Tech entrepreneur, 45, falls 3,000 feet to his death on California mountain
Matias Augusto Travizano founded and served as CEO of GranData, a San Francisco-based data analytics company.
A 45-year-old tech entrepreneur plunged 3,000 feet to his death while descending from Mount Shasta in northern California last week. Matias Augusto Travizano, the co-founder and former CEO of San Francisco-based data analytics firm GranData, successfully summited the 14,162-foot mountain on September 12, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.
Travizano was joined by two strangers on the frequently used Clear Creek Trail during his descent, as per a report by the New York Post. However, he and one of the climbers wandered off from the trail and ended up stranded on the icy Wintun Glacier at around 13,500 feet.
The duo attempted to perform a controlled slide down the glacier to reach safer ground. But Travizano reportedly lost control and struck a boulder about 300 feet below. He appeared to be knocked out for around 10 minutes but was still alive. The second climber attempted to reach him, and Travizano regained consciousness and moved. However, he slipped again and plunged over an edge and out of sight, the sheriff’s office said.
Travizano’s body was later recovered near the glacier’s base, at about 10,200 feet, by a California Highway Patrol helicopter unit.
“While the Clear Creek Route is considered one of the mountain’s ‘safer’ trails to summit, climbers can become disoriented in low-visibility conditions, particularly when descending from the summit plateau,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Once off the trail, these climbers often wander into more hazardous areas in the Ash Creek or Mud Creek drainages, where accidents are more likely to occur,” the statement added.
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Who was Matias Augusto Travizano?
Travizano was a trained physicist and an entrepreneur. He founded and served as CEO of GranData, a San Francisco-based data analytics company. In 2024, he was appointed as a government adviser in Argentina by President Javier Milei and he played a key role in organising the politician’s first tour of Silicon Valley.
Travizano was also remembered for his warmth and humor. One mentee, in a heartfelt obituary, described him as “extremely warm, a great family man, and funny as hell.”
