Fiorella Belli is a researcher and innovation specialist dedicated to advancing urban resilience and territorial equity through the integration of design, technology, and social systems. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In recent years, Fiorella co-founded La Firme, a social venture dedicated to transforming incremental housing in Peru by bridging the gap between financial inclusion and professional technical assistance to ensure structural safety and quality for self-building families. Her work in this sector is deeply informed by her research on the territorial impact of national housing programs in Peru. Her leadership at La Firme earned prestigious international recognition, including being named an MIT Solve Fellow and establishing key partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, major financial institutions, and other strategic stakeholders.

Fiorella also has extensive experience leading research and development initiatives in the Amazon basin. Her work with Indigenous communities has addressed critical issues ranging from urban migration and the design of modular furniture for intercultural bilingual education to the strengthening of Indigenous governance and the implementation of clean-energy technologies for coffee value chains; the latter having effectively reduced the carbon footprint of production. By spearheading these initiatives, she has demonstrated a consistent focus on deploying innovation within complex ecological and social contexts. Additionally, while at Peru’s leading innovation lab in partnership with IDEO, she shaped digital and social ventures across the financial, education, and telecommunications industries, designing scalable solutions for the benefit of vulnerable populations.

Currently, she serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Architecture and Urbanism and the Department of Art and Design at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), where she teaches courses on urbanism and advanced design. Her strategic expertise lies in managing multi-stakeholder innovation projects—integrating private, social, and governmental actors while creating scalable solutions for underserved communities. At the ERA lab, she leverages her experience in project design and systems thinking to catalyze environmental action and promote the community-led stewardship of vital ecosystems in the Amazon.