Flot.bio x Philip Hemme

Otello Stampacchia, founder of Omega Funds and former head of AlpInvest Partners, shares his insights on the fierce competition in the biopharma sector. He discusses the trend towards smaller biotech transactions while reflecting on his career journey from Europe to Boston. Otello draws intriguing parallels between biotech investment and Italian cooking, emphasizing community and collaboration as keys to innovation. He also addresses the emotional challenges of VC, the importance of relationships, and the nuanced trade-offs of relocating for career growth.

We’re in San Sebastián 🇪🇸 with one of the top VCs in Europe, Christina Takke from V-Bio Ventures.We talk about her path to get to the top and the benefits of gender diversity for both investing and European biotech as a whole. We also talk about her investment in Argenx when it was only three employees and the venture creation had dropped since 2022. 💎 ABOUT THE SPEAKERChristina co-founded V-Bio Ventures in 2015 and is now the Managing Partner. Before this, she was a leader in the European Venture Capital world with 15 years of experience. She has been a partner at Forbion Capital Partners where she led many successful investments in biopharma and pharma companies.🔗 LINKS MENTIONED- Lean years for company creation in Europe? - BioVox, Sep 2023 - https://biovox.eu/lean-years-for-company-creation-in-europe/📜 TRANSCRIPTRead the full transcript here: https://flot.bio/episode/christina-takke-v-bio-ventures/💸 DONATEWe welcome donations from individuals and businesses to support our more content creation: 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. 15k monthly views. Free.⏰ TIMESTAMPS[00:00:00] Intro[00:02:03] Top VC woman in biotech[00:08:36] European background[00:13:49] Investing in Argenx at the start[00:20:26] V-Bio story[00:25:09] Tech transfer[00:35:44] Company creation drop[00:42:39] Thanks for listening

We’re in San Sebastián 🇪🇸 with Naveed Siddiqi of one of Europe's largest biotech investors, Novo Holdings. We talked about how things really are in European biotech at the moment. We also talked about his upbringing as a second-generation immigrant in the UK and the importance of diversity. I’ve known him since he was a partner at Andera. He is a sharp investor, but also very friendly and open. 💎 ABOUT THE SPEAKER Naveed has been a part of Novo Holdings since 2019 and splits his time between London and Copenhagen. He has over 25 years of experience in life science venture investment as well as investment banking. Before joining Novo Holdings he was a partner at Andera Partners, a venture capital and growth equity firm with over 2 billion euros to focus on life science investment. 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED -Novo leads Q4 2023 as Top Investor - Oppenheimer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b-t2Ba-fnHdyJhIq4j-d7dSCk7Vj65bw/view?usp=sharing - Amolyt Pharma Announces $138 Million Series C Financing led by Sofinnova Partners and co-led by Intermediate Capital Group - https://amolytpharma.com/2023/01/06/amolyt-pharma-announces-138-million-series-c-financing-led-by-sofinnova-partners-and-co-led-by-intermediate-capital-group/ - AstraZeneca inks $800M buyout of French biotech to snag phase 3 rare disease drug - https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/astrazeneca-inks-800m-buyout-snag-phase-3-rare-disease-drug - Novo-backed Amolyt Pharma snags $80M series B for endocrine pipeline - https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/novo-backed-amolyt-pharma-snags-80m-series-b-for-endocrine-pipeline 📜 TRANSCRIPT Read the full transcript here: https://flot.bio/episode/naveed-siddiqi-novo-holdings/ 🫶 FOLLOW US - Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/h_fnmH - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flot-bio/ - X (Twitter): https://x.com/FlotBio 🎙️ ABOUT FLOT.BIO Flot.bio is a show to watch the best Europeans in biotech to help you grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 15k monthly views. Free. ⭐️ SPONSORSHIP Ready to amplify your brand to influential leaders in biotech and biopharma? Contact nick@flot.bio and unlock sponsorship opportunities in our podcasts! 🙏 LIKE/FOLLOW/REVIEW Did you enjoy the episode? Please hit the like and subscribe button. Also, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS [00:00:00] Intro [00:02:09] European biotech [00:18:06] Billion dollar exits [00:37:17] Diversity [00:45:04] Thanks for listening

