Panettone
2019
I prototyped an authentic farm-to-table interpretation of an Italian artisanal icon, merging heritage craftsmanship with Californian raw-material sustainability.
Product Development
San Francisco, CA