At Novaliq, we research and develop water-free eye drops—a unique and, at first glance, almost counterintuitive innovation. When I first learned about Novaliq in 2016, I was immediately intrigued. It raised a fundamental question: why, after thousands of years, are almost all eye drops still based on water or oil, despite the eye’s outer tear film being primarily lipid-based?
Tell us more about yourself and what motivated you to found Arxx, which has since become Calluna Pharma following the merger with Oxitope.
I was born in Norway and lived there until I moved to Copenhagen to study medicine. I never actually considered medicine as a career path until I trained as a medic during my mandatory service in the Norwegian Armed Forces which triggered my interest in clinical work.
What motivated me to co-found Arxx was my ambition to make a larger impact than I felt I was having at my existing job. Arxx co-founder Dr. Rizwan Hussain and myself started looking at the biology of a protein known as S100A4 and the broader class of DAMPS (Damage Associated Molecular Patterns or alarmins).
We were immediately captivated by their therapeutic potential. To further validate our approach, we engaged with Professor Eugene Lukanidin’s research group in Copenhagen, the pioneers in S100A4 research.
You have an extensive background in both academia and the biotech industry, with over 60 peer-reviewed papers and multiple patents. How has your experience as a researcher shaped your approach as a life sciences investor and entrepreneur?
I think it gives a different perspective as an investor, when you have actually had operational experience. Having started companies and worked with f.ex. patent strategy, development plans and CRO selection and monitoring is not only something I hear about in the board room, but something I have actually done myself.
That said, one should of course also be humble and recognize that one’s own experience is only directly relevant in few cases, and of course we engage experts and other stakeholders in all cases, but it is nevertheless a different perspective one gets from having started and run companies.
The scientific background, and ability to grasp and challenge scientific backgrounds of projects and companies, is essential for an investor in the life science space, and indeed I believe most of my peers in other venture funds have scientific and/or clinical backgrounds.
Can you share the inspiration and vision behind founding Kadence Bio?
The inspiration for Kadence Bio stemmed from our founders’ early investigations into potential acute treatments for mood disorders, where they explored different classes of alkaloid small molecules. We discovered a compound scaffold with a distinctive pharmacokinetic profile that also exhibited an unexpected effect of delayed ejaculation. This – rather unexpected! – The finding was corroborated by the elucidation of its potential mechanism of action.
We then identified a significant unmet need, as no FDA-approved treatments exist for premature ejaculation, a condition that affects at least 1 in 20 men and their partners globally and hinders intimacy and well-being in these relationships. We quickly decided to found Kadence Bio, with a vision of cultivating sexual and mental well-being by developing novel treatments for sexual health and mood disorder applications.
Tell us about your background.
For the last 15 years, I have held management positions in medtech and biotech companies, mainly in the field of cardiology. Having trained as an ETH engineer, I’ve always been attracted by cutting-edge technology at the service of innovation, which led me to decide 8 years ago to take over the management of the biotech start-up CellProthera, a specialist in stem cells, which offers immense potential for therapeutic innovation.
Your experience spans the globe. Tell us more about your background?
I am the CEO and Founder of Rosetta Omics: an innovative deeptech healthcare startup incubated at Agoranov and in a mission to unlock the road to precision medicine using spatial multiomics and AI and starting with cancer.
Having lived in four countries: Egypt, the Netherlands, USA and now France & studied in 13 total (in 5 continents), I acquired a multidimensional, multidisciplinary and multicultural understanding of the complexities that may rise in any life sciences biopharma/health organization and developed the ability to approach them with an innovative problem-solving attitude. My bachelor was from Egypt, my master was from the Netherlands, my PhD, from the USA, my postdoc from France and I did an executive MBA from ESCP business school between nine countries.
Tell us about your background.
I am Paul Bravetti, a passionate executive with a strong focus on scientific innovation and entrepreneurial ventures.
My background combines a Doctor of Pharmacy degree with an MBA in business management from HEC Paris. I joined Brenus Pharma in 2020 and became CEO in 2022, with a clear mission to (address the limitations of current cancer treatments and) create a meaningful impact for patients.
My international experience/journey in major pharmaceutical companies (Takeda, Servier, Roche) across Europe and Asia has been key to giving me a deep insight into launching therapeutics and addressing unmet medical needs.
Teitur means happiness in Old Norse. What inspired you to choose this name for the company, and how does it reflect your vision for developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases?
At Teitur, our name captures the essence of our mission. Meaning “joyful” or “bright” in Old Norse, Teitur reflects our commitment to bringing light and hope to patients and families affected by Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases. We are developing innovative, disease-modifying treatments that go beyond symptom management, aiming to alter the course of these conditions.
Tell us about your background.
I am an organic chemist who has worked in many different fields within pharma and biotech. I have worked at Novo Nordisk, H. Lundbeck and at a Danish CRO working in different areas and roles such as QA, R&D Chemistry, Project Management, Sourcing and Corporate Business Development and Strategy. Before I started my venture trajectory, I was CEO of a venture-backed diagnostic company. My time in venture capital started in 2009 at Lundbeckfonden Ventures when the Lundbeck Foundation decided to establish a VC entity.
Tell us more about your background. Throughout my career, I have focused and been involved in creating, driving and transacting on innovation in medicine. I have led innovation and drug discovery with different technologies including RNA therapeutics, genetic medicines, drug delivery, informatics, biologics and small molecules. During your tenure as President & CEO at Scandion Oncology and Genevant Sciences, what were some of the most innovative projects you spearheaded, and what impact did they have on the company’s direction? As President & CEO at Scandion Oncology, I led the strategic transformation and growth of the company, raising 300 million SEK and listing the company on Nasdaq First North in Stockholm. This allowed Scandion to continue the development in Phase 2 and build the team. We focused on strategically positioning an inhibitor of an efflux pump in cancer cells as innovative projects designed to overcome cancer drug resistance – mainly in colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. The medical need in cancer for innovative projects is huge and resistance to existing therapies is the leading cause of the almost innumerable 10 million casualties to cancer every year.
