The Venture Leaders Biotech impress international investors and industry leaders in Boston

16.09.2022 17:12, Guillaume Tinsel

The Venture Leaders Biotech roadshow 2022 brought ten entrepreneurs to Boston for a week-long roadshow. The selected startups strengthened their entrepreneurial network through exchanges with their peers and benefited from valuable market exposure, pitch sessions with investors and experts, and hands-on business development.

The Swiss National Biotech Startup Team traveled to Boston from September 11th to September 16th for a sector-dedicated roadshow. The selected startups improve diagnostic and treatment methods through solutions using artificial intelligence, cell therapies, and molecular measuring, among other innovations.


 
The week started with expert workshops on tuning the pitch towards US investors, particularly the financial topics. Feedback sessions with industry experts provided great perspectives and insights on the best ways to approach US markets and investors. A reception with the Swissnex CEO and Consul of Switzerland, Benjamin Bollmann, at the Consulate of Switzerland in Boston added networking opportunities.


Expert pitch and feedback session 

In addition to the multiple investors meeting (including RA Capital, Gurnet Point Capital, and others), several highlights gave the participants unique insights into the development of their biotech ventures, such the EY workshop on the state of biotech investments, or discussions with Alumn Ulf Grawunder, a supporter of the program, co-founder and CEO of NBE Therapeutics which was sold USD 1.18 billion or Kathleen McCarthy, ETH alumn, and co-founder and CSO of Skyhawk Therapeutics, who raised USD 181 million and established partnerships with several leading pharma players. 


Investors meetings and company visits

“Year after year the feedback from our partners confirms the quality of the startups' selection,” emphasized Jordi Montserrat, managing partner of Venturelab. “It allows for very fruitful discussion with investors as well as within the team members, who can add precious experience to each other.” 

The traditional pitchfest took place on the Boston bay during a cruise with over 100 guests comprising biotech investors, business partners, and startups. Priyanka Dutta-Passecker of healiva and Carlo Bertozzi of InCephalo took first place in the pitch competition. “Venture Leaders has been a great opportunity to connect with investors, experts, and other entrepreneurs in the hotspot for biotech startups. To spend a week with 9 more startups in the biotech field, gave me the opportunity to learn from their experience, share contacts and get support from the ones that are more advanced. I totally recommend it to all biotech entrepreneurs.” commented Ana Montalban Arques, CEO and co-founder of Recolony. 


Biotech Pitch Cruise 2022, Skyhawk visit and lunch with the team

The roadshow concluded with a sailing trip in the Boston bay, giving participants the time for exchange and wrap-up of the main takeaways. “Venture Leaders gave us the chance to be immersed in the Boston biotech ecosystem and learn about the US investment and collaboration mindset, a highly recommended experience.”  concluded Mohaned Shilaih, co-founder of Fimmcyte.
It was also another opportunity to see the Boston skyline from another perspective and enjoy the fresh and windy breeze. 


New England, East Coast view

Venturelab has been organizing international roadshows for the Swiss National Startup Teams for 17 years. The ambitious entrepreneurs and their promising startups are introduced to top-class investors and potential customers in leading technology hubs such as Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, London, Munich, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Barcelona.

Venture Leaders alumni comprise high-flying biotech startups such as Covagen (acquired by Johnson & Johnson), Redbiotec (Redvax acquired by Pfizer), KB Medical (acquired by Globus Medical), SimplicityBio (acquired by Precision for Medicine), and AMAL Therapeutics (acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim). NBE-Therapeutics participated in the Venture Leaders program in 2003 and was acquired for EUR 1.18 billion by Boehringer Ingelheim in 2020.

The Venture Leaders Biotech program is co-organized by Venturelab and Swissnex Boston and supported by Debiopharm, EPFL Lausanne, ETH Zurich, EY - Ernst & Young, Swiss Biotech Association, VISCHER, Hansjörg Wyss, and Venture Leaders alum Ulf Grawunder.


The Venture Leaders Biotech 2022 in Boston

Learn more about the Venture Leaders Biotech 2022 startups below: