The founder's experience: Jan Lichtenberg, InSphero
29.11.2017
Jan Lichtenberg and his startup InSphero were one of the first graduates of the Venture Kick program, having received their kick in 2008. InSphero are a global player in developing 3D microtissues for drug delivery and cell therapy. InSphero are also joint winners of our Global Shapers competition for 2007/2008.
 Jan Lichtenberg with the InSphero team
|
 |
InSphero has been in business for eight years, how did you carve out a niche for yourselves in the market?
From day 1, we listened to our customers in the pharmaceutical industry to learn how they would like to use our technology to improve their daily work life. This strive for understanding customer needs and wants has guided us in correctly positioning our technology and in developing products that fit the market. We combined these products with a high level of scientific competence which we share in our industry partnerships with our customers.
You won the final of Venture Kick in 2008: What did the program bring to you and to InSphero? Nine years later do you still feel a lasting impact?
Venture Kick laid the foundation for our customer and market focus before we even founded the company. The program encouraged us to engage in business relationships early on and to see our company and solutions through the eyes of the customer. This approach has become part of our company DNA and still guides us every day.
Did winning the Venture Kick final give you a boost in terms of the CV of the business?
Winning the final of a competition after the long and thorough vetting process that Venture Kick is known for resulted in a lot of visibility and credibility. This was key for our Series A financing round which we closed a year later.
You were on the venture leaders Life Science team in 2010: In 2013 you established the north American branch of InSphero, how instrumental was venture leaders in your success in the USA?
During the 14-day program, all of us got infected by the US virus. The drive, risk taking, and blue-sky thinking impressed us – and we took a lot of it back home. Equally as importantly, it became clear that we needed to setup a subsidiary in the US and to grow our business in the largest geographic market in our sector with an experienced and entrepreneurial team. Today, we have eight employees in the US and produce our 3D InSight™ Microtissues for the US in our Brunswick facility.
You were recognized as the EY ”Entrepreneur of the year“ in the category of ”Emerging Entrepreneur“ in 2015, what does this award mean to you?
The EY ”Entrepreneur of the Year“ award is one of the most prestigious recognitions for entrepreneurs in Switzerland. The endorsement for our work as a team at InSphero – and this is how I regard this award – by a jury of seasoned and successful entrepreneurs was and is a great honor, and I work hard to live up to it every day.
What are the next steps for InSphero now?
We have recently expanded our portfolio with new disease models which will help to fight epidemic diseases such as diabetes and liver fibrosis. Our team is currently building partnerships with leading companies worldwide to enable them to identify new drugs to fight these diseases using our unique discovery platforms. In a partnership with Charles River Laboratories, one of the largest CROs in the world, we are improving the development of novel anti-cancer drugs, a new and exciting application for our technology. And, finally we are combining multiple organs on a microfluidic cartridge the size of a postcard to mimic the complexity of the human body for even more predictive results.
What advice would you give to researchers who are considering founding their own startup?
Begin with sales and business development immediately – do not delay this core activity ”until the product is ready“. Understanding the customer is key to creating the right product, right positioning and right messaging.
See what people are saying on Twitter using the hashtags #10YVentureKick for our anniversary and #VentureKickGS for our Global Shapers
From day 1, we listened to our customers in the pharmaceutical industry to learn how they would like to use our technology to improve their daily work life. This strive for understanding customer needs and wants has guided us in correctly positioning our technology and in developing products that fit the market. We combined these products with a high level of scientific competence which we share in our industry partnerships with our customers.
You won the final of Venture Kick in 2008: What did the program bring to you and to InSphero? Nine years later do you still feel a lasting impact?
Venture Kick laid the foundation for our customer and market focus before we even founded the company. The program encouraged us to engage in business relationships early on and to see our company and solutions through the eyes of the customer. This approach has become part of our company DNA and still guides us every day.
Did winning the Venture Kick final give you a boost in terms of the CV of the business?
Winning the final of a competition after the long and thorough vetting process that Venture Kick is known for resulted in a lot of visibility and credibility. This was key for our Series A financing round which we closed a year later.
You were on the venture leaders Life Science team in 2010: In 2013 you established the north American branch of InSphero, how instrumental was venture leaders in your success in the USA?
During the 14-day program, all of us got infected by the US virus. The drive, risk taking, and blue-sky thinking impressed us – and we took a lot of it back home. Equally as importantly, it became clear that we needed to setup a subsidiary in the US and to grow our business in the largest geographic market in our sector with an experienced and entrepreneurial team. Today, we have eight employees in the US and produce our 3D InSight™ Microtissues for the US in our Brunswick facility.
You were recognized as the EY ”Entrepreneur of the year“ in the category of ”Emerging Entrepreneur“ in 2015, what does this award mean to you?
The EY ”Entrepreneur of the Year“ award is one of the most prestigious recognitions for entrepreneurs in Switzerland. The endorsement for our work as a team at InSphero – and this is how I regard this award – by a jury of seasoned and successful entrepreneurs was and is a great honor, and I work hard to live up to it every day.
What are the next steps for InSphero now?
We have recently expanded our portfolio with new disease models which will help to fight epidemic diseases such as diabetes and liver fibrosis. Our team is currently building partnerships with leading companies worldwide to enable them to identify new drugs to fight these diseases using our unique discovery platforms. In a partnership with Charles River Laboratories, one of the largest CROs in the world, we are improving the development of novel anti-cancer drugs, a new and exciting application for our technology. And, finally we are combining multiple organs on a microfluidic cartridge the size of a postcard to mimic the complexity of the human body for even more predictive results.
What advice would you give to researchers who are considering founding their own startup?
Begin with sales and business development immediately – do not delay this core activity ”until the product is ready“. Understanding the customer is key to creating the right product, right positioning and right messaging.
See what people are saying on Twitter using the hashtags #10YVentureKick for our anniversary and #VentureKickGS for our Global Shapers