USA Europe Invest Forum
May 8th 2026 - 16h
26 Trowbridge Street. Cambridge, MA
The Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard University is emerging as a key hub for entrepreneurship and innovation at the heart of the Harvard–Boston ecosystem. The USA Europe Invest Forum brings together leading academics, venture capital firms, private equity funds, strategic investors, and family offices to foster meaningful discussions and forge trusted, long-term relationships around our center.
The event will feature opening remarks from European Consular Representatives and city authorities, setting the institutional and strategic context for transatlantic collaboration and investment.
A first keynote address will be delivered by Pilar Carrato, Director of Finance and Innovation at CDTI. CDTI operates as Spain’s primary public engine for innovation, combining the roles of a non-dilutive funding agency and a state-backed investment platform. Under the Ministry of Science and Innovation, it plays a central role in supporting deep-tech and industrial scale-ups through both grants and equity participation. Through its investment arm, Innvierte, CDTI manages a substantial portfolio with over €3.1B in committed capital, acting both as a Limited Partner in leading venture capital funds and as a direct co-investor alongside private investors.
Carl Mittendorff is a seasoned senior living investor, operator, and developer with more than 21 years of experience in the sector and involvement in more than $3.8 billion of senior living investments across acquisitions, developments, recapitalizations, and turnarounds. He leads the Voralto Senior Living Fund, an operator-led investment platform with roots dating back to 1977. Voralto combines long-standing operating discipline with modern systems, analytics, and practical AI-enabled tools designed to strengthen leadership, labor management, marketing execution, and day-to-day performance across senior living communities.
Bobby Sharma will bring a commanding global investor’s perspective from the frontlines of private equity, sports, media, and entertainment—where the next generation of global platforms, capital flows, and cultural influence is being shaped. He is the Founder & Managing Partner of Bluestone Equity Partners, an institutional private equity firm focused on the global Sports, Media & Entertainment industry. A seasoned executive with a global track record across finance, strategy, operations, and law, he has held senior leadership roles at leading organizations including IMG, the NBA, and GACP Sports. At IMG, he led the global expansion of sports businesses across major emerging markets, overseeing media rights, league development, and integrated commercial strategies. Earlier, as VP & General Counsel of the NBA Development League (now NBA G-League), he played a key role in building and scaling the league into a nationally recognized platform. Sharma has also served on multiple corporate and sports governance boards, including the U.S. Tennis Association and USA Archery, and is a frequent speaker on global investment and sports industry trends. He holds degrees from Duke University and Duke Law School and completed executive education at Harvard Business School.
Next, the forum will feature a flagship discussion led by Dr. Rifat Atun, Professor of Global Health Systems and Director of the Health Systems Innovation Lab at Harvard University. He also serves as Vice Dean for Non-Degree Education and Innovation at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prof. Atun was the Founding Director of the MSc in International Health Management, the BSc in Management and Medical Science, and the Founding Co-Director of the Master of Public Health (MPH) programs at Imperial College London. He has also been a founding director and active investor in health technology companies, and advises new ventures operating in this space. Between 2008 and 2012 he served as a member of the Executive Management Team of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as the Director of Strategy, Performance and Evaluation Cluster, where he chaired the panel that oversaw investments of around $4billion each year in more than 120 countries. Professor Atun's research has two major strands. The first examines health systems performance and how health system reforms impact on outcomes. The second explores adoption and diffusion of innovations in health systems (e.g., new health technologies, financing models or health system reforms).
David Lagares, PhD, is a serial scientist-entrepreneur and currently the Founder & CEO of Zenon Biotech and co-founder of Mediar Therapeutics, two Boston-based biotech companies developing novel therapies for metastatic cancer and fibrotic diseases. His scientific discoveries, which led to the creation of these companies, originated in his academic research at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Lagares has secured multi-million-dollar funding from venture capital firms, federal agencies, industry partners, and non-profit foundations. His work has resulted in multiple patents and has been published in leading journals, including Nature and Science. He is also an active participant in the biotech venture capital ecosystem.
Luba Greenwood, J.D., is a CEO, board director, and investor with over 20 years of experience building, scaling, and financing breakthrough biotech and deep-tech companies, from early-stage ventures to global multinationals. She currently serves as CEO, Board Chair, and Co-Founder of Gallop Oncology, a clinical-stage company developing first-in-class cancer therapies, and previously founded Binney Street Capital, the venture fund for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at Google (Verily), Roche, Pfizer, and WilmerHale, and has led over $15 billion in transactions across therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, and technology. She has served on multiple public and private boards—including Abcam, BenchSci, and MassBio—and brings deep expertise across strategy, governance, and venture building, while also advising leading institutions and lecturing at Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
As a closing highlight, a distinguished Harvard Business School Professor will bring an academic perspective to investing. Luis M. Viceira is the George E. Bates Professor in the Finance Unit and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research, course development, and teaching focus on the areas of investment management and capital markets. A member of the faculty of the Harvard Business School since 1998, Professor Viceira has taught an array of Finance courses in the MBA program, Executive Education programs, and the Business Economics Ph.D. program, and has served in several leadership positions, including Senior Associate Dean for Executive Education and HBS Online. He is currently the instructor for the Investment Management for Professional and Personal Investors course in the Harvard MBA Program, co-chair of the HBS Investment Management Program for leaders of asset management firms, and co-chair of the Asset Management Conference for HBS Alums. He also serves as co-chair of the NBER-NBIM Conference on New Developments in Long-Term Asset Management.
The forum will be led by David Garcia Lou, Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Real Colegio Complutense and Chair of the USA Europe Invest Forum.
The evening will conclude with a private dinner at the Harvard Faculty Club, providing an intimate setting for continued discussion, relationship-building, and the exchange of ideas among participants.
For the private dinner request your invitation sending us an email to rcc@fas.harvard.edu