PIONEER TOMORROW: Insights Unplugged #97

In this open fireside chat Kami Krista will share his unconventional journey - from conducting early research in HIV therapies during his school years to securing investment for his startup Elio from figures like Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and former Merck CEO Stefan Oschmann .

He’ll explore the decision-making principles that guide his daily work, as well as the personal philosophy and long-term vision driving his commitment to impact and innovation. Kami will also dive into the challenges of embedding sustainability within the traditionally conservative and highly regulated pharmaceutical industry—and how Elio is enabling greener, smarter production from the beginning of development

Kami will share insights about:

• Identifying Your Personal Mission – What led Kami to walk away from Harvard? How a personal mission became a compass for bold decisions—and why designing your life around inner clarity matters more than living by external expectations.

• Theory of Change – In a world obsessed with offering solutions to a minutiae of problems, how do we avoid solving the wrong ones? Kami shares Elio’s origin story and the theory of change that emerged from it—one that helps them prioritize root causes over symptoms, and real impact over noise.

• Values & Decision-Making – How a grounded personal philosophy, consistent daily habits, and long-term vision shape leadership, company culture, and attract top-tier partners—investors, customers, and beyond.

• Entrepreneurial Lessons – Insights on building a startup, forging a mission-driven team, and attracting high-profile investment.

• Sustainable Innovation – What it takes to integrate eco-design into pharmaceutical manufacturing from the inside out.

• Future Vision – How Elio aims to expand sustainable practices beyond pharma into other global industries.

About the Speaker:

At just 21, Austrian-born Kami Krista left Harvard to co-found Elio, a Boston-born, now Vienna-based Greentech startup ushering pharmaceutical manufacturing into the next industrial revolution. Elio’s AI-powered eco-design platform empowers scientists and engineers to make sustainable decisions early in the product development process—where up to 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined. The company’s broader vision is to embed and coordinate sustainability across the entire manufacturing value chain, supporting the interconnected industries that drive global production.

About the PIONEER TOMORROW: Insights Unplugged series

The PIONEER TOMORROW: Insights Unplugged # 97 talk is organized by the Innovation Incubation Center (i²c) at TU Wien and ISPE - Student Chapters. The PIONEER TOMORROW: Insights Unplugged series enables the audience to learn firsthand from experienced founders, investors and innovators, and get inspired by their success (and failure) stories. Our guest speakers share their international experiences, dos & don’ts and lessons learned during an inspiring talk. For the first time the Event is hosted as an open fireside chat with interactive hot seats, designed to spark authentic conversations and audience engagement.

After the session, the attendees have the opportunity to network and mingle with like-minded people while enjoying beverages provided by ISPE - Student Chapters.

We are looking forward to meeting you!

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Important:

*During the event, photographic and video material will be taken. Please inform the TUW i²c team at the venue in case you do not agree with appearing in this material. The photographic and video material taken at the event will be used by TUW i²c in printed and electronic media for promotional purposes.