Maurizio Montalti is Co-Founder and Chief Mycelium Officer at Mogu, an Italian biotech and biomaterials company pioneering mycelium-based technologies for interior design and architecture, operating under the SQIM technology holding alongside the Ephea brand.

Rooted in early microbiological experiments at Utrecht University, Maurizio founded Amsterdam-based multidisciplinary design and research studio Officina Corpuscoli in 2010, where he developed the foundational research that would lead to Mogu's creation in 2015.

Regarded as one of the leading pioneers in mycelium-based technologies and regenerative design, Maurizio works at the crossroads of design, biology, and biotechnology, transforming agro-industrial residues into high-performance, circular materials.

At Mogu and SQIM, Maurizio has driven the commercialization of the first mycelium-based interior design products on the market, culminating in a landmark collaboration with Balenciaga to debut Ephea mycelium material at Paris Fashion Week in 2022.

Mogu/SQIM secured a 11 million euro Series A round in 2024 led by CDP Venture Capital, ECBF VC, and Kering Ventures, with Maurizio's work exhibited at MoMA New York, Centre Pompidou Paris, the Design Museum London, and the Nobel Prize Museum Stockholm.