BioEntrepreneurship & Innovation (BEI) program

🚀 Day 1 of the BioEntrepreneurship & Innovation (BEI) program , Module A: A Kick-off packef with ideas, inspiration, and insight! 🚀 We’re thrilled to welcome 30 incredibly talented MD/PhD+ participants who joined us with passion and drive. They have formed 7 project teams of 3-5 people, who will work intensively over the next two weeks to develop their first business pitches. These teams will then present to a jury on Day 2—talk about hitting the ground running! 💼💡 🌟 A highlight of the day was a special talk from Carlo Bertozzi, CEO of InCephalo who shared his entrepreneurial journey and insights as a PhD, MBA, and serial entrepreneur. Here are a few gems from his talk: 🔍 Know your VC’s lifecycle: Understanding where a fund is in its lifecycle is crucial when approaching investors. 🛡️ Derisking is key: A solid team and strong asset (e.g., InCephalo’s IL-12) are essential for building investor confidence. 🖼️ Keep it simple & visual: Your pitch narrative should be clear, concise, and visually engaging—a powerful way to open doors. 🇨🇭 Support from Innosuisse: Carlo also introduced key initiatives from Innosuisse that can support early-stage projects. The curiosity of our participants was energizing and we can’t wait to see how their ideas develop! Thank you to Carlo and our participants for making Day 1 such a success. Here’s to an exciting journey ahead in bioentrepreneurship! 🎉 #BioEntrepreneurship #Innovation #BEI2024 #Startups #Biotech #Medtech #Pitching #Entrepreneurship #Innosuisse #Networking #UZH #ETH #swissInnnovation Elias Meier Andreea Loredana Cretu

🚀 Here we go again! Tomorrow marks Day 1 of our new BioEntrepreneurship & Innovation (BEI) program! We're kicking off our fall Module A with 30 brilliant PhD+ minds from University of Zurich, ETH Zürich, and Universitätsspital Zürich, Universitätsklinik Balgrist who are ready to explore the exciting world of life science entrepreneurship. 🧬 What makes Module A special? Our participants will: • Learn directly from successful founders (starting with Carlo Bertozzi, CEO of InCephalo tomorrow! 🙌) • Form dynamic teams to tackle real-world biotech, medtech, pharma & digital health challenges • Master the art of compelling business pitching • Test-drive entrepreneurship as a potential career path 🎯 The energy is building for tomorrow's kickoff, with Day 2 following in two weeks. Can't wait to see the innovative solutions and startup ideas that will emerge from this talented cohort! ✨ To our participants: Your journey from scientist to entrepreneur starts tomorrow. Ready to transform your research into impact? 💡 #BioInnovation #Entrepreneurship #LifeSciences #StartUp #SwissBiotech #Innovation #PhD #STEM #BioEntrepreneurship #SwissInnovation #BEIprogram #Medtech #UZH #ETH #Zurich

🎉 Celebrating the successful conclusion of our 10-week BioEntrepreneurship & Innovation (BEI) program, Module B! What an incredible journey it has been, culminating in outstanding final pitches from six innovative teams pushing the boundaries of healthcare and biotechnology. 🧬🔬 🎥 Want to experience the energy and innovation firsthand? Check out our summary video below! Our brilliant teams showcased groundbreaking solutions: 🧠 EchoNeura - Revolutionizing intracranial brain surgery with image-guided therapy led by Héctor Estrada 💊 EFProtBio - Tackling Parkinson's with novel drug targeting protein aggregation. led by Dimitri Scherbakov (Shcherbakov) 🧫 ESkin - Advancing medicine with genetically modified skin equivalents led by Michela Di Filippo, PhD, Marta Slaufova and Dr. Paulina Hennig 📊 EpiCheck - Transforming diagnostics through scalable epigenetic age prediction led by Jingran Zhuo 🔋 CT Therapeutics - Accelerating CAR immune cell therapy (Congratulations Thomas Look, Mengze (Margot) Stettler-Zhang, Tim Weber & Alexandra Siffert on the win! 🏆) 🔬 STATcovery - Innovating drug development with genetic biosensors led by Roman Medelin A heartfelt thank you to our distinguished jury members Liliane Brunner Halbach, Simon P. Hoerstrup, Theofanis Manolikas, and Gretchen van Steenwyk for their expert insights and invaluable feedback that will help shape these innovations. 🙏 To all our speakers who shared their wisdom and to every participant who brought their passion and dedication to the program - you made this journey truly remarkable. 💯 And of course, a special shoutout to our management team Andreea Loredana Cretu, Elias Meier, Jessica Plucain - masters of the delicate art of turning brilliant chaos into structured success! 🎭 Sometimes playing the "fun police" (someone had to do it 😉), but always with our teams' best interests at heart. The future of #lifesciences innovation looks brighter thanks to ideas like these! 💫 #BioEntrepreneurship #Entrepreneurship #Healthcare #Biotech #Innovation #StartUp #BioEntrepreneurship #LifeSciences #MedTech #BEIprogram

Almost done! The ✨final pitching session✨ of Module B will take place this Wednesday! 📢 Over the last 10 weeks, our participants have continuously worked on their business ideas, refined their pitches, and incorporated new knowledge and skills into their team projects. Now, it's time to showcase their efforts in front of an expert jury! A huge thank you to our jurors Gretchen van Steenwyk, Simon P. Hoerstrup, Liliane Brunner Halbach, and Theofanis Manolikas for their valuable insights and feedback to our soon-to-be BEI alumni! 🚀 We are excited to hear these pitches (at least) one more time - and wrap it up with a well-deserved apéro! 🍸 #biotech #medtech #healthcareinnovation #lifesciences #entrepreneurship #BEIprogram #UZH #ETH #USZ #digitalhealth

