TYCOONSTORY’s Post

Cohort 4 of the Longevity Biotech Fellowship - May 15-19th, 2024 in Valencia, Spain Last month Dr. Angelina Lesnikova, our co-founder, travelled to Vitalia.city - a pop-up city with a goal of making death optional. Why? Because we almost agree with the quote that “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” - except that we think it’s the first one. Once we have time to live as long as we want, we’ll be able to tackle anything else. This spring, our friends from Longevity Biotech Fellowship are organizing the 4th cohort of the Longevity Biotech Fellowship to bring together scientists, entrepreneurs and thought leaders who strive to defeat aging. Why?  Because we need coordinated effort of the world top talent to achieve this goal! What’s on the agenda: - Crash course on the current approaches to stop aging  - Co-creation of the updated roadmap towards longevity - Networking with funders, investors, collaborators and like-minded people - Leadership Training - Community Projects - Pitching/Recruiting/Founding Participation includes: lodging, mediterranean cuisine, daily fitness programme - and, most importantly, workshops. Applications are open already - and the deadline is April, 30th. If you have questions or want to learn more, reach out to Mark Hamalainen or Nathan Cheng from LBF. Links for applications and more information in comments. 

🤷♀️👉 "Do you want to found a 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲" - Let´s talk about 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 - 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮-𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲! We recently organized our second get-together for PhDs and PostDocs, in collaboration with Gateway Excellence Start-up Center University of Cologne and Longevity Biotech Fellowship, to discuss the hurdles and opportunities in founding a life science company in Germany. 🌟 We were fortunate to have Carlos A. Chacón-Martínez join us, who successfully founded his company niostem after completing his post-doc in Cologne. 💡 We started by discussing: ◽ How to identify inventions in your research. ◽ How to protect and confidentially discuss them. ◽ Different non-dilutive funding programs to take the first steps towards spinning off a company while still being at university 🚀 Carlos then took us on his founding journey, sharing the highs and lows of start-up life. 💼 One of the major challenges discussed? The Endgegner: German bureaucracy! - Or as I like to call it, bureau-crazy! 🤯 🌍 Many international attendees shared their experiences of founding companies in their home countries. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 "𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝" 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲, 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲. 📚 I learned so much that evening and want to thank everyone who stayed for the lively discussion after the event with beer and pretzels. Your insights are invaluable as we strive to make it easier for scientific pioneers to become entrepreneurs. 👏 Special thanks to Carlos A. Chacón-Martínez for joining us on a Friday night, and to my wonderful co-host Dr. Asya Martirosyan for pushing this important topic alongside her badass postdoc work. 🙌 #Innovation #ScienceStartups #EntrepreneurialJourney #LifeSciences #GermanBureaucracy

Today, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced the approval of $49 million in Phase 2 funding, as part of the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program, for the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub application. Wisconsin’s Tech Hub, focused on personalized medicine, was one of just 12 Tech Hubs across the country to receive funding. This is tremendous news for Greater Madison’s and Wisconsin’s economy, and it validates our standing as a global leader in health innovation. The Chamber has championed the concept of a regional technology hub program going back to 2019, and it has been a cornerstone of our federal advocacy ever since. From leveraging Chamber programming to diligent behind-the-scenes work with partners and our congressional delegation, we have worked tirelessly toward the goal of creating and funding this important federal place-based economic program. This is a huge win for our region and our state, but our work is not done yet. We call on Congress to fund the program beyond the current appropriated amount of $500 million and reach the fully authorized amount of $10 billion to build upon today’s announced investments. This is critical to unlocking the full potential of this program and maximizing our nation’s innovation output. Read the EDA announcement here: https://lnkd.in/gUV7neGs