We’re in Hannover 🇩🇪 with the founder and CEO of Cardior, Claudia Ulbrich We talked about Cardior’s recent €1B exit to Novo Nordisk. We also talk about miRNA and Cardiovascular, and why she earned the funny nickname “Frau Biotech”. 💎 ABOUT THE SPEAKER Claudia has been founding biotechs since the ’90s. She founded her first biotech company, LipoNova AG in 1998 and went on to co-found many more, including Cardior Pharmaceuticals. During her time she has launched and brought public a cancer vaccine company, helped see through a multi-million dollar deal of over €20M, and much more. 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED - Novo Nordisk to acquire Cardior Pharmaceuticals and strengthen pipeline in cardiovascular disease: https://www.novonordisk.com/content/nncorp/global/en/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/news-details.html?id=167038 📜 TRANSCRIPT Read the full transcript here: 🫶 FOLLOW US - Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/h_fnmH - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flot-bio/ - X: https://x.com/FlotBio 🎙️ ABOUT FLOT.BIO Flot.bio is a show to watch the best Europeans in biotech to help you grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 15k monthly views. Free. ⭐️ SPONSORSHIP Ready to amplify your brand to influential leaders in biotech and biopharma? Contact nick@flot.bio and unlock sponsorship opportunities in our podcasts! 🙏 LIKE/FOLLOW/REVIEW Did you enjoy the episode? Please hit the like and subscribe button. Also, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:47] Novo Nordisk deal [00:10:19] Results from heart disease phase1 [00:19:55] MicroRNA [00:26:42] The history of Cardior [00:41:49] Working with Centerview [00:45:17] Frau Biotech [00:53:57] Thanks for listening

We’re super privileged to chat online with Bahija Jallal, the CEO of Immunocore. Immunocore is the largest biotech in the UK and the 5th largest in Europe with a market cap of just over 3 billion dollars. We talk about how Immunocore has helped thousands of cancer patients and has become a commercial biotech. We also talk about why she thinks gender and race diversity are a business case and how AI is changing protein and biologics engineering. 💎 ABOUT THE SPEAKERI’ve “known” Bahija for over 10 years, after reading her profile in a student pharma magazine when I was studying bioengineering in France. At that time, she was head of MedImmune and SVP R&D at AstraZeneca. Now as the CEO of Immunocore, with their pioneering T cell receptor platform, she has helped to bring incredible treatments for cancer patients to market. 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED- Bahija on the Breakthrough Labs podcast - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2X4xedUdJid9GeioRSkCrP?si=39d8c7511aab443f- Immatics builds on its PRAME Success (and competes with Immunocore) - [OncologyPipeline.com](https://www.oncologypipeline.com/apexonco/immatics-builds-its-prame-success)- The 25 Most Valuable Biotech Companies in Europe in 2025: ⁠https://flot.bio/most-valuable-biotech-companies-europe-2025/⁠📜 TRANSCRIPTRead the full transcript here: https://flot.bio/episode/bahija-jallal-immunocore/🫶 FOLLOW US- Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/h_fnmH- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flot-bio/- X (Twitter): https://x.com/FlotBio🎙️ ABOUT FLOT.BIOFlot.bio is a show to watch the best Europeans in biotech to help you grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 15k monthly views. Free.⭐️ SPONSORSHIPReady to amplify your brand to influential leaders in biotech and biopharma? Contact nick@flot.bio and unlock sponsorship opportunities in our podcasts!🙏 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.⏰ TIMESTAMPS[00:00:00] Intro[00:00:34] Welcome[00:01:46] Immunocore’s life-changing cancer drug[00:07:40] Commercializing Immunocore[00:13:46] Explaining the TCR technology[00:20:40] Targeting tumors with PRAME[00:23:26] Immunocore now and then[00:35:37] Why Bahija chose Immunocore[00:40:22] Top lessons from Bahija Jallal[00:45:48] How is risk appetite connected to innovation?[00:49:10] Diversity in biotech[01:00:59] Biological innovation[01:05:49] AI in protein engineering optimization[01:14:42] Thanks for listening

