From Lab to Lasting: Building Life Science and Biotech Companies That Endure
Britain is home to some of the world's best biotech and life sciences research. But turning groundbreaking science into a venture-backed company is a challenge all of its own.
From Lab to Lasting is an evening event in London for biotech founders, researchers, investors, and operators, hosted at White City Place, one of London's most vibrant life sciences and innovation campuses. Together we'll explore what it really takes to bridge the gap from lab to lasting company: IP strategy, patents, grants, early-stage funding, and the financial foundations investors expect.
About the event
Hosted by Lightbringer, Novabook, and WilbeLabs: three companies built to support the journey from research to company. The evening covers IP strategy for science-led startups, the landscape of grants and early-stage capital in the UK, and the financial and operational foundations that separate the university spinouts that scale from the ones that don't.
What to expect
The biotech funding stack: Innovate UK grants, SEIS/EIS, and venture capital — and how to use each at the right moment
IP strategy for biotech founders: how to protect intellectual property, when to file a patent, and how early decisions shape your commercial future
What investors actually look for in a science-led company at the earliest stages — including IP due diligence and what makes IP matter for fundraising
How to build the financial foundations that keep a biotech startup investor-ready
What the right lab and innovation environment unlocks for a science team trying to move fast
Honest stories from biotech founders who have made the journey from research to real company
Who should attend?
Founders and teams building biotech, medtech, diagnostics, digital health, and other science-led startups; researchers and clinicians considering a spinout; and the investors and operators who back them. Whether you're pre-incorporation or post-seed, if you're turning research into a company, this event is for you.
Agenda
18:00 - Doors open. Grab a drink and meet the people in the room.
18:30 - Panel discussion begins, followed by Q&A (bring your questions!)
19:30 - Food is served. Keep the conversations going.
20:30 - Event closes.
Meet our speakers
Ola wassvik
Co-founder and CCO of Lightbringer, and formerly co-founder and CTO of FlatFrog, where he helped pioneer large-scale interactive display technology. Ola has spent over 20 years building deep tech companies at the frontier of what is considered possible, working at the intersection of AI, patents, and invention intelligence.
Ines Ullmo
Investor at The Venture Collective and co-founder of future.bio, with a PhD from Imperial College London focused on NK cell immunotherapy. Ines combines deep scientific expertise in immunology, cell and gene therapy with venture investing experience across deep tech and biotech. She works with founders building at the intersection of technology and biology, spanning research, company building, and early-stage investment.
Wadah Malaeb
Founder and CEO of DLOC Biosystems, developing organ-on-chip technology to make pre-clinical drug testing more predictive of human outcomes. Wadah is a mechanical engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of engineering, biology, and drug development.
Cheryl Eggleston
Founder of Pitchwits, an AI-enabled innovation funding company helping deep tech founders navigate grants and investment. Cheryl has supported innovators in securing almost £200m in public and private funding, working at the intersection of innovation, capital, and company building.
Paul Kellam
Co-founder and CSO of RQ Biotechnology and Professor of Virus Genomics at Imperial College London, with a career spanning virus genomics, infectious disease, and therapeutic antibodies. Paul has led research across major viral diseases and helped translate virology into vaccines and antibody therapies.
Meet your hosts
Lightbringer is the AI patent platform, reimagining how tech companies protect their innovations. By combining agentic AI with expert patent attorneys, Lightbringer makes patent filing faster, more affordable, and more strategic. Trusted by 100+ founders across 20+ countries, including biotech and life sciences startups, Lightbringer helps science-led companies go from breakthrough to protected innovation in days, not months. Learn more at lightbringer.com.
Novabook is the accountant for startups, supporting science-led and high-growth companies from spinout to scale-up. Novabook provides founders with access to expert chartered accountants, alongside software that automates the finance admin founders hate, giving them more time to focus on research and product development. From bookkeeping, payroll and VAT to R&D tax relief, EMI valuations and investor-ready financials, Novabook helps founders build strong financial foundations as they grow.
WilbeLabs creates and runs laboratories and innovation spaces designed for science and deep tech ventures. By providing the physical infrastructure and operational environment that biotech companies actually need, WilbeLabs removes one of the most overlooked barriers on the journey from research to fundable company. Learn more at wilbelab.com.