We are feeling incredibly inspired and energized after visiting the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard! Boston really is a hotbed for groundbreaking innovation, and we are fortunate enough to work with some of the leading biotech companies driving positive change in the world. Witnessing the groundbreaking research unfolding at the Broad Institute was a humbling experience. Their relentless pursuit to decode disease and translate it into life-saving therapies is nothing short of awe-inspiring. This, coupled with the collaborative spirit among Boston's vibrant biotech community, creates an electrifying ecosystem to be a part of. It's a constant reminder of the incredible potential technology holds to impact lives and redefine what's possible. This experience reminds us of the incredible impact technology can have on the world. It's not just about building software or managing networks; it's about empowering people to do amazing things. And in the case of biotech, it's about improving lives and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Feeling grateful to be a part of this vibrant community and excited to see what the future holds! #biotech #innovation #boston #broadinstitute #mit #harvard #grateful #makinganimpact

We have the blueprints of success – but we must go further. Unlocking regional capital and devolving decision-making on innovation spending will be the next stage in developing the wider UK innovation economy and likely a key focus for the next Government....

In graduate school, I worked as the nutrition coordinator for an adult fitness and cardiac rehabilitation program associated with a university. As a relatively new position in the organization, it lacked established processes. Bright-eyed, naive, and optimistic, I proposed lots of new ideas to enhance and expand the nutrition services. Phil, the director, who was also my thesis advisor, would grin and say, “Jean, you can do anything you want, as long as you produce more revenue than expenses.” Even though it was a nonprofit academic institution, I began to think like an entrepreneur. Read the full story in Once Upon An Innovation. Link in bio.

“Bouncebackability” was the topic discussed at the annual Jawdrop Summit in White City Innovation District. How do we build resilience in Life Sciences? Key takeaways for me 1. Don’t do it alone: a culture of collaboration which is so evident in White City, a “network science approach” in academia + cointegration with SMEs (great definition by Oscar Ces) will enhance ecosystem resilience. 2. “You don’t go into science because it’s easy”, you need to keep at it. Biotech companies consume a lot of capital to create data, so they need investors who understand and can wait. Pick investors who are resilient (if in doubt, ask other founders- this kind of intel is what ecosystems are there for) 3. Don’t fear failure. Sometimes you have the right idea at the wrong time.You’ve got to come back to it. 4. Let’s not fixate on why the UK doesn’t produce enough unicorns. (Is it because investors are in a rush to get out?) We don’t have the tallest tree in the forest? Let’s build the forest first, tall trees will eventually emerge. 5. Mission resilience: a new Labour government would keep Life Sciences at the centre of their strategy. (No u-turns pls? )More clusters like White City would be created outside of the golden triangle, underpinned by a much needed planning reform to build more labs 🎉 6. AMR(antimicrobial) resistance could bring our entire medical system to a halt: there’s no cancer treatment or surgery that isn’t reliant on antibiotics. Yet COVID has pushed this emergency to the (almost) back of the queue. The solution needs to be global and encompasses human and animals. 7. Health resilience:the average age in the UK when individuals lose their good health status( meaning start taking regular medications) is 64. I was shocked. We need to focus on extending “healthy life” not just life. 8. Audience resilience: a 5 hour long event! but so worthwhile. Great drinks reception with popcorns and ice creams at the end too (our quest for health starts tomorrow) 🍨 Well done Upstream, Prema Gurunathan (佩娜) and the Imperial College London team. #jawdrop #whitecity #lifesciences #sciencesuperpower #whitecityinnovationdistrict

🌟 SmiLe's CEO Ebba Fåhraeus appointed as a member of the Swedish government's advisory group for life science. 🌟 The reference group assists the Government Office's Life Science office in an advisory capacity in the work on the national life science strategy and consists of experts and representatives from, among others, healthcare, academic institutions, industry, and patients. 🔬 "I am very pleased that Smile and Swedish incubators are now represented in the government's advisory group for life science and that innovation and entrepreneurship are part of the agenda. Collaboration is important for Sweden to remain a leading life science nation, and I look forward to contributing my experience in working with startups and my knowledge of the Swedish innovation support system," says Ebba Fåhraeus, CEO of Smile. The Life Science office, led by Jeanette Edblad, works to increase coordination within the life science sector. The purpose of the reference group is to exchange knowledge provide insights into sector developments and support the implementation of the national life science strategy. 🚀 “Making use of the world-leading research that is conducted in Sweden, both when it comes to therapy and prevention, and translating it into societal benefit, but also solving the difficult compensation issue that today makes it challenging to ensure preventive, effective and equal care throughout the country are other important issues” Ebba adds. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dWAwGT9E

