Niki V. Santo is the Co-Founder and CEO of Swaza, a Silicon Valley biotechnology startup pioneering the world’s first non-invasive nanofluid breathing aid to combat acute oxygen loss and respiratory distress. Niki was educated at Harvard University and holds a Master of Arts from the University of Cambridge (Queens’ College), and previously held roles at OpenAI, Resource Global, UC Merced’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab, and the Harvard Club of Silicon Valley. A personal head injury and the loss of her mother during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 became the catalyst that redirected Niki’s career from executive leadership into purpose-driven biotech entrepreneurship.

Niki co-founded Swaza alongside Professor Jayakumar Rajadas of Stanford Medical School and Dr. Rickmer Kose, and has led the company to partnerships with BARDA DRIVe, NATO’s DIANA accelerator, and investors including R42 Group and Apex Ventures. Under Niki’s leadership, Swaza was selected as a Showcase Company at the Respiratory Innovation Summit 2025, featured on the CTA Center Stage at CES 2023, and shortlisted for the Wolfson Entrepreneurship Competition at the University of Cambridge in 2024.