Key takeaways from Day 9 of the BioEntrepreneurship & Innovation (BEI) program! 🎇 With Lidia Novak, CFA, CFO at Biognosys, we talked finances in this workshop! The focus was on: 💰 Financing at every stage: From early-stage grants and business angels, through private equity and venture loans post-sales, to accessing banks and public markets as your company scales, Lidia showed us the different funding pathways. 📈 Strategic growth planning: We explored the importance of both short- and long-term financial planning, learning how to track cash flow and make growth forecasts. 🧾 Understanding your financials: Lidia gave an insightful introduction to accounting basics, including bookkeeping options, balance sheets, and income statements. 📤 Exit strategies: Finally, we discussed various exit routes and how to position your company for a successful sale. Thanks again for leading today's workshop Lidia! It was amazing to have you. 🚀 Next Wednesday, Module B will officially end with a pitching competition and well-deserved apero after that! Congratulations to all of our participants - you have done a great job throughout this course! 🎉 #Bioentrepreneurship #LifeScienceInnovation #StartupJourney #BEIprogram #biotech #medtech #digitalhealth

🤩 Super valuable workshop for our community! The SmartPath AG team is highly experienced in dealing with all the intricacies of medical device landscape and can guide you on this challenging journey. 💡 The cool thing? They make the #regulatoryaffairs FUN and INTERACTIVE!

Almost done - Day 9 out of 10 in Module B coming up this Wednesday! 📢 With Lidia Novak, CFA, CFO at Biognosys, as our expert-in-residence, we will dive into the critical topic of startup finances. In this session, we will: 1️⃣ Explore different ways to raise funding for your project. 2️⃣ Understand the importance of short- and long-term financial planning to fuel growth. 3️⃣ Gain insights into accounting practices and bookkeeping options. 4️⃣ Discuss different exit strategies for startups. We’re excited to welcome Lidia and benefit from her deep expertise in corporate finance and governance! 📈 #healthcareinnovation #lifesciences #entrepreneurship #BEIprogram #UZH #ETH #USZ #biotech #medtech #digitalhealth #startupfinances

🚀 Calling All Life Science Entrepreneurs in Zurich! 🚀 We are excited to invite you to the Zurich Sciencepreneur Meetup—an evening dedicated to innovation, networking, and collaboration in Life Sciences, Biotech, Medtech, and Digital Health. This special event, organized in collaboration with ETH Zürich, Universitätsspital Zürich, Universitätsklinik Balgrist, University of Zurich, and ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, brings together the brightest minds and emerging startups in the region. Agenda Highlights: 💡 Keynote Speech: Learn from the journey of a successful entrepreneur. 🎤 Startup Pitches: Present your idea and get feedback from an expert audience. 🍷 Founder Networking Apéro: Enjoy drinks and refreshments while connecting with like-minded innovators. Don’t miss this chance to exchange ideas, make valuable connections, and stay informed about the latest advancements in the life sciences space! 📅 Date: 13th November 2024 🕕 Time: 18:00 - 20:00 📍 Location: Balgrist University Hospital, Forchstrasse 340, 8008 Zurich (Auditorium & Foyer) Registration required! 🎉 Free Networking Apéro included! 🔗 Register now to secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/d2gGpD48 Organized by: BioEntrepreneurship & Innovation (BEI) program | Bio.Incubate | ETH Zürich | ETH Entrepreneur Club | ETH Entrepreneurship | STARTUP CAMPUS Switzerland | Universitätsklinik Balgrist | USZ Health Innovation Hub | UZH Innovation Hub | Therapy Development Accelerator - UZH | Wyss Zurich #Entrepreneurship #LifeSciences #Biotech #Medtech

🚨 great opportunity for our participants 🚨

📢 We’re happy to take another look at the fantastic results from the collaboration between the BioEntrepreneurship & Innovation (BEI) program and ZHdK Zürcher Hochschule der Künste design students! Each year, we connect startup projects (University of Zurich Entrepreneur Fellows, BEIprogram alumni) with creative talent to help communicate breakthrough innovations. A few months ago, we shared how Lena Hochhuth, Aimée Martinez, @Jana Willimann , and @Tim Jenny worked with Antonis Katsoulas (@Innunity) to create visualizations explaining their innovative Multiple Sclerosis (MS) medication, and we're still so proud of what they achieved. 🌿🎨 We're super happy to see these results and the hard work being it showcased again, this time by Hochparterre 💡: Key takeaways from the article: ⭐ Science meets design: The team brilliantly visualized how Innunity's drug works to protect nerves from MS in a clear, patient-friendly way. 🎯 ⭐ Real impact: These visuals will help MS patients and their families understand how the drug protects nerves and slows disease progression. 🌿 ⭐ Collaboration and creativity: The project was a mix of science, design, and patient-centered research, balancing abstraction and realism. 🤝 A huge thank you to these brilliant students and UZH Entrepreneur Fellow Antonis Katsoulas for this incredible work! We can’t wait to see more impactful projects next year! Read the full article here [in German]: https://bit.ly/47YBiYs