Nucleate Germany Presents: The Innovation Forum 2026
9 teams. One stage. The future of German biotech.
This June, Berlin becomes home to the founders, investors, and ecosystem builders shaping what's next in European biotech.
The Innovation Forum is Nucleate Germany's flagship Demo Day — and the finale of Activator 2026. Nine scientific founding teams. Months of company-building. One night to show what they've built.
The audience reflects the full early-stage biotech ecosystem:
60+ startup and founder-track guests
50+ academic and research profiles
40+ investors
30+ pharma-stage industry professionals
... alongside ecosystem builders, operators, and life science leaders from across Germany and Europe.
But the pitches are just the start.
The Room
Investors and VCs, scientific founders, industry professionals. Anyone who believes the best biotech companies start where bold science meets great people.
The Program
15:00 – 16:00 · Check-in & Arrival
16:00 – 16:25 · Welcome Remarks, Nucleate Germany & The Activator — Fabio Laredo & Nico Alavi, Co-MDs of Nucleate Germany
16:25 – 17:05 · PANEL I — From Breakthrough Science to Scalable Companies: Europe’s Biotech Company-Building Gap and EU.INC
Why does Europe produce world-class biotech research but struggle to translate it into companies? Four operators, one structural conversation.
With:
> Rabab Nasrallah — Partner, Earlybird Health (Earlybird Venture Capital)
> Johannes B. Woehrstein — CEO & Co-Founder, mbiomics GmbH
> Ruth R. Shah — Head of Bayer Co.Lab Berlin
> Viola Bronsema — Managing Director, BIO Deutschland
Moderated by David Rubert, Co-Director of the Nucleate Germany Activator Program
17:05 – 17:35 · The Activator 2026 Winners Pitches
17:35 – 18:35 · Activator 2026 Showcase · Poster Session
18:35 – 18:45 · Berlin ecosystem spotlight
With :
> Phil Göttsching — Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH
18:45 – 19:10 · KEYNOTE — Building a Biotech Venture Beyond the Science
With:
> Alexander Leutner — CEO at Cellbricks Tx
19:15 – 19:55 · PANEL II — Startups, Investors, Incubators and Big Pharma: How to Build Strategic Relationships Without Losing Leverage
With:
> Elisa Kieback — CTO and co-founder of T-knife
> Gregor Fachinger — VP, Head of Oncology & Immuno-Oncology at Merck
> Philipp N. Sander — Investor at SOSV SF
> Garima Bhardwaj — Head of Clinical Incubator at Berlin Institute of Health
Moderated by Selin Akpınar Adscheid, Co-Director of the Nucleate Germany Activator Program
19:55 – 20:15 · Prizes & Acknowledgments
Formal recognition of the 2026 Activator prize winners and the BioLabs Golden Ticket, awarded by Johannes Fruehauf, Founder & Chairman of LabCentral and CEO of Biolabs
20:15 – 20:20 · Closing Remarks
20:20 – 21:30 · Networking, Food & Drinks
Follow Nucleate Germany on LinkedIn for updates.
Details
Date: June 12, 2026 Time: 15:30 – 21:30
Location: CIC Berlin
Partners
Proudly supported by VOSSIUS, WuXi AppTech, BioLabs, ChemPartner, Bio Molecule and Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie.
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!
Platinum: Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, MilliporeSigma
Philanthropic Support: Lyda Hill Philanthropies
Preferred Partners: Pillar VC, Amino Collective, Fenwick, Mercury, Fedsprout, Citrin Cooperman
In-Kind Support: AcademicLabs, Lens.org