Last year Berlin, this year Copenhagen – No matter where in Europe, this is the best opportunity to meet the most inspiring biotech startups out there: The Startup Slam at BIO-Europe 2018!
A pitching competition like no other, the Startup Slam allows entrepreneurs from all over Europe to present their innovative ideas to an influential jury consisting of key biotech opinion leaders, pharma dealmakers and leading investors. Among the audience, startups will also find potential partners and biotech business experts.
Needless to say, the Startup Slam – sponsored and presented by Johnson & Johnson Innovation and organized by EBD Group – is a great opportunity for young companies to pitch their ideas and extend their network of biotech experts, financial supporters and partners.
This year’s competition will be hosted for the fifth time since its launch in 2016 in Stockholm. Organized by Johnson & Johnson Innovation in collaboration with EBD and Karolinska Institutet Innovations at the time, its original thought was to introduce Swedish Startups to the broader biotech and life sciences audience.
After its initial success, the organizers decided to expand the Startup Slam to include young startups from all over Europe focused on new therapeutics, diagnostics, platform technologies and digital healthcare solutions.
Since then, the Startup Slam has been integral to Europe’s largest biotech conference, BIO-Europe, which hosts more than 4000 attendees from over 60 countries every year.
Participating takes courage, but it’s rewarding!
Of course it takes some courage for inexperienced entrepreneurs to face the old hands. It can be quite intimidating. However, BIO-Europe offers the ideal opportunity to meet these biotech leaders, who bring their experienced teams to the conference and are looking to connect with young biotech companies and entrepreneurs with the most promising breakthrough innovations.
But the cherry on top of this vast networking opportunity offered by the Startup Slam is the win. A victory at BIO-Europe’s Startup Slam will not only earn the winner access to the mentoring program led by experts from Johnson & Johnson Innovation, but will also include full-blown publicity through press releases, media coverage and social media postings. Furthermore, the Startup Slam winner will receive access to a future EBD event with a value of more than €2000.
Can my startup participate?
The jury at the Startup Slam is looking for young companies that are developing a new diagnostic tool, digital healthcare solution, technology platform or therapeutic product in focus areas such as oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, pulmonary hypertension, immunology, and infectious diseases and vaccines.
Last year’s winner was Dutch biotech startup Amylon Therapeutics which works in the field of central nervous system disorders. With their ultra-genetics approach, they focus on rare genetic disorders that may be used as a possible gateway to more common indications.
The company’s CEO Thomas de Vlaam, said this about the Startup Slam: “The Startup Slam was a really great opportunity for myself and Amylon to create company awareness at a large public forum. The recognition and exposure we received allowed us to make new contacts with potential investors and VCs. Moreover, it was great to connect with J&J and their expertise at such an important time in the company’s growth.”
Another prize awaits participants
The Startup Slam also includes the audience choice award. Selected by the BIO-Europe attendees themselves, the startup awarded this prize will receive publicity through press releases, media coverage as well as social media posts.
Only eight companies will be selected to take part in the Startup Slam competition. Before the actual pitch at BIO-Europe, the shortlisted applicants will have the opportunity to participate in a special webinar, which will prepare them for their pitch at BIO-Europe with a presentation skills training.
Even though there will only be one main winner at this year’s BIO-Europe Startup Slam, every participating company will leave the pitching competition victoriously. Because, after all, their idea will be presented to the crème de la crème of the European biotech community.
Meet the hottest startups of 2018 at this year’s BIO-Europe Startup Slam on November 6th. If you are a young company searching for the perfect pitching platform, then sign up to pitch your startup at this year’s Startup Slam!
Images via sdecoret, Kavun Halyna, Sunny studio, Rawpixel/Shutterstock.com and Johnson&Johnson Innovation.
Author: Larissa Warneck, Science Journalist at Labiotech