Flot.bio x Philip Hemme Ingmar Hoerr, CureVac | Founding a $20B Biotech and Almost Dying as CEO | E03
It’s a treat to welcome Ingmar Hoerr on the show. We chat about building a 20B dollar biotech startup, almost dying on the job, and why people skills are so important in biotech.
Ingmar is a pioneer in the EU biotech scene, revolutionizing drug development with mRNA therapeutics. He and his team created the initial technology used in mRNA vaccines and submitted the first patents for its use. CureVac helped other mRNA companies such as Moderna and BioNTech successfully solve the Covid pandemic. Ingmar is very inspiring, as he is visionary and bold while remaining humble and caring.
I’ve known him for almost a decade, and each interaction with him was memorable. This long episode and the lunch that followed are yet another example. Enjoy 😉
LINKS MENTIONED:
The 25 Most Valuable Biotech Companies in Europe in 2025: https://flot.bio/most-valuable-biotech-companies-europe-2025/
📜 Read the full transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/5n7d3652
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⏰ Timestamps:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:53) Welcome
(00:01:54) Background
(00:05:53) The mindset to make change
(00:06:59) Early days of RNA and mice
(00:08:55) The beginnings of CureVac
(00:13:39) How to survive while founding a company
(00:15:03) Where did the money come from?
(00:19:19) The key to getting the funds
(00:20:22) Getting the lab running
(00:22:34) Advancing RNA for humans
(00:24:29) Becoming a real biotech company
(00:27:31) Surviving the startup phase
(00:28:54) Investing in vision
(00:33:06) Getting proof of concept
(00:35:15) Phase one
(00:37:35) Phase two - failure is important
(00:42:51) Pharma partnerships
(00:47:01) Flu, rabies, and covid
(00:49:33) Stepping down to add in USA spirit
(00:53:01) Close to death
(00:57:49) Coming to peace with a new role
(01:02:06) The pandemic
(01:08:35) RNA people
(01:10:51) Moving on from CureVac
(01:11:53) Creating a foundation
(01:16:48) Freedom
(01:27:46) Biotech people are risk takers
(01:29:29) Sharing inspiration
(01:37:28) Reflection is key
(01:40:42) Making decisions
(01:51:37) People are important
(02:05:39) Strengths vs weakness
(02:11:32) Creating a common culture
(02:29:11) Thanks for listening