Watch the best Europeans in biotech to grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 15k monthly views. Free. Guests include Antoine Papiernik @Sofinnova, Werner Lanthaler @Evotec, Ingmar Hoerr @CureVac, Bernat Olle @Vedanta, Johannes Fruehauf @BioLabs, Rodger Novak @CRISPR Tx, Agnete Fredriksen @Nykode, Mike Ward, Thomas Clozel @Owkin, Marc de Garidel @Abivax, and Sander van Deventer @VectorY & Forbion. Your host Philip animates the conversation to dig out exciting, and sometimes contrarian ideas.
We're online with Chris Martin, COO of the 6th most valuable biotech in Europe, Verona Pharma. Their amazing story sees them bring a fully-owned respiratory drug to market and multiply its valuation by 120x within the last 5 years (from $50M to $6B today)
We're online with Daniela Marino, CEO and co-founder of one of the best companies in Europe for tissue therapeutics, CUTISS.We discussed the story behind CUTISS and its current series C fundraising. We also discussed cell therapy in general and why kids are good at preventing burnout.---This episode is sponsored by CUTISS, the only TechBio company in the advanced clinical stage of developing skin tissue therapies. Learn how you can support CUTISS on its path to Series C success: https://bit.ly/flotbio-cutiss---⭐️ ABOUT THE SPEAKERIn 2023, Daniela Marino was named as one of the 30 Rising Leaders in the healthcare industry, thanks to the impact of CUTISS, the company she co-founded as a spin-off from the University of Zurich. Here, she and her team have made waves for people suffering from severe skin injuries and defects through regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and skin pigmentation.
We're in Barcelona
We're in Munich with Philipp Baaske, one of the best life science tools founder in Europe.We talked about the lessons building this life science tools business specialized in protein interactions. We also talked about the difficulty and rewards of entrepreneurship, and the impact of life science tools.___This episode is sponsored by NanoTemper Technologies, which performs protein characterization. Learn more at https://bit.ly/flotbio_nanotemper___⭐️ ABOUT THE SPEAKERPhilipp Baaske, a German biophysicist, co-founded NanoTemper Technologies in 2008 with Stefan Duhr. He earned his PhD from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, specializing in biophysics. Baaske pioneered MicroScale Thermophoresis, advancing drug discovery research. He was Co-CEO for 16 years before becoming Executive Chairman in 2024. An award-winning innovator, he supports biotech and entrepreneurship as a business angel.
We're in Hamburg with Sean Marett, who has been instrumental to the success of BioNTech for 12 years. We talked about the secrets behind BioNTech's success. We also talked about the art of dealmaking and working with China. ⭐️ ABOUT THE SPEAKER Sean joined BioNTech in 2012 as part of the Management Board. He was instrumental in the growth of the company and global expansion through business development and product commercialization. Prior to BioNTech Sean worked in top companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Evotec, and Lorantis. I first met Sean in 2015 in Berlin, when BioNTech had no website, but was already the largest private biotech in Europe. Now Sean has retired from BioNTech after 12 years but still aids the company as a specialist consultant.
In our first episode recorded live in front of an audience, we're with Lovisa Afzelius, the General Partner of the European branch of Flagship Pioneering
We're in Budapest with Szabolcs Nagy, the founder of Turbine, one of the leading companies for AI in biotech in the world. We talked about AI in biotech at large. We also cover the differences between opening a platform versus doing proprietary drug development and building the company from central Europe. __ This episode is sponsored by Turbine, which can improve your drug development. Learn more at https://shorturl.at/w3Im6 __ ⭐️ ABOUT THE SPEAKER I've known Szabolcs since 2017 when he joined Bayer's accelerator in Berlin. I found him incredibly inspiring back then and still to this day. Szabi began his serial entrepreneurship with the creation of a cybersecurity startup. Once that was acquired, he launched himself into the biotech scene with the founding of Turbine in 2015.
We're online with Adrian Rawcliffe, the CEO of Adaptimmune, the TCR cell therapy company behind the first engineered cell therapy for solid tumors that was approved for a rare form of sarcoma. We talked about Tecelra's commercial rollout. We also talked about what's next in cell therapy, and Philly Cheesesteak vs Fish and Chips. — — — Thank you to today's sponsor, Merck, who can support your antibody drug discovery. Learn more and claim a cool antibody pin here: https://bit.ly/3AhZFUA — — — ⭐️ ABOUT THE SPEAKER Adrian Rawcliffe has been in the biopharma industry for over 20 years and has worked in high positions for companies such as GSK. Adrian has been with Adaptimmune for almost 10 years, serving as CFO before becoming the CEO in 2019. I didn't know him personally but have heard and seen great things about him.
