Versantis COO Meriam Kabbaj: ‘The most rewarding aspect of being a founder is to start writing the story of your startup on a blank page’

11.02.2021 08:05, Isabelle Mitchell

Our series about Switzerland’s most inspiring entrepreneurs and founders continues with Meriam Kabbaj, the co-founder and COO of Versantis. The ETH Zurich spin-off develops a new generation of medicines and diagnostics to revolutionize the care of patients with liver diseases. Versantis’s lead candidate, VS-01, is currently at the clinical stage (moving to Phase IIa) and has the potential to be the first liver-disease drug that simultaneously supports multiple failing organs. Versantis plans on completing the clinical proof of concept with VS-01 in 2023.

Switzerland boasts countless world-class startups, and our series puts the spotlight on some of the best and most inspiring entrepreneurs and founders to find out what motivates them, what they have learned, and what they do when they are not transforming the world with their innovations. To get this behind-the-scenes perspective, we ask each entrepreneur to complete a short profile and choose at least ten questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life. This week, we introduce you to Meriam Kabbaj, the co-founder and COO of Versantis, a Venture Leader in 2014, Venture Kick winner in 2015, and a TOP 100 Swiss Startup from 2015 to 2020—ranking fifth in 2020. 

Name: Meriam Kabbaj
Location: Zürich
Born in: 1973 in Morocco
Graduated from: University of Montreal, PhD, 2005
Job title: Chief Operations Officer of Versantis
Number of employees: 6 (as of 01/2021)
Money raised: CHF 22 million (as of 01/2021)
First touchpoint with Venturelab: Through the Venture Kick program in 2014 and 2015

“At Versantis, we develop novel drugs to save patients with acute liver diseases.”
 
What is your morning routine?
During the week, I get up at 6:30 a.m., which leaves me 30 minutes to get ready quietly before my daughters are awake. After that starts the speediest moment of the day: breakfast, shower, clothes, and hairstyles while listening to dreams or nightmares (usually never-ending stories). Once everyone makes it to the car on time, my heart rate starts to slow down. I drop off my daughters at school at 8:00 a.m. with one last kiss and some encouragement before we say goodbye. I’m at work at 8:30 a.m., turn on the computer, and enjoy my coffee! On weekends, I wake up around the same time and put the same energy into jogging!

What is your evening routine?
At 9:00 p.m., the computer is switched on again, and I try to answer the latest emails or finish uncompleted work. On good days, I go to bed around 11:00 p.m., and my favorite moment is to open a book and resume a story where I left it. Escaping in fiction. Unfortunately, too often, work drags on beyond 11:00 p.m., and then there is no more time left for this special moment.

What is your lunch routine? 
In front of the computer—very bad! I try to make the most out of my time in the office to leave earlier and spend some time with my family. This means no lunch break for me.

What TV show(s) are you currently watching? 
I am not a big fan of TV, and I rarely watch any. In fact, we have no TV at home. We used to have one until I decided to get rid of it. Watching TV is, for me, the most depressing activity I can imagine. I feel like I’m watching other people’s lives instead of living my own life, and this idea is unbearable. The quality of TV shows has also dropped off significantly: They’re either aggressive or stupid, or I’m simply getting older. Instead of watching TV, I’d rather read!

What is your favorite movie or show?
I like watching movies in general. Real movies—not TV series, which, for me, are the equivalent to junk food that you just swallow for short-term satisfaction! I don’t have one particular movie in mind that is my favorite, but one I recently watched again is Amadeus by Miloš Forman. I probably know some of it by heart and could watch it over and over. Mozart was a genius: His talent was impressive, and yet he died miserably. The actors in this movie did an incredible job. It is also well balanced between real facts reflecting Mozart’s life and fiction around his relationship with Salieri.

What is your favorite book? 
French books from the 18th century. French realism authors are my favorite. Their goal was to reveal mediocrity as opposed to romance. They somehow used a scientific approach to reveal facts about how people behaved, but without any moral judgment. The reader often comes to the conclusion that there are no black-and-white situations, especially when one understands people’s motivations, ambitions, failures. Despite our complexity as human beings, it is fascinating that a few centuries later, mankind has kept the same faults. 

What are your five favorite social media accounts?
LinkedIn is a great professional tool. Twitter is a great way to grasp the latest updates in a blink of an eye, and WhatsApp helps me stay connected with family and friends I, unfortunately, see too rarely.

What are you most proud of?
Very cliché but without any hesitation: my daughters. I learn from them every day. How diligent they are in learning, playing sports, managing friendships, etc. As we grow, we tend to stay in our comfort zone; kids are constantly outside of it, experiencing new skills in so many different fields. It is very inspiring.
 
What is your favorite productivity hack? 
Two things come to my mind: Before starting any task, I always try to assess how much time and effort it is worth. The smallest task can take ages to be completed, depending on how thorough you want to be, but not everything requires to be perfect. So, this assessment is crucial before I deep-dive into anything and helps me avoid being overwhelmed. The second aspect is a good balance between socializing and focusing. Small talk can be a waste of precious time, but on the other hand, it is a must for socializing, creating a nice atmosphere, etc.

What is your favorite productivity tool?
Without hesitating: my computer, of course. We spend so much time together, we end up developing a fusional bond, and I’m always a bit sad when the time comes to get a new computer. I sometimes think it is an extension of myself. Coffee is another important productivity tool that spices up our lives!  

Where and when are you most productive?
Very early in the morning or very late at night. Basically, when I’m the only one awake and everything is quiet around me. I find it calming, and I can really focus without being distracted. This usually happens at home, but I must admit that my preference is to be in the office during those hours and days when it is quiet.

What is always on your desk? 
A plant, a set of pens, and my favorite coffee mug. This is what’s on my desk at the end of the day. Having a clean desk is a must to start working. I can simply not get to work in a messy place. Chaos literally disturbs me, and clarity in my mind definitively starts with a tidy workspace. This is the reason why working from home is not a perfect setup for me: I often find myself cleaning the house before I can get to work.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a founder? 
The most rewarding aspect of being a founder is to start writing the story of your startup on a blank page: elaborating strategies, defining objectives to grow, selecting catalysts and people that will help you execute on your plan instead of drowning you, taking risks, and endorsing responsibilities for the good decisions but also the bad ones you made. It may sound very challenging, but frankly, once you’ve gone through all this and you can finally tick off the box of the milestone you set for yourself, nothing is more rewarding. It is like writing a story that suddenly comes to life with the characters and the scenes you initially imagined! Whether it will be a bestseller is yet to be proven.