EUVC VC | E525 | Jean Schmitt & Rob Blackie on the State of RNA in Europe & the TechBio Opportunity
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Jul 19, 2025 Jean Schmitt, who heads Jolt Capital focusing on deep tech investments, and Rob Blackie, founder of Crampton Blackie, discuss the critical state of RNA in Europe. They address the hurdles of commercialization and investment, revealing stark funding disparities with North America. Insights from their landmark report highlight the regulatory challenges faced by biotech startups. They argue for a supportive environment to foster innovation and explore the impact of COVID vaccine advancements. The conversation emphasizes the need for strategic partnerships to unlock RNA's full potential.
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Europe's RNA Challenge
- Europe invented critical RNA science but struggles to retain companies to scale locally.
- Regulatory fragmentation and low investment create a challenging environment for European RNA ventures.
Fragmented Europe Hurts Scale
- Europe is fragmented with different cultures and regulations complicating business across countries.
- This fragmentation forces startups to grow slowly locally, then regionally, often pushing them to sell to U.S. firms.
Agricultural RNA Benefits
- Agriculture RNA products offer targeted, environmentally friendly crop protection alternatives.
- Such RNA pesticides avoid collateral damage and degrade quickly, unlike traditional widespread pesticides.