Beyond the Bench: Building and Funding a Biotech Startup
Turning breakthrough science into a successful biotech company requires more than innovative research. From assembling the right team and raising capital to navigating investor expectations and managing financial operations, founders face a unique set of challenges as they bring their ideas from the lab to market.
Join in for a fireside chat featuring Dan Ahlstedt, Co-Founder of EnPlusOne Bio, in conversation with Kelly Caviglia and Nina Barnett of Mercury, exploring the realities of launching, funding, and growing an early-stage biotech company.
Drawing on Dan's firsthand experience building EnPlusOne Bio, alongside perspectives from Mercury, this conversation will explore the critical decisions, unexpected challenges, and lessons learned throughout the founder journey.
Topics will include:
From Lab to Company: Navigating the transition from academic research to entrepreneurship and adapting to the realities of running a startup.
Building the Right Team: Finding early hires, attracting talent, and making important decisions about founding teams and leadership.
Navigating the Fundraise: Preparing for investor conversations, understanding what investors look for, balancing venture capital with non-dilutive funding, and overcoming common fundraising challenges.
Managing Growth and Runway: Making strategic financial decisions, managing cash between funding rounds, and establishing the financial infrastructure needed to support a growing company.
Lessons for Aspiring Founders: Common mistakes, unexpected challenges, and advice for researchers considering their own entrepreneurial journey.
The session will conclude with an interactive audience Q&A, offering attendees the opportunity to learn directly from the experiences and perspectives of our speakers.
Who Should Attend?
Aspiring biotech founders, academic researchers considering commercialization, early-stage startup teams, and anyone interested in the practical realities of building and financing a life sciences company.
About Mercury:
Mercury is a financial technology company providing modern banking and financial management solutions designed for startups and growing businesses. Through its integrated platform, Mercury helps founders streamline financial operations with business checking and savings accounts, corporate cards, expense management, payments, and treasury management tools. By combining intuitive technology with financial infrastructure, Mercury enables entrepreneurs to manage cash flow, optimize their finances, and focus on building and scaling their companies. Mercury works with FDIC-insured partner banks to provide banking services and serves more than 300,000 customers across its platform.
About EnPlusOne:
EnPlusOne Bio is a biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to RNA manufacturing through its proprietary enzymatic synthesis platform, ezRNA™. By replacing traditional chemical synthesis methods with an enzyme-based process, EnPlusOne aims to make RNA production more scalable, sustainable, and versatile, enabling the development of next-generation RNA therapeutics. Its technology supports the synthesis of longer RNA molecules and the incorporation of novel modifications, expanding the possibilities for RNA-based medicines. Founded on research originating at Harvard Medical School, EnPlusOne is working to overcome critical manufacturing limitations and accelerate innovation in RNA therapeutics.
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!: