Dragan Grabulovski, Araris 🇨🇭 | ADC Linkers, Replacing Chemotherapy | E41

Philip meets up with Dragan Grabulovski, CEO of the startup Araris, at Lake Zurich to chat about the company’s work with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).They talk about Araris’ huge $400M upfront buyout by Taiho Pharma of Japan, Dragan’s extensive history as a biotech entrepreneur, and Araris’ vision to replace chemotherapy with ADCs.⭐️ ABOUT THE SPEAKERDragan Grabulovski is a co-founder of the startup Araris and became CEO in 2023. He previously worked as a biotech consultant and startup coach in Switzerland. He co-founded the biotech company Covagen in 2007, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2014. Dragan has a Master’s degree and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from ETH Zurich.🔗 LINKS MENTIONED- Araris’ website: https://www.ararisbiotech.com/- Taiho Pharma acquires Araris: https://www.ararisbiotech.com/docs/250316_250317-araris-taiho-pr.pdf- Robin Carr, Myricx Bio 🇬🇧 | New ADC Payloads, London Biotech Startups | E38: https://flot.bio/episode/robin-carr-myricx-bio-adc/- Dominik Schumacher, Tubulis 🇩🇪 | Founder-led ADC Biotech ⭐️ | E19: https://flot.bio/episode/dominik-schumacher-tubulis/- ETH entrepreneurship and terms: https://ethz.ch/staffnet/en/news-and-events/internal-news/archive/2025/07/new-business-creation-regulations-and-equity-and-licensing-policy.html 📜 TRANSCRIPTRead the full transcript here: https://flot.bio/episode/dragan-grabulovski-araris-adc/💸 DONATEWe welcome donations from individuals and businesses to support our podcast and allow us to create even more content: https://www.paypal.me/PhilipHemme⭐️ SPONSORSHIPReady to amplify your brand to influential leaders in biotech and biopharma? Contact nick@flot.bio and unlock sponsorship opportunities in our podcasts!🫶 FOLLOW US- Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/h_fnmH- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flot-bio/- X (Twitter): https://x.com/FlotBio🙏 LIKE/FOLLOW/REVIEWDid you enjoy the episode? Please hit the like and subscribe button. Also, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.🎙️ ABOUT FLOT.BIOFlot.bio is a show to watch the best Europeans in biotech to help you grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 25k monthly views. Free.⏰ TIMESTAMPS- [00:00:00] Intro- [00:02:08] Araris’ acquisition by Taiho Pharma- [00:08:29] Covagen: Dragan Grabulovski’s first exit- [00:12:54] The origins of Araris and its ADC tech- [00:22:14] How to value a technology platform - [00:29:34] The burgeoning ADC market- [00:41:53] ADCs replacing chemotherapy- [00:46:15] The Swiss biotech ecosystem- [01:00:53] Quickfire questions