"Being an entrepreneur wasn’t optional; it was essential!”
Llorenç Coll
Llorenç Coll holds a PhD in Pharmacy and Biochemistry from the University of Barcelona. He completed his training as a scientific entrepreneur with various courses on start-ups, patents and licensing through Biocat. His scientific career has focused on the fields of cancer and genetics, as an associate researcher at the Institute of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer (IMPPC). There he founded the spin-off Aniling, where he is now CEO. Coll has co-invented the company’s first technology package, which was the first runner up in the Bioemprendedor XXI program.
Aniling aspires to “make precision medicine possible through the epigenomics revolution.” How? By developing a new gold standard for global genetic analyses, with technology that simultaneously analyzes both the genome and epigenome. Created in 2014 as a spin-off of the Institute of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer (IMPPC), the company has invested more than one million euros in developing a prototype for advanced users in the oncology arena.
Why did you want to be an entrepreneur?
I’ve always been attracted to the field of genetics. The potential it has in the health arena (and in many others, in fact) is impressive. And in just the past few years, new technology has sprung up, laying the foundation for a future where precision diagnosis and treatments will change everything. I’ve been lucky to work in a field that fascinates me and to be able to bring a truly disruptive element to the market and to the world in order to promote epigenomics and make a real contribution to the precision medicine of the future. Being an entrepreneur in this context wasn’t really optional; it was essential!
What is the most important strategic decision you’ve made so far?
From the beginning, we’ve tried to be very cautious in choosing our team: a team should work in the same direction and be able to grow, robust and flexible. This is key to establishing and cultivating relationships with other stakeholders in the market that we target, so we can act as sensors for their specific needs and provide tailored solutions. In our case, I firmly believe that we have a robust, balanced team, both for technical and business development, which is key to the company’s strategy.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“Know your market” or, in other words, “define your target customer well”. From the time you start out, you get a lot of input in the form of tips reminding you of this. And I think that the more innovative your product, above all in the early stages, the greater the challenge in precisely defining your target and approach. I think it’s good to take this as a mantra underlying everything so that all decisions are truly well focused and aligned.
And now what? What milestones do you want to achieve in the short term?
Aniling’s next phase is clear: we will be taking our current prototype to market over the next few months, and we are working with international opinion leaders to do so. This involves increased investment to validate the product on the market. So, securing funding is one of the short-term goals that occupies most of our time right now. We have a capital increase in the works, which will be closed before the end of the year. So, if anyone is interested in participating in our project, don’t hesitate to contact us!
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