Meet Venture Leader Jason Schense and find out what helps him tackle entrepreneurial challenges

01.09.2020 08:30, Isabelle Mitchell

Venture Leader Life Sciences Jason Schense co-founded LifeMatrix Technologies, a biotech startup that develops next-generation implants to treat patients with cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death globally. Learn more about Jason’s expectations for the Boston roadshow, who provides him with perspective on life, and what fresh produce and aperitivo have in common.

In November, the Venture Leaders Life Sciences 2020 will embark on their week-long roadshow to accelerate their expansion into the US market and build a business network through meetings with top-notch investors and industry leaders in Boston. To shorten the waiting time, we will introduce you to the members of the Swiss National Startup Team. We asked each entrepreneur to complete a short profile and choose three questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life: 

Name: Jason Schense 
Job title: Director at LifeMatrix Technologies 
Location: Zurich
Nationality: American
Graduated from: University of Zurich 
Number of employees: 2 (as of 08/2020)
First touchpoint with Venturelab: My first interaction with Venturelab was through the Venture Leaders Life Sciences program in 2020.

“LifeMatrix AG develops novel biomimetic implants for cardiovascular indications.”

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
Current cardiovascular implants come with significant limitations. They do not grow or regenerate, may cause infections and thrombosis, require lifelong medication, and have limited durability. This can lead to complications in affected patients and reduces their life quality of life dramatically. Driven by the urgent medical need to address this problem, the idea to deliver a unique tissue engineering technology to provide next-generation implants for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases was born. At LifeMatrix we have developed next-generation biomimetic implants, inspired by almost 20 years of cardiovascular tissue engineering research at the University of Zurich. These implants have the unique capacity to transform into living heart valves and blood vessels, which can grow and regenerate with the patient after implantation, thereby avoiding the need for repetitive surgery and providing a lifelong solution to our patients. The disruptive LifeMatrix technology has the unique potential to overcome the significant limitations of existing implants and may, therefore, revolutionize the medical device industry.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision? 
While LifeMatrix AG is in the early phase of its corporate development, there is already a wide vision for the future development of the company. LifeMatrix has taken a broad perspective in this regard, as the medical devices under development at the company will require significant resources to bring them to the market in the US and Europe. To ensure that we have access to adequate resources and support, we are looking to build a complementary site for LifeMatrix in the US, to accompany the site based in Zurich. At the moment, with a strong base in Switzerland, we are able to tap into the resources available in Europe to accomplish these goals. Our intent is that the Venture Leaders program will represent an opportunity to further the process in the US as well, particularly in the Boston area.
During the visit to Boston, we will have several goals related to furthering our development plans. First, we will focus on building contacts with the investment community to support the Series A financing round as well as future rounds of investment that will be required. We believe that the meetings that will be organized will provide a strong start to this process. Second, with our existing knowledge of the area, we will also look for establishing technical support that is available in the Boston area through hospitals, universities, and other resources. Finally, we will investigate the infrastructure that is available in order to further refine our plans for opening operations in the Boston area.

How and where do you clear your mind? 
Spending time with my family is the best way to clear my mind from any ongoing challenges with work. My daughters are particularly good at providing perspective on life!

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
From my experience as a founder, I have learned that one of the most important aspects of being a successful founder is having a mentality where you never give up. In the process of setting up a company, you are inevitably faced with numerous challenges. Having a resilient spirit is what you need to get through them!

What is your favorite book? 
My favorite books are the Roma sub Rosa series, written by Steven Taylor. They are mystery books, based on the historical backdrop of ancient Rome.

What is always in your fridge? 
I always make sure to have fresh fruit and vegetables in my fridge so that we can always cook a meal at home. Along with everything needed for an aperitivo!

Last but not least, can you show us your workspace? 


For more information and updates on LifeMatrix and the Venture Leaders Life Sciences, follow the Venture Leaders Life Sciences 2020 team with #VleadersLifeSciences on social media or subscribe to our newsletter. 
 
This year’s Venture Leaders Life Sciences roadshow to Boston is supported by EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Hansjörg Wyss, Kellerhals Carrard, Paul Scherrer Institut, swissnex Boston, University of Zurich, Canton Vaud, YPSOMED, and the Canton of Zurich.