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Next Sequence Venture Firm: The future will be shaped by the convergence of life science and computing technologies

Africa Biotech Conversations

Release Date: 02/05/2023

 AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - Legal Essentials for Biotech Startups show art AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - Legal Essentials for Biotech Startups

Africa Biotech Conversations

This session focuses on the essential legal and funding strategies for early-stage biotech startups, emphasizing the importance of intellectual property (IP) management, legal structures, and the role of due diligence in attracting investors. The panel discusses common pitfalls, the significance of contracts, and the challenges of commercializing university IP. They also explore the timing of freedom to operate studies and the evolving landscape of biotech investment. For this session, the featured guests were: Chyreene Truluck – Partner at Spoor & Fisher, specializing in intellectual...

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OneBio Innovation Center: A Pioneering Space for Biotech Startups in Africa show art OneBio Innovation Center: A Pioneering Space for Biotech Startups in Africa

Africa Biotech Conversations

In this episode of the Africa Biotech Conversations Podcast, host Adrienne Leussa welcomes Erin Rencken, General Manager of the newly launched OneBio Innovation Center (OBIC) in Cape Town, South Africa.   The special episode features a live recording from the launch event and a detailed discussion about OBIC's mission, offerings, and community-building efforts.   Erin outlines the center's vision to provide biotech startups with essential lab space, equipment, and a collaborative environment. The conversation also highlights the support received from the Technology Innovation Agency...

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Proteinea: Pioneering the Development of the First Fully African-Originated Drug show art Proteinea: Pioneering the Development of the First Fully African-Originated Drug

Africa Biotech Conversations

In this episode of the "Africa Biotech Conversations" podcast, host Adrienne Leussa interviews Abdulaziz El Gamal, the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Proteinea. Proteinea, based in Cairo and Boston, is a tech-bio company focused on leveraging AI to develop next-generation biologics, particularly antibodies with enhanced efficacy, safety, and convenience. Key Points from the Episode: Company Background: Proteinea was founded in early 2020, right before the global pandemic, which influenced its strategic direction and provided a real-time showcase of biotech's potential in health...

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AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - The Art of Valuation for Early-Stage Biotech Startups show art AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - The Art of Valuation for Early-Stage Biotech Startups

Africa Biotech Conversations

The LinkedIn Live session, part of the AMA series on "The Art of Valuation," focused on valuation strategies for biotech startups at early and post-Series A stages. Moderated by Dr. Adrienne Leussa, the discussion featured finance experts Olufemi Elegbe, CFA and Sewu-Steve Tawia. Key highlights included the importance of financial literacy for biotech entrepreneurs, methods for accurately valuing biotech startups, and strategies for enhancing valuation after Series A. The session also emphasized the need for tailored communication when presenting valuations to investors and included practical...

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AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - Understanding the Investment Ecosystem (Pre-seed Focus) show art AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - Understanding the Investment Ecosystem (Pre-seed Focus)

Africa Biotech Conversations

In this insightful episode of the "Ask Me Anything" series on funding and investment, the focus was on early-stage biotech entrepreneurs in Africa. Adrienne was joined by Gian-Marco Melfi, a partner at OneBio Venture Studios, who shared his expertise on the unique challenges and strategies relevant to securing investment in the biotech sector. The discussion covered the intricacies of biotech investments, including the importance of understanding the investment landscape, targeting the right type of investors (such as angel investors, family offices, and venture capitalists), and...

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AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - Building Investor Relations show art AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - Building Investor Relations

Africa Biotech Conversations

In this comprehensive session of the ongoing dialogue with African biotech leaders, the focus was on building and maintaining investor relationships. Joining Adrienne were seasoned experts, including Dr. Vuyisile Phehane and Gian-Marco Melfi, who are regular contributors, along with first-time guests Natasha Drapeau and Frank Schwarz from Cohesion Bureau. The discussion covered best practices for engaging with investors, emphasising the importance of communication, the strategic presentation of business plans, and the need for biotech startups to clearly articulate their value...

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AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - Common Pitfalls in Securing Funding show art AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - Common Pitfalls in Securing Funding

Africa Biotech Conversations

In this episode of the "Ask Me Anything" series under the Dialogue with African Biotech Leaders, experts Gian-Marco Melfi and Vuyisile Phehane discuss the nuances of funding for biotech startups. Focusing on the early stages of startup financing, the conversation explores the challenges startups face in securing funding, the importance of aligning with the right investors, and effective strategies for engaging potential backers. Gian-Marco Melfi, from One Bio Venture Studio, emphasises the significance of building strong, capable teams, while Vuyisile Phehane from the Technology Innovation...

