Dante
Maggiotto

Maker · Scientist · Generalist

Hey, I'm Dante :)

Here's a more personal side of mine - what makes me tick.

Chapter I

About Me

I've never fit neatly into one box. Trained as a scientist, drawn to building things, and pushed to figure things out. I thrive at the intersection of disciplines—because learning and adapting is what makes us great.

My path has been intentionally nonlinear; lab benches, startup offices, community stages. Each chapter taught me that the best solutions come from connecting dots others don't see.

Chapter II

Work

01

Data Analytics at Hatch

Analytics & ML

Built executive level data analytics metrics on Hatch's $10B+ revenue pipeline. Built out an ML Model to forecast total utilization monthly. Bypassed a lot of AI blockers.

Hatch Logo
Hatch's vision, plus delta, stands for positive change. I really resonated with that.
02

Crypto at OSFI

Policy & Research

OSFI is the government branch regulating banks. Researched digital innovations in banking, incl. crypto, stablecoins, blockchain, CBDCs. Got to look at classified exec meetings within big banks, and had round table meetings with major players like Interac, Binance, Wealthsimple, etc.

03

Processes at Nicoya

Operations

Series A startup, builds SPR machines using microfluidics cartridges for drug discovery and molecule-molecule binding interactions. Designed SOPs, did lab testing, and ate a lot of Tim Hortons.

04

Firebird

Co-founded a startup

Co-founded an AI wildfire prediction startup. We used satellite imagery + DL to forecast for ignition hotspots based on 80+ parameters. Won the Conrad e-launch pitch. Published an article with UWaterloo News that blew up, got reposted by Vivek Goel, current UW President.

05

Residence Life Advisor

Leadership

Lived on the floor, wrangled 45+ first-years (x3), and made sure everyone survived midterms/exams. Hosted weekly floor events, ran community building, and was the on-call for the 1,000+ students in residence, with a focus on mental health.

Residence Life Advisor 1 Residence Life Advisor 2
06

Director of Waterfront

Leadership

Went to summer camp every year. Eventually they hired me to run waterfront—one of my most valuable experiences. Taught 500+ kiddos to swim, trained guards, but learned most about owning problems and leadership/communication. Also got to live in a cabin with my best friends for 4 months.

Director of Waterfront 1 Director of Waterfront 2
Chapter III

Projects

Socratica ⁂

Community

Global community of makers, artists, engineers, and everything in-between hosting weekly co-working sessions worldwide. March 2025 we organized the world's greatest demo day for 2500+ people. Truly my inspiration for pushing my limits, I would be in a very different place without Socratica <3

Socratica 1 Socratica 2 Socratica 3

Design

Creative

He can design? Well sort of.

Websites

Development

Built some websites for various projects

Writing

Substack & More

I used to love writing, but school started to make it feel like a chore. I've started rekindling my love for it by writing about things I'm passionate about, on Substack and other.

Science

Research

I am a biochemist by trade, after all. Currently doing a biocomputational thesis on venom peptide anti-inflammatory effects in IBD and Crohn's, and building a biomedical Radioactive Isotope Detector for emergency triage. Have worked in Wet and Dry labs doing Pipetting, electrophoresis, PCR, microscopy, spectrophotometry, data modeling, statistical analysis, experimental design, etc.

Wacky Experiments

R&D

Innosolve

Community

I founded the first Science club formed in over a decade, scaled to ~15 people across 3 cocreation teams, with the objective of learning more technical skills, doing more independent group work that I didn't see executed with curriculum.

Innosolve Innosolve
Chapter IV

The Other Stuff

Public Speaking

Talks & Panels

For years, I was terrified of public speaking. I always had confidence on what I was saying, but it's truly an art form to perfect stage confidence. After dozens of pitches, case competitions, and training from some of the best mentors I've ever had, my stage presence is far improved.

Public Speaking Public Speaking Public Speaking

Investing

Portfolio

Diversified portfolio focused on industry-performance stocks, long-term performance ETFs (CSU), cryptocurrencies, depending on market conditions. My current portfolio diversification:

Beta Testing & Tools

Early Adopter

I have a ton of AI and productivity tools I've accumulated over the years. I love being early to these products, user testing and interviews. Here are some of my favourites:

  • mymind

    Private place to save thoughts, images, and links without organizing

  • f.lux

    Adjusts screen color temperature to reduce eye strain

  • Wispr Flow

    AI-powered voice notes and workflow automation

  • Raycast

    Mac productivity launcher with keyboard shortcuts

  • Beeper

    Unified messaging app connecting all chat platforms

  • Napkin

    AI tool for collecting and connecting research ideas

  • Granola

    AI-powered notetaker

  • Superhuman

    Lightning-fast email client with keyboard shortcuts

  • Gamma

    AI-powered presentation and document builder

  • Mobbin

    Mobile UI design pattern and inspiration library

  • Cosmos

    Like Pinterest for design

  • Exa

    AI-powered search engine with APIs for research

Events

Hosting & Attending

I love understanding event dynamics. Have attended 120+ through Luma and hosted dozens. Amazing things can happen when you bring a group of people together. Some amazing ones:

Iron Man 70.3

Endurance

Trained up from zero experience to Iron Man 70.3 Victoria in 6 months, had a bunch of amazing friends from Waterloo and SF join. The journey is so hard yet so worthwhile!

Iron Man 70.3 Iron Man 70.3
Soundtrack

Music

What I've been listening to lately.

Recently Played

All-Time Favorites

Passions

Hobbies

What I do when I'm not working.

Scuba Diving

Scuba Diving

Did my scuba certifications in Lake Ontario mid-October/November. Not super pleasant as you can imagine, but it opened the doors to a whole new world. I have ~10 dives on record across Canada, Barbados, Cancun.

Running

Running

Picked up running as a way to clear my head between everything else I juggle. I love the discipline of building mileage, dialing in pace, and zoning out on long solo runs around Waterloo.

DJing

DJing

I started obsessively DJing when I bought my first controller, an FLX2. Since then, it's become my mindless therapy. I even bought a strobe light →

Sports

I grew up playing many sports, namely hockey, soccer, swimming, and I played badminton + curling in high school. Also played a lot of basketball — my team is 2x semi-competitive champions for UWaterloo.

Wanderlust

Travel

Places I've been, memories I've made.

Florence, Italy Florence, Italy
Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain
Nice, France Nice, France
Valencia, Spain Valencia, Spain
Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon, Portugal
Cancun, Mexico Cancun, Mexico
Madrid, Spain Madrid, Spain
Florence, Italy Florence, Italy
Nice, France Nice, France
Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain
Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon, Portugal
Valencia, Spain Valencia, Spain
Madrid, Spain Madrid, Spain
Cancun, Mexico Cancun, Mexico

MORE PLACES (AND PHOTOS) COMING SOON

Guestbook

You made it to the end! Draw Something.

Draw something ↓

Chapter V

Connect

I love meeting amazing people!