We're super privileged to chat online with Bahija Jallal, the CEO of Immunocore. Immunocore is the largest biotech in the UK and the 5th largest in Europe with a market cap of just over 3 billion dollars. We talk about how Immunocore has helped thousands of cancer patients and has become a commercial biotech. We also talk about why she thinks gender and race diversity are a business case and how AI is changing protein and biologics engineering.
We're in Brussels with Edwin Moses, the former CEO of one of the most successful platform companies in Europe, Ablynx, now part of Sanofi. We talk about how he feels 5 years after the exit from Ablynx and his lessons. We also talk about the parallels between industrial biotech, AI bio and cell therapy, and how a chairman can help CEOs grow.
We're in Copenhagen with Jens Nielsen, the CEO of BioInnovation Institute. We will talk about what works best to translate academic research in bio into innovation for humanity, especially how everything is connected. We also talk about how BII is solving some of the main challenges scientist entrepreneurs face and the drawbacks of Novo financing most of Denmark's biotech ecosystem.
We're in Amsterdam with Sander van Deventer, the CEO of VectorY. We will talk about VectorY and what's missing in gene therapy.
In an online special, we're interviewing Thomas Clozal, the co-founder and CEO of Owkin. We talk about scaling AI in biotech and how it feels to be the child of billionaire biotech parents.
Today we're in Munich at BIO-Europe to chat with one of the best commentators in European biotech, Mike Ward. We talk about the best and the worst of the European biotech industry since the 80s.
We're live from Oslo
Biotech great Rodger Novak, Co-Founder and Chairman of CRISPR Tx joins us on the show. In this episode, we chat about bringing the first CRISPR drug to the market and why he thinks everything is wrong in bio in Europe besides science. Rodgers' is a name everyone should know, having made it big in the global biotech scene. I first interviewed him back in 2016 at Labiotech. It's a treat to be able to sit down with him again.
We're back live and in Paris
In a virtual special, we welcome Bernat Olle to the show. We discuss the microbiome space, including Vedanta's upcoming Phase 3, and how it feels to be a European founder in Boston. Bernat is the CEO and co-founder of Boston-based Vedanta Biosciences, one of the leading microbiome companies. They've had a positive Phase 2 trial and recently raised a $107M round to run a Phase 3. Bernat is a life science trailblazer. During his doctorate at MIT, he developed a novel method for large-scale bacterial culture. He's been named "Innovator of the Year in MIT Technology Review Spain's "Innovators under 35" awards and even has his own TED Talk! I've known Bernat since 2013 when I was studying in Boston and he was starting Vedanta. It was great to catch up again and become inspired once more.
It's a treat to welcome Ingmar Hoerr on the show. We chat about building a 20B dollar biotech startup, almost dying on the job, and why people skills are so important in biotech. Ingmar is a pioneer in the EU biotech scene, revolutionizing drug development with mRNA therapeutics. He and his team created the initial technology used in mRNA vaccines and submitted the first patents for its use. CureVac helped other mRNA companies such as Moderna and BioNTech successfully solve the Covid pandemic. Ingmar is very inspiring, as he is visionary and bold while remaining humble and caring. I've known him for almost a decade and each interaction with him was memorable. This long episode, and the lunch that followed, is yet another example. Enjoy
It's great to have Werner Lanthaler, the CEO of Evotec, one of the largest biotech research companies in Europe/the world, on the show. We have known each other for almost ten years now. He's not only sharp but also friendly and easy to talk to. In this episode, we chat about leading AI in biotech, the sharing economy in the industry, how to be authentic, and more. Hope it helps you learn, be inspired and grow
For our first episode, we catch up with Antoine Papiernik, the chairman of Sofinnova partners, one of the top EU biotech VC funds. We chat about building billion-euro biotechs in Europe, being listed on the Midas list (without letting it go to your head), the importance of being good at selling, being lucky, and how to balance all this with family priorities. I've been lucky to know and be inspired by Antoine for almost 10 years. Over his successful career, he has invested in over 500 companies, focusing on platform companies and entrepreneurs. He currently has over €2.5 billion under management in several funds, both early and late, in drug development, industrial biotech, and medtech. Antoine is a remarkable speaker and a good fun person.
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