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AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - Where's the Money and How Do I Get It? show art AMA Series on Investment Funding for Biotech - Where's the Money and How Do I Get It?

Africa Biotech Conversations

In this first episode of the "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) series focused on Investment Funding for biotech, held live on LinkedIn, we delved into the intricate world of funding for biotech startups. The session features profound insights from Dr. Vuyisile Phehane, the Executive: Bio-Economy at South Africa's National Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), and Mr. Gian-Marco Melfi, an investment principal at One BioVenture Studio. Together, they explore the diverse sources of funding available to biotech startups in Africa and provide practical advice on navigating the complex investment landscape....

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Dialogue with African Biotech Leaders: Your 2024 Biotech Growth Plan from Africa and Beyond show art Dialogue with African Biotech Leaders: Your 2024 Biotech Growth Plan from Africa and Beyond

Africa Biotech Conversations

Welcome to another retrospective episode of the Dialogue with African Biotech Leaders. In this special session, titled "Going Global: Your 2024 Biotech Growth Plan from Africa and Beyond," we explore cutting-edge strategies for biotech leaders aiming for significant growth in the 2024. This episode is packed with insights from two distinguished speakers: Erica Sosnowski: Managing Partner at Sosna and Co, a leading business development firm in the life sciences industry, with a stellar track record of closing over $250 million in deals. Jennifer Andrews: CEO of Freshly Marketing, a seasoned...

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Dialogue with African Biotech Leaders: Navigating Funding and Investment show art Dialogue with African Biotech Leaders: Navigating Funding and Investment

Africa Biotech Conversations

Welcome to another insightful episode of the Dialogue with African Biotech Leaders. In this episode, we focus on a critical aspect of biotechnology entrepreneurship—funding and investment. This episode was recorded as a live plenary session at BIO Africa 2023 in Durban, South Africa, and features in-depth discussions on funding challenges and opportunities in the African biotech landscape. Join our distinguished panelists: Dr. Allama Elmehdi: CEO of Prophamedis International from Mauritania, sharing insights on the funding landscape in West Africa, particularly Francophone Africa, and the...

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More Episodes

2 to 4 trillion USD in 2030-40...is the potential direct annual global impact of an estimated pipeline of 400 currently scientifically achievable use cases of the Bio Revolution, according to a 2020 report by McKinsey & Company.

This is going to be as a result of up to 60 percent of the physical inputs to the global economy being produced biologically—with nonbiological materials like plastics or fuels potentially being produced or substituted using biology.

Biology will become the ultimate distributed, manufacturing platform. Bio-based industries will exchange expensive, complicated industrial chemical syntheses that use high temperatures, high pressures and toxic catalysts with cheaper, more resource efficient and less toxic biochemical syntheses.

The Bio Revolution is fueled by a convergence of breakthroughs in biological science and faster development of computing, automation, and artificial intelligence. The Bio Revolution would transform what we eat and wear, the medicines we take, the fuels we use, and how we construct our physical world.

Cognizant of these facts, my guest on the latest episode of the Africa Biotech Conversations podcast believes that “The future will be shaped by the convergence of life science and computing technologies” and has dedicated her investment thesis to synthetic biology startups.

Loretta TIOIELA is the co-founder & Managing Partner of Next Sequence, a new venture firm incubated at VC Lab. Prior to starting Next Sequence, Loretta worked for over 12 years as a technologist in Cloud and A.I. technologies for major industry players such as Samsung and Huawei Technologies and she co-founded OpenSynBio, the 1st Open Computing Foundation for Synthetic Biology.

In our conversation, we spoke about:

  • Why she started the not-for-profit foundation, OpenSynBio and the Venture Firm, Next Sequence
  • The global focus of Next Sequence
  •  What criteria does Next Sequence lean towards to vet entrepreneurs for investment 
  • Renowned investors targeting synthetic biology or tech bio companies
  • The need for diversity in venture capital firms and investor community
  • Loretta’s personal motivation for going into VC and recommendations for anyone interested in VC and becoming an investor.

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