The short way from the BioBusiness program to MIT Business Angels

The Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, with its Center of Advanced Studies on Entrepreneurship in BioMedicine (CASE BioMed) was, in 2010, the first academic institution in Switzerland to offer a series of comprehensive advanced programs – BioBusiness, MedTech Business, BioClub – providing young life sciences companies with the theoretical and project-based practical skills needed to develop, fund and market biomedical innovations. Many well-known entrepreneurs participated in the programs, for example Jens Kelm, the former CTO of Insphero or Duncan Sutherland, CEO, TwentyGreen. The program provides an in-depth understanding of what it takes to set up and finance successful biotechnology companies in Europe. Participants are given guidance on how to take on leadership roles in their communities, to start and fund their own business, or play a more active role in investing in life-sciences ventures.

The next BioBusiness program (12-16 November 2018, Lugano) will kick off this fall and to participate has become even more attractive. The most promising start-up of the course week will have the opportunity to pitch to the MIT Life Sciences Angels, a group of private investors up until now only open to start-ups affiliated to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The reason that Patrick Rivelli und Roman Fleck from MIT Life Sciences Angels give for this decision say a lot about the international recognition of the BioBusiness courses.

“The comprehensive advanced program on BioBusiness at Università della Svizzera italiana not only covers all the basics to start a business in life science. Very few, if any, programs can achieve such balanced and comprehensive overview in BioEntrepreneurship for early-stage companies within such a short time. Moreover, the program is known for its thorough procedure for selecting the participating companies. The quality of the program and its participants has even attracted the attention of the MIT Life Science Angels who offered to invite the most promising start-up from this class to present at their regular investor pitches in Cambridge, MA.”

Heidrun Flaadt, Director CASE BioMed, adds: “We are delighted to offer our BioBusiness participants such a direct access to an exclusive circle of business angels and experts at a leading university which is located in one of the top start-up hubs in the US. The collaboration with the MIT Life Sciences Angels brings significant added value to our BioBusiness program and stands as a confirmation of the quality of this training”.

(SK)