We’re in Brussels with Edwin Moses, the former CEO of one of the most successful platform companies in Europe, Ablynx, now part of Sanofi. We talk about how he feels 5 years after the exit from Ablynx and his lessons. We also talk about the parallels between industrial biotech, AI bio and cell therapy, and how a chairman can help CEOs grow. 💎 ABOUT THE SPEAKEREdwin Moses is Chairman of Achilles Thx (cell therapy for solid tumors), Avantium (bioplastics) and LabGenius (AI biotech). He is the former CEO of one of the most successful platform companies in Europe, Ablynx, now part of Sanofi. I interviewed him back in 2018 when he sold the company. 📜 TRANSCRIPTRead the full transcript here: https://flot.bio/episode/edwin-moses-biotech-platforms/🔗 LINKS MENTIONEDSanofi to acquire Ablynx for €3.9 Billion - https://www.sanofi.com/en/media-room/press-releases/2018/2018-01-29-07-19-03-1313306Edwin Moses on stage in 2018 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWkd99rxVhc&t=802s&pp=ygUVZWR3aW4gbW9zZXMgbGFiaW90ZWNo More insights and a blog format for those who prefer to read: https://flot.bio/baker-brothers-investing-secrets/ 🫶 FOLLOW USNewsletter: http://eepurl.com/h_fnmHLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flot-bio/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/FlotBio 🎙️ ABOUT FLOT.BIOFlot.bio is a show to watch the best Europeans in biotech to help you grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 15k monthly views. Free. ⭐️ SPONSORSHIPReady to amplify your brand to influential leaders in biotech and biopharma? Contact nick@flot.bio and unlock sponsorship opportunities in our podcasts! 🙏 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. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS[00:00:00] Intro[00:01:52] After the Ablynx acquisition[00:14:49] Baker Brothers investor secrets[00:25:12] How to build a platform company[00:38:57] Getting onto the board of an industrial biotech[00:48:41] What makes an entrepreneur[00:51:36] How AI biotech can help R&D[01:04:22] The lowest market cap for Achilles[01:10:53] The draw of being the Chairman[01:23:35] Thanks for listening

We’re in Copenhagen with Jens Nielsen, the CEO of BioInnovation Institute. We will talk about what works best to translate academic research in bio into innovation for humanity, especially how everything is connected. We also talk about how BII is solving some of the main challenges scientist entrepreneurs face and the drawbacks of Novo financing most of Denmark’s biotech ecosystem. 💎 ABOUT THE SPEAKER Jens Nielsen is one of the best in this space in Europe. Not only is he the CEO of BII, he’s also a professor of systems biology at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, and is the most cited researcher in the field of metabolic engineering as well as industrial biotechnology. He’s the founder of the International Metabolic Engineering Society and has also founded many biotechs. 📜 TRANSCRIPT Read the full transcript here: https://flot.bio/episode/jens-nielsen-translation-of-life-science-research/ 🫶 FOLLOW US - Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/h_fnmH - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flot-bio/ - X (Twitter): https://x.com/FlotBio 🎙️ ABOUT FLOT.BIO Flot.bio is a show to watch the best Europeans in biotech to help you grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 10k monthly views. Free. ⭐️ SPONSORSHIP Ready to amplify your brand to influential leaders in biotech and biopharma? Contact nick@flot.bio and unlock sponsorship opportunities in our podcasts! 🙏 LIKE/FOLLOW/REVIEW Did you enjoy the episode? Please hit the like and subscribe button. Also, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS [00:00:00] Intro [00:00:29] Welcome [00:01:43] Translation of science [00:08:48] Being flexible is key [00:11:58] When to stop being flexible [00:19:34] Listen to your gut [00:22:38] The importance of network [00:28:05] Entrepreneurial mindset recipe [00:31:08] Role models [00:32:38] Interaction with industry [00:43:07] Results of BII [00:54:14] How to be cost-effective in helping startups [00:57:56] Novo Nordisk [01:11:07] Closing the lab [01:17:46] Thanks for listening

We’re in Amsterdam with Sander van Deventer, the CEO of VectorY. We will talk about VectorY and what’s missing in gene therapy. 💎 ABOUT THE SPEAKER Sander has an impressive track record, being a professor, operational biotech founder and a VC. In 1998, he co-founded uniQure, which brought the first gene therapy to the market. He also co-founded the leading VC Forbion as well as Dezima. He is now building a new venture VectorY, again in gene therapy. I interviewed him in 2017 back at Labiotech so it’s great to catch up with him again. 📜 TRANSCRIPT Read the full transcript here: https://flot.bio/episode/sander-van-deventer-gene-therapy/ 🫶 FOLLOW US - Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/h_fnmH - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flot-bio/ - X (Twitter): https://x.com/FlotBio 🎙️ ABOUT FLOT.BIO Flot.bio is a show to watch the best Europeans in biotech to help you grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 10k monthly views. Free. ⭐️ SPONSORSHIP Ready to amplify your brand to influential leaders in biotech and biopharma? Contact nick@flot.bio and unlock sponsorship opportunities in our podcasts! 🙏 LIKE/FOLLOW/REVIEW Did you enjoy the episode? Please hit the like and subscribe button. Also, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:54] VectorY: Raising the largest Series A in 2023 in 🇪🇺 [00:05:01] What's coming for ALS [00:07:50] How Vectorized Antibodies work [00:17:57] New Vector (AAV) technologies [00:22:55] The pipeline of VectorY [00:27:22] Where VC money is moving to [00:32:29] The Netherlands as a biotech cluster [00:35:31] CRISPR approval and gene therapy reimbursement [00:48:15] Where Sander came from [00:56:14] How to have the energy to be a serial entrepreneur

