Part 4 of 4. 

My guest for this week’s episode is Derek Hennecke, a veteran biotech entrepreneur and board member with over 30 years of experience in the CDMO industry, whose mission is to support the biotech revolution and create value for patients, customers, and investors.

In addition to his Board work, Derek previously held leadership positions at DSM and was the Founder and CEO of Xcelience, a Florida-based CDMO specializing in preformulation, micronization, analytical services, formulation development, cGMP manufacturing, and more. Derek eventually sold Xcelience to Capsugel (now Lonza) in 2016. 

His extensive pharma and cell therapy expertise makes for an insightful conversation that founders can learn from.

Please enjoy my conversation with Derek Hennecke.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr 

Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/ 

Xcelience: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xcelience-llc/

MicroSize: https://www.microsize.com/

Capsugel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsugel

Lonza (Capsugel’s Parent Company): https://www.lonza.com/

Austin Px: https://www.austinpx.com/

Micronization: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronization

Biotech Partnerships: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research

M&A Strategies in Biotech: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/life-sciences-m-and-a-shows-new-signs-of-life

Biotech Funding Options: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-startup-funding-options

Marketing and Sales Strategies in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/blog/marketing-sales-strategies-for-biotechs

How To Run an Efficient Board Meeting: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-run-an-effective-board-meeting

Elephant Slides: https://rapport.bio/all-stories/elephant-in-boardroom

00:28 Intro

01:48 Disrupting the market with Xcelience

03:34 Derek’s M&A experience and acquisition strategy on the buy-side

04:36 Financing Xcelience’s acquisition of another micronization company

06:32 Derek’s sell-side experience with Capsugel

12:03 Challenges of work and life post-acquisition; Working with Lonza

14:32 Going back to school, starting as an investor, and transitioning to board work

17:35 Bringing confidence and decision-making skills to board member roles

20:21 Running effective board meetings and finding CEO mentorship

26:53 Final reflections and Derek’s advice for founders

30:11 Outro

The Biotech Startups Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so