Honestly Impactful #5 | Female Founders in Rhein-Main
Most life science students are told there are two paths: academia or industry.
But there is a third path — building things. 🚀
At our upcoming Female Founders event by Nucleate Germany, you won’t just listen to polished success stories. You will hear the honest, raw, and real experiences behind building a biotech startup as a woman in science. 🧬
We are excited to welcome inspiring founders from the Rhein-Main life science ecosystem, including Prof. Dr. Claire Jacob, Professor of Cellular Neurobiology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and co-founder of AdRegeneer AG and EpiGeneer GmbH. Her companies focus on regenerative therapies for multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases, translating cutting-edge neuroscience into real therapeutic approaches.
We are also thrilled to host Louise Breideband, founder of Modulux3D, a startup working to make preclinical testing more human-relevant. Modulux3D develops advanced human tissue models designed to meet pharmaceutical and regulatory standards while reducing dependence on animal testing. By combining scalable production with integrated quality control, the company aims to accelerate drug development and help effective therapies reach patients faster.
The topic matters: current studies show that the gender gap in entrepreneurship already starts during university. While around 24% of male students consider founding a company, only about 11% of female students do — despite the enormous innovation potential women bring to science and biotech.
Beyond the panel talk and fireside discussion, you will have the chance to ask your own questions openly during the Q&A and in small-group Founder Circles. 💬
This means direct conversations with founders in an informal setting — not from a stage, but face-to-face. You can ask the questions you normally don’t get to ask:
What was the hardest moment?
How do you know when to take the risk?
What does founding really look like day-to-day?
Would they do it again?
The evening is designed to be interactive and personal. Through guided networking and discussion formats, you will connect with ambitious and like-minded students, researchers, and future innovators who want to push boundaries in life sciences and shape the future of biotech. 🌍✨
Whether you already dream about founding a startup or are simply curious about paths beyond academia and industry — this event is for you.
🔥 Fireside chat with female founders who translate their research in venture in life science
🍕 Food + peer-level guided networking
🧬 All people interested in creating impact in life science
Agenda
17:30 – 18:00 | Arrival & Informal Gathering
18:00 – 18:15 | Introduction by Nucleate
18:15 – 18:30 | Speaker Keynote Speech
18:30 – 19:30 | Moderated Fireside Chat
Block 1: Personal Journey & Spark
From student life to the first spark of startup curiosity.Block 2: Research to Startup
How scientific work changes when it moves beyond academia: from asking whether something is true to asking whether it can become useful, scalable, and real.Block 3: Honest Reality
Uncertainty, pressure, limited resources, and most difficult partBlock 4: Leading as a Woman Founder
What it means to lead as a woman in life science: building confidence, being taken seriously, finding support, making decisions, and becoming the role model you may not have seen early enough.
Block 5: Lessons & Advice
What students should know earlier if they are curious about startups.
19:30 – 20:30 | Small Group Q&A with Speakers + Pizza
20:30 – 21:00 | Peer-Level Guided Networking
This event is part of Honestly Impactful: Role Models in Bio-entrepreneurship — an event series in Rhein-Main region featuring founders, startup scientists, and intrapreneurs who are translating life science research into real-world ventures. Our speakers share what that journey really looked like: the doubts, failures, trade-offs, and hard choices behind building something beyond the lab — and why it’s still worth it.
About the Event 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.xyz for more information, and visit https://nucleate.xyz/privacy-policy/ to read our privacy policy.
About the Event Series Sponsors
Honestly Impactful: Role Models in Bio-entrepreneurship is sponsored by biomindz.
biomindz – a hub designed for growth!
Mainz is one of Germany’s most dynamic cities, home to a vibrant biotech hub that unites cutting-edge research, global connectivity, and a fast-growing ecosystem. The 12-hectare Life Science Campus - under development next to the university - will empower startups, companies, researchers, and investors to shape the future of biotech in the heart of Europe. As a municipally owned nonprofit, biomindz drives this growth - through site development, networking, and positioning Mainz as a globally visible biotech hub.