On October 9th, the fourth installment of the Radboudumc Investment Day took place. Scientists, entrepreneurs and investors from the life sciences & health sector came together to exchange knowledge, network and talk about new collaborations.   The event was jointly organized by Briskr, Oost NL, Radboudumc and Radboud University. With well over 200 people attending, the turnout was once again larger than the year before.   Keynote speaker, Floris Rutjes, professor in Organic Synthesis at Radboud University, kicked off the event’s program. He talked about his personal experience and involvement with various start-ups, including Chiralix, FutureChemistry and Synaffix BV. Throughout the program, attendees engaged in targeted 1-on-1 conversations. Others met up spontaneously during the breaks, drinks and diner afterward.   The winner of this year’s poster competition was Nienke Timmermans, with her idea for an algorithm that monitors tremors in patients with Parkinson’s disease. She received the Martijn Kriens Best Poster Award: an incentive prize of 2,500 euros for her idea. Entries in the poster competition were judged not only on their scientific merits, but also on their potential to eventually grow into a successful product.   The award is named after Martijn Kriens, who unfortunately passed away earlier this year. Martijn was, among many other things, a founding father of and a key driving force behind the Investment Day. His passion, energy and companionship will be dearly remembered by the organizing team and all knew him. #investmentday #entrepreneurs #startup #investors #scientists #lifesciences #healthcare #techhealth #ai #lifeport #innovation #funding #pitches #posterpresentations #networking

I've been reflecting (beachside;) on the extraordinary #Innovate100 event from a couple months ago, as I believe we have just touched the tip of the iceberg regarding our region's potential for even greater growth. The event hosted 450+ local key leaders and highlighted many of our strengths...here are just a few that come to mind: Academic Leadership: We highlighted the importance of nurturing talent within our academic institutions. Collaboration between universities and industry is crucial in spurring innovation and developing a skilled and agile workforce capable of meeting the demands of our rapidly evolving economy. Research: Advancements in genomics, biotech, and healthtech are positioning New Jersey as a leader in cutting-edge scientific discoveries. These innovations contribute to our understanding of complex biological systems and pave the way for new treatments and technologies that can improve our lives. Technology and Digital Transformation: These are huge cornerstones of our state's legacy and the region’s future success. The integration of #AI, robotics, and other advanced technologies is revolutionizing the way we do business. Embracing these changes and investing in R&D and digital infrastructure will be key to maintaining our competitive edge in the global market. And thankfully, Gov. Murphy and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) have been making the bold investments to spur even more #innovation and #entrepreneurship in AI, tech, and life sciences. What an inspiring time to be innovating in New Jersey. I'm looking forward to continuing to support our brilliant ecosystem...please save evenings of October 10 and May 13, 2025 as we continue elevating our finest. A big thank you to our partners: HELIX NJ + DEVCO Christopher Paladino Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Elizabeth McNeilly, CFP® Nokia Bell Labs Thierry Klein The Green Group Len Green, CPA, MBA Rutgers University Michael Zwick our hosts: Middlesex County, NJ - County Government Sandy S. Castor | New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) Michele Siekerka, Esq. | Aspire Studios | Innovation+ our signature sponsors: Fairleigh Dickinson University | Bell Works | The Garibaldi Group | Smart IMS Inc. and friends who made this possible: NJSBDC State Office | CentralReach | Gearhart Law, LLC | New Jersey Health Foundation, Inc. | Cogent Connections | PERMEVO | South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America - NJ | ROI-NJ