Venture Leaders Life Sciences – Meet Matteo Cornaglia of Nagi Bioscience
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This week, Matteo Cornaglia, CEO of Nagi Bioscience, is working hard meeting key medtech and biotech investors while exchanging ideas with peer-entrepreneurs in Boston with Venture Leaders Life Sciences. Here we find out a little bit about his motivation for applying to the program.
Who are you and what is Nagi Bioscience?I am Matteo Cornaglia, CEO and co-founder of Nagi Bioscience. I have an international education (Switzerland, Italy, France, and USA) between engineering and Life Sciences, with a PhD in microtechnologies from the EPFL. Nagi Bioscience develops the first device for fully automated use of microscopic worms as in vivo models for predictive testing of pharmaceutical and chemical compounds, up to 30-times faster than using traditional animal testing. We believe that this technology will set a new standard for toxicity/efficacy screening of substances and accelerate drug/chemical discovery.
Why did you choose Boston as your business development destination?
The Boston area is a worldwide reference for innovation in science and technologies in the biotech/medtech field and, as such, it is our preferred destination for business development and for the preparation of a world-class internationalization strategy.
What do you hope to achieve from the trip?
I aim to establish a solid network of contacts with US-based potential industrial partners, investors, entrepreneurs and key opinion leaders in our field. Moreover, I expect this program to help our company in the development of its market expansion strategy and roadmap.
Why is the Venture Leaders Life Sciences experience beneficial for your company?
By discussing with US experts in the medtech/biotech industry and peer-entrepreneurs of the Venture Leaders Team, I hope to significantly strengthen Nagi Bioscience’s vision, pitch, and business case, preparing our successful market access. Discussions with US-based potential customers in the pharmaceutical/chemical industry will moreover help to understand specific needs of the US market and take them into account in our current technological development and biological validation phase.
What is pushing you towards international expansion?
Our main target markets are the pharmaceutical and the chemical industries, whose main players are evenly distributed between Europe and the USA. The European and the American markets are hence equally important to us and our business expansion in the USA represents a key step for the successful development of our company, towards its global internationalization.
What do you foresee as the largest hurdles towards expansion into the Boston area?
An interesting challenge for the expansion of our business in the Boston area is represented by the right choice of partners, distributors and marketing strategy for the rapid widespread adoption of our technology across the whole US market. Contacts, as they will be established during this program, will be key to tackle this challenge and find/create the best opportunities for our US business.
What makes you most nervous or excited about the trip?
I am thrilled to be part of the Swiss national startup team in Life Sciences and looking forward to learn the essence of the renowned American entrepreneurship spirit in Boston!
Follow the Venture Leaders Life Sciences roadshow on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #vleadearsLifeScience.
Venture Leaders Life Sciences is co-organized by Venturelab and swissnex Boston, and supported by Kellerhals Carrard, digitalswitzerland, Canton de Vaud, Canton of Zurich, Wyss Foundation, EY entreprenenur of the year, EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Paul Scherrer Institut and University of Zurich.
