Biopôle SA, a privately held Swiss not-for-profit organisation that manages and promotes the Biopôle life sciences campus in Lausanne, is thrilled to announce the launch of a new fund dedicated to supporting the next generation of impact-driven life sciences entrepreneurs. With an annual budget of approximately CHF 500,000, Biopôle SA aims to help accelerate the innovation of start-ups established at Biopôle and active in any area of the life sciences, be it biotech, medtech, pharma, digital health, nutrition or any other related field.

Biopôle SA’s Board of Directors unanimously applauded the creation of the Biopôle Start-up Fund. The initiative is intended to support projects that promote the life sciences in their initial innovation phase. Applications are welcomed at any time from start-ups that are established at Biopôle, have been in existence for less than 5 years and have raised less than CHF 5 million in funding. Biopôle’s management team will be supported by an independent Scientific Advisory Board in evaluating and selecting the best and most promising applications, taking into account scientific excellence, the relevance of the business model and the quality of the founding and management teams.

Nasri Nahas, CEO at Biopôle SA, explains that the fund’s primary goal is to encourage start-ups that show scientific impact and growth potential: ‘We at Biopôle are always eager to help our entrepreneurs in their innovation journey. With this new fund, we aspire to help our most promising start-ups to focus on their scientific contributions and on serving their clients and stakeholders. That is also why we have devised our Start-up Fund not as equity investment or a traditional loan but as a source of no-strings-attached financing. Only the most successful companies will be asked to reimburse their funding to help give back to the Biopôle community.’

Nouria Hernandez, Chair of the Board of Directors, adds: ‘Entrepreneurship is a mindset that needs to be encouraged. We need to show that those who are willing to give it a try won’t be left alone on their journey. Biopôle is the perfect playground for life sciences start-ups because, beyond its modern infrastructure, it offers a community of like-minded people.’

With the creation of the Biopôle Start-up Fund, Biopôle SA confirms its eagerness to support life sciences entrepreneurs and give them firm foundations in the canton of Vaud. In 2018, the company launched StartLab, the first incubator of its kind for life sciences start-ups in Switzerland. In 2019, Biopôle SA created the Digital Health Hub, where companies striving to develop digital solutions can work together and share experiences.

Companies interested in applying to the Biopôle Start-up Fund can find all the information they need on the Biopôle website.

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