“An investors nightmare is missing out on a successful product!” – Empowering Biotech Leaders: Navigating Finance Event, A Recap
Last week, hollandbio had the pleasure of welcoming 50 biotech founders and C-level executives to our first-ever exclusive financing event: Empowering Biotech Leaders: Navigating Finance. The event was organized in response to requests from our members, who – despite working in diverse fields within biotech – often face similar challenges: high-risk ventures, substantial funding needs, and long timelines to market. Ultimately, everyone is looking for the right funding to bring their innovation to the people who need it most.
In her opening speech, hollandbio’s Wieteke Wouters pointed to the growing Valley of Death, where more and more, the winner takes it all. To help our members beat the odds, we invited three seasoned biotech leaders to share their hard-earned lessons: Sjoerd van Gorp (Citryll), Paul van der Horst (Agomab), and biotech veteran André Hoekema.
Their engaging presentations covered key topics like how to close a deal, create FOMO among investors, and build long-term value. Some standout takeaways:
- Be bold and diversify your pipeline
- Perfect your pitch – what message do you want to leave behind with an investor?
- Believe in your product and your data
- Celebrate the small wins – and don’t forget to enjoy the ride
Following the presentations, a lively discussion ensued, touching on topics like entering the U.S. market and choosing the right partners. The afternoon continued with 1-on-1 partnering sessions, where participants met directly with peers and experts of their choice to exchange insights and advice. The networking lasted well into the end of the afternoon over drinks and bites.
We’d like to thank all participants for making this event a success. We hope to have sparked just enough FOMO for a future session with even more members 😉