In an online special, we’re interviewing Thomas Clozal, the co-founder and CEO of Owkin. We talk about scaling AI in biotech and how it feels to be the child of billionaire biotech parents.💎 ABOUT THE SPEAKERThomas founded Owkin in 2016 and I first met him in 2017. At that time, Owkin was still a baby and I wasn’t sure where it would go. Now it’s a unicorn following a $180M investment from Sanofi in 2021 and has over 300 employees. 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED - Exscientia Expands Biologics Design Capability with Automated Laboratory https://investors.exscientia.ai/press-releases/press-release-details/2022/Exscientia-Expands-Biologics-Design-Capability-with-Automated-Laboratory/default.aspx- Marc de Garidel, Abivax | How to make two billion 💶 exits (kind of smoothly) | E09 https://youtu.be/njZR8udGBTQ- How AI Can Tackle Cancer - Leader in Innovation (Fast Company) https://open.spotify.com/episode/2LQGtAaD7ALSsHslNZJ1mC?si=96a0ba9ddafd4fbc- Aviv Regev leads Genentech's next revolution with AI - https://endpts.com/aviv-regev-leads-genentechs-next-revolution-with-ai/- The 25 Most Valuable Biotech Companies in Europe in 2025: https://flot.bio/most-valuable-biotech-companies-europe-2025/ 📜 TRANSCRIPTRead the full transcript here: https://flot.bio/episode/thomas-clozel-ai-biotech/ 🫶 FOLLOW US- Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/h_fnmH- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flot-bio/- X (Twitter): https://x.com/FlotBio 🎙️ ABOUT FLOT.BIOFlot.bio is a show to watch the best Europeans in biotech to help you grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 10k monthly views. Free. ⭐️ SPONSORSHIPReady to amplify your brand to influential leaders in biotech and biopharma? Contact nick@flot.bio and unlock sponsorship opportunities in our podcasts! 🙏 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. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS[00:00:00] Intro[00:01:26] You need a good pipeline[00:09:24] How Owkin is scaling AI in biotech[00:16:46] Augmenting AI in biotech[00:23:05] How AI can work for small/medium biotech companies[00:27:18] Always looking for more data[00:33:58] Anonymization of data and federated learning[00:42:18] Becoming a biotech company[00:47:29] Small molecules[00:49:10] Limitations[00:51:51] Growing up with billionaire biotech parents[00:56:37] Becoming unfocused and having fun[01:09:02] Getting the best investors[01:18:51] Thanks for listening

Today, I’m in Paris (🇫🇷) to chat with Marc de Garidel, the new CEO of Abivax. We talk about the challenges behind the exits and why Abivax could be a third big success. 💎 ABOUT THE SPEAKER Marc is a biopharma veteran with an impressive track record. He has made two billion-dollar exits, was CEO of Ipsen, and has recently made the biggest French IPO ever with Abivax. He has also raised $60M series B for Massachusetts-based Corvidia Therapeutics before being acquired for $2.1B by Novo Nordisk. He also was the CEO of CinCor Pharma which sold for $1.8B to AstraZeneca in 2023. I’ve never met Marc but I heard many great things about him. 📜 TRANSCRIPT Read the full transcript here: https://flot.bio/episode/marc-de-garidel-abivax-exit/ 🫶 FOLLOW US Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/h_fnmH LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flot-bio/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/FlotBio 🎙️ABOUT FLOT.BIO Flot.bio is a show to watch the best Europeans in biotech to help you grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 10k monthly views. Free. ⭐️ SPONSORSHIP Wanna reach 10,000+ biotech leaders at companies like BioNTech, Immunocore or Genmab? Feel free to message Nick (nick@flot.bio) to learn more. 🙏 LIKE/FOLLOW/REVIEW Did you enjoy the episode? Please hit the like and subscribe button. Also, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS [00:00:00] Intro [00:01:32] Behind the scene of the 2 billion-dollar exits [00:20:48] Lessons on compliance analysis [00:24:09] What to do when the market is against you [00:36:08] Abivax: Phase II compared to standard of care [00:42:51] IBD and the microbiome [00:51:20] Why is 70% of the market in the US? [00:59:07] The best way to sell a company is to make a great product [01:03:48] Find people who inspire you [01:10:45] Thanks for listening 🙏