From Lab to Venture: Startup Myths, Busted
Description:
Most PhD students and postdocs quietly believe at least one myth that keeps them from ever exploring entrepreneurship: that you need a business degree, a co-founder from day one, a wet lab, or that big pharma won't talk to a two-person startup. These assumptions rarely get tested, because nobody actually asks the people who've lived through them.
This is the second event in Nucleate Switzerland's "From Lab to Venture" series, and we're doing it differently. Instead of a standard panel, the evening is built around six myths early-career researchers believe about founding a biotech company, busted live by founders, investors, and operators drawing on real experience rather than talking points. No pitches, no jargon, just the questions you've been too embarrassed to ask out loud. The evening closes with an open Q&A and a networking apéro.
This event is free and open to MSc students, PhD candidates, and postdocs across the Basel life sciences ecosystem and is sponsored by PhD Representatives Biozentrum.
Agenda:
18:00 - 18:05 Nucleate Switzerland Welcome and Introduction
18:05 - 18:15 Speaker Introductions
18:15 - 19:15 Startup Myths, Busted: Live Myth-Busting Panel
Giorgia Greter, Business Development Manager, Alivion AG (previously Co-Founder & CEO, Baxiva AG)
Philipp Spycher, CSO & Co-Founder, Araris Biotech AG
Matthias Machacek, Managing Director LYO-X GmbH
19:15 - 19:35 Open Q&A
19:35 - 20:30 Networking Apéro
About the Host:
Nucleate is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of biotech leaders. With chapters spanning 41 geographic regions and participation from over 280 academic institutions, Nucleate sparks new intellectual communities and embeds emerging talent within a global biotech community. Through open-access educational programming, Nucleate helps democratize biotech innovation — removing barriers and helping founders concentrate on building transformational technologies. Visit www.nucleate.org for more information, and visit https://nucleate.org/privacy-policy/ to read our privacy policy.
We want to thank our HQ supporters for championing our open-access mission and empowering the next generation of biotech entrepreneurs!: