Mentors

Coming soon.

Areas of expertise: Clinical Drug Development (phases 1-3), validation of clinical Outcomes measures, patient registries, and early access.

Profile: >30 years in Drug development, solid knowledge of the various aspects - from early-stage (<phase 1) development to market access.

Drug developer with a broad horizon: I have a thorough knowledge of bringing a project from discovery into development, including the need for regulatory and payer strategies and interactions.

Clinical trials, Registries, and Early Access Programs: I have hands-on experience with planning and managing clinical trials ranging from phase 1 to phase 3. Also, I have been involved in Post Authorisation Safety Studies (PASS) and registries. Furthermore, I have been responsible for setting up an Early Access Program.

Clinical Outcomes: It is key to be able to measure effects that are meaningful to patients, clinicians, regulators, and payers. I have been responsible for selecting and validating Clinical Outcomes Assessment (COA) measures and implementing these measures in clinical trials.

Regulatory: In particular the past years at Orphazyme, I have been heavily involved in regulatory interactions (FDA/EMA) on an ultra-orphan indication.

I am curious to explore opportunities and might see different options than the most straight forward which often brings new ideas forward. I want to be a part of the solution rather than the problem.

Areas of expertise: Clinical Operations and study design. How to plan, conduct and report a clinical study or a device investigation from an operational perspective. Project Management Professional, including project planning, risk management, stakeholder management, timelines, budgeting, and more.

Profile: I have operational experience in conducting studies from various positions in the industry since 2001, including two marketed products from phase 2 to launch. I have worked within CROs, big pharma affiliates, HQ, and biotech, giving me a broad experience in processes and shortcuts.

As a mentor, I bring skills within project management as well as expertise on how the next steps might look after completing the SPARK program, which is essential for a successful spin-out or funding.

Coming soon.

Areas of expertise: Drug discovery, therapeutics, neuroscience, metabolic disease, rare hematology, gene therapy, business development, open innovation

Profile: Daniel B. Timmermann holds an MSc in Pharmaceutical Science and a Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), including studies at the University of Chicago and the University of Washington (Seattle). He brings 22 years of professional experience in early drug discovery and project/portfolio management within multiple disease areas, ranging from neurology and psychiatry over diabetes and diabetic complications to rare blood and endocrine disorders, including gene therapy and genome editing.

Before joining Novo Nordisk in 2013, he worked in the biotech sector. During his tenure with Novo Nordisk, he held various management positions in the company's Global Drug Discovery and Business Development divisions. Since 2020, he has been responsible for accessing and advancing early external innovation partnerships through engagement programs targeting academic and life science entrepreneurship communities, primarily focusing on Europe and Asia. As SPARK mentor, Daniel can offer scientific advice and input on project strategy for start-ups working on therapeutics, as well as value proposition and business case development, to optimize attractiveness from a biotech investor and pharma perspective.

Areas of expertise: Coming soon.

Profile: Experienced in early-stage company formation, seed investment, and business development. Established several companies and partnerships in the drug discovery space. Currently, Director of Business Development at both Adaptvac, a Phase III VLP Vaccine Company, and Stimuliver, an early-stage cell therapy company. Previously, I have been involved in major partnering deals with the pharmaceutical industry and worked with key international investment groups.

Coming soon

Coming soon

LinkedIn

Areas of expertise:

• Innovation strategy
• Innovation portfolio management
• New business creation
• Ecosystem innovation
• Business model innovation

Profile: Coming soon.

Coming soon.

Coming soon.

Areas of expertise: R&D. Technology development, technology evaluations & implementations, product discovery within Enzymes, Probiotics, and Microbiomics. Science-based Innovation. R&D leadership. Team development.

Profile: With 30 years of experience as a researcher and leader in the private sector of Biotechnology (Novo Nordisk & Novozymes), I have a long track record of product innovation and development of commercially valuable solutions. I feel at home when navigating the complex landscape of Biotech R&D and commercialization. My leadership skills are characterized by enthusiasm, clear communication, openness, and involvement; I use this for building effective teams and aligning them with the company's strategy and goals. I have strong analytical and strategic capabilities when I identify and pursue the most promising opportunities and navigate the challenges of product development and commercialization. I have strong experience in networking and cross-organizational collaborations. I have expertise in molecular biology, protein engineering, high-throughput screening, Microbiology, Microbiomics, and BioSolutions for health benefits in Human Health and Animal Health. I am driven to develop innovative technologies and products that can transform the biotech industry and create more sustainable living and a healthy planet. Overall, as a mentor, I bring a wealth of passion, knowledge, experience, and leadership skills that can help shape strategies to succeed in a highly competitive and dynamic world of Life Science based business.

Areas of expertise: Business development, investment/ funding, MedTech development, and commercialization.

Profile: A MedTech engineer and EBA with over 25 years of experience in business and commercial development of innovative devices and technology companies. MedTech investor with board experience from both EU and US companies and a network of life science investors.

Areas of expertise: Business development, licensing, market forecast, drug discovery, peptide chemistry, people management, and a bit of bioinformatics.

Profile: My experience working with Zealand pharma for 13 years with peptide drug discovery, finding partners for early clinical programs, and evaluating in-licensing opportunities have given me a good insight into what attractive drug discovery projects are. I have since then worked with Immunitrack with service business, cancer drug discovery, investigating the potential of AI solutions as diagnostics, and fundraising. I’m not an expert in any of these areas, but I have hands-on experience that might be useful. Further, I did my Ph.D. in bioinformatics and am thus familiar with many of the concepts and obstacles in that area.

Areas of expertise: Business development, innovation processes, go-to-market strategy, product innovation, food and agriculture, diagnostics and sensor technology.  

Profile: I have 15 years of leadership experience from Global Marketing, Global Product Management and R&D in an international b2b company, leading transformations and building new teams - especially in the fields of product portfolio strategy, product innovation and upstream marketing.

I have experience with development and marketing of diagnostic technology – including hardware, software, advanced data modelling and SaaS – used for quality control and process optimization in agricultural and food production.

As a mentor I can bring experience with business development, product strategy and go-to-market, as well as general leadership sparring – and a broad insight into agriculture and food production.

Areas of expertise:

• Medical device development, Mechanical, HW & SW
• Technology feasibility studies
• Project & Program Management

Profile: Mentoring project managers in stakeholder communication, feasibility analysis, and production introduction.

Coming soon.

Coming soon.

Areas of expertise: Pharmaceutical development, Outsourcing, manufacturing, CMC, Regulatory, Financing, and Organizational Development.

Profile: More than 20 years in the industry of pharmaceutical and organizational development from very early to clinical stages. Specific knowledge of drug development within solid oral dosage forms, injectables, and inhalation products in both small molecules and biologics. For the mentor part, the main value addition would be aiding the project to focus on value addition and preparation for later stages to limit technical debt and enable conversations with institutional investors.

Areas of expertise: R&D, drug discovery & development, venture building, immunotherapy, RNA therapeutics

Profile: Extensive leadership experience in R&D and corporate development from top tier international Biotech and Pharmaceutical companies (Pharmacia, LEO Pharma, Micromet, ALK-Abello, Stallergenes Greer) across multiple indications within immuno-oncology, inflammation, neurology and immune disorders. More than 25 years’ experience and passion for translating ground-breaking innovation into therapeutics and new product developments, strategic co-operations and creation of new ventures and start-ups including Allero Therapeutics, Cenexum Technologies and RORA Biologics.

Holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Copenhagen University and is Honorary Professor in Biomedicine at Aarhus University in Denmark.

Areas of expertise: IP strategy, cutting-edge technology development, technical and commercial business development and networking, and funding access. Mentoring, mentoring women. Biotech specialist, materials science, biointerfaces, and sensors (biomedical, space).

Profile: I am a British/Canadian scientist and engineer (materials with sensors and biointerface specialty) with 30 years of international experience translating research from the bench to product, and all that entails, from IP, licensing agreements, to funding all the way to setting up production and teams. I do not have experience in regulatory approval processes. I bring a solutions-oriented, very practical approach to developing products and a history of bringing R&D all the way to commercialized product. I have been active as a mentor for 20+ years.

Areas of expertise: To take an asset from discovery to clinical trial. Knowledge in the CMC process, GLP toxicology, regulatory interactions, and process, knowledge in prep of Investigators Brochure, clinical synopsis, clinical protocol, running clinical trial, KOL identification and engagement, experience in investor discussions and raising investment, licensing deals, IP filing, and patent management, outsourcing to CMC and clinical CROs, etc.

Profile: With a background as Ph.D. in cancer, immunology, and drug delivery, I do understand the biology, and I can advise and supervise early-stage teams in how to build a biotech company with a focus on the important aspects and what to focus on first in order to secure rights and a fruitful and strong company. I have an overview of the WHOLE process of building a company ranging from lead selection into advanced clinical trials.

Areas of expertise: Running R&D projects and taking Medtech products from the inception phase to market; translating business requirements and standards into product development plans and execution.

Profile: I am an accomplished Life Sciences Business Consultant with over 20 years of experience in the MedTech sector, specializing in device development, commercialization, and business development.

I was the Global Marketing Product Manager at Ambu A/S, managing the VivaSight product line within Pulmonology. I also served as General Manager and COO at ETView Ltd., leading product development and market entry strategies that notably increased company sales and market presence. Earlier, I led operations at the Trendlines Venture Accelerator, significantly boosting its reputation and operational effectiveness as a leading medical device incubator in Israel.

In my role as a mentor, I offer expertise in End-to-End Project Management, Business Planning, Strategy, Global Networking, and Start-Up Launch. These skills are crucial for achieving success in spin-out ventures or securing funding.