Apply now for Venture Leaders Biotech 2023

06.02.2023 08:45, Morgane Ghilardi

Every year, ten tech startups are chosen to join the Swiss National Startup Team as Venture Leaders and represent Swiss startup excellence on the international stage. As participants in a roadshow in Boston, the entrepreneurs have the opportunity boost the growth of their ventures and profit from meetings with investors and industry experts. Applications are open until March 19, 2023.

The Venture Leaders Biotech program offers entrepreneurs a way to accelerate the growth curve of their startups by taking them to one of the most significant hubs of technological innovation in the life sciences: Boston.

The program, which is free of charge, is a unique opportunity for top Swiss-based biotech startups to assert their presence on the international stage while expanding their U.S. network. For one week in June, the Venture Leaders will have the opportunity to meet with investors and profit from the experience and insights of industry experts, VCs, and peers.

Alumni of the program include Covagen (acquired by Johnson&Johnson), Redbiotec (partly acquired by Pfizer), KB Medical (acquired by Globus Medical), SimplicityBio (acquired by Precision for Medicine), AMAL Therapeutics (acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim) and Interax Biotech (Seed round with US investors met during the roadshow).

Learn more about the Venture Leaders Biotech 2023 program and apply by March 19, 2023!
 

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LOOKING BACK: VENTURE LEADERS BIOTECH 2022

Last year's team traveled to Boston in September, where the participants took part in workshops that helped with fine-tuning their pitches for the US market and that outlined the current VC dynamics in biotech. They also had an opportunity to network at various events, like the reception hosted by Swissnex and the Swiss Consulate, and to pitch to investors and VCs.

The Pitchfest Cruise, which brought together over 100 biotech investors, business partners, and startups, was a particularly interesting event, as Swiss startups competed with US startups. Venture Leaders Priyanka Dutta-Passecker of Healiva and Carlo Bertozzi of InCephalo took first prize in the pitch competition.

"The Venture Leaders was a fantastic experience, as we were able to learn hands-on how to fundraise in the US and also build our network within Boston's startup ecosystems," said Frank Bonnet, CEO of Bionomous. Bionomous recently announced that it secured USD 2.7 million in a Series A funding round.

At the recent Venture Leaders Graduation Ceremony, Priyanka Dutta-Passecker highlighted the value of the trip for biotech companies looking to enter the US market. "You need to know how fundraising is different in the US. The specialized fund experts helped us figure out how to pitch for the US market," she said.

Read Recolony CEO Ana Montalban-Arques's roadshow to learn more.


The Venture Leaders Biotech crew takes to the sea: Volker Gatterdam of lino biotech, Mohaned Shilaih of FimmCyte, Ana Montalban-Arques of Recolony, Frank Bonnet of Bionomous, Priyanka Dutta-Passecker of Healiva, Vannary Tieng of Vanarix, Tobias Werk of Bionter, Carlo Bertozzi of InCephalo, and Aurélien Rizk of InterAx. Not pictured here is Roberto Lacone of Alentis.

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Venture Leaders Biotech 2023 is organized by Venturelab and Swissnex Boston with the support of Debiopharm, ETH, EPFL, EY, Novartis, Swiss Biotech Association, and VISCHER.