Aventis Foundation and Club Alfa bring together more than 80 young companies in the "Start-up Networking Event 2003"
The event, held on the eve of the 7th European Biotech Crossroads convention, focused on how start-up companies specializing in human health can get the best deals with major pharmaceutical companies. Participants from Canada, France, Italy, Korea, Morocco, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the USA attended this meeting specifically designed so they could share their experience and expand their professional networks. As in the 2002 event, "pragmatism" was the keynote of the roundtable discussions and Networking Forum. Representatives of the young companies talked about the resources to be deployed, and the synergies to be tapped, in their drive to move their business forward through their own networks and in their dealings with big pharma. "All these young, research-based companies specializing in human health are at different stages in their development but they all have to consider, sooner or later, entering into negotiations with world-class partners," said Stéphane Sermadiras, Chairman of Club Alfa and of Mêtis Biotechnologies. "This is why the theme chosen for the discussions this year was of particular interest to the start-ups attending the meeting." The two successive roundtable discussions moderated by the ALCIMED firm of consultants focused on a crucial issue for start-ups active in the area of human health: what are the winning strategies to succeed in the initial contact and negotiation phases with the major international pharmaceutical companies? The young companies attending the event talked frankly about their experiences and compared approaches. A report was presented at the end of each roundtable. This gave participants an overview of the points of agreement and disagreement, providing them with a series of "practical tools." Franck Grimaud, Chairman of Vivalis, a start-up company based in Nantes, explained that: "The prerequisites of a good negotiation are a clear understanding of a need in the pharmaceutical industry and the ability to develop a appropriate response. I believe four factors make or break a successful negotiation. These are: the degree of mutual trust existing between the different parties, the ability of the individuals around the negotiating table to reach a decision, continuity in the discussions, and the ability to capitalize on these dynamics to reach a conclusion." For Aude Le Roux, Partnerships and Alliances, Aventis: "It is important for young companies to prepare their application files thoroughly before making contact with a major pharmaceutical company. Negotiations can vary from two to three months for a service provider, from six to eight months for a product license and up to a year or thereabouts for a joint research agreement. We handle several hundred unsolicited offers every year, of which 10% give rise to an initial contact but only 1% lead to a final agreement." Stéphane Sermadiras, Chairman of Club ALFA, took advantage of the networking event to announce the forthcoming launch of a