Startups from the BioRegion take part in TIRS Switzerland Edition to approach to Swiss ecosystem
<p>The companies got to pitch their projects to Swiss investors, business angels, venture capitalists and companies. Plus, Swiss Biotech Day 2022 was held the same week, where Biocat presented the BioRegion to one of Europe’s most interesting ecosystems. </p>
Biocat and the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Switzerland co-organized The Investment Readiness Series. Switzerland Edition, with participation from five startups from the BioRegion. The participating companies got to pitch their projects to Swiss investors, business angels, venture capitalists and cutting-edge companies like Novartis, Lonza, HBM Partners and Swiss Rockets, among others.
The five startups from the BioRegion that attended the event were:
- ABCDx,a spinoff of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) that is developing, validating and using biomarkers for clinical decision-making in treating patients with brain lesions.
- Ahead Therapeutics, a spin-off of the Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and ICREA that is developing a pharmacological platform to treat and cure autoimmune diseases.
- Bsure Medical, a spinoff of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) that is developing a platform of independent services and products to diagnose, prevent and consult on issues related to treatments with bioimplants.
- Gate2Brain, a biotech firm created out of IRB Barcelona and the University of Barcelona (UB) that focuses on developing therapies to efficiently cross biological barriers like the blood-brain barrier in order to administer therapeutic molecules.
- HealthCircuit, a startup created out of the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) and Hospital Clinic Barcelona that is working on a platform for smart, personalized management of patients’ health, mainly during the prehabilitation stage.
A chance to meet big investors
The Catalan companies were positive about the event, especially because it gave them a chance to approach big investors in the Swiss ecosystem. One of them, HealthCircuit CEO Isaac Cano, highlighted that, after the event, he got to interact with some of the investors they met with. As did Bsure Medical CEO Menno Marien, who will keep in touch with the investors who showed interest in the project and the other startups that took part.
After two years of the pandemic, being able to hold the event in person was another positive aspect. Gate2Brain CEO/CSO Meritxell Teixidó shared her opinion that in-person events “always make communication between companies and interested investors easier.”
Some of the five Catalan companies also took advantage of their stay in Switzerland to attend Swiss Biotech Day 2022, an international event for experts in the sector, delegations, clusters and startups or small, innovative biotech companies. Biocat was present at the event with a booth it shared with the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to Switzerland and EATRIS+ and presented the BioRegion to one of Europe’s most interesting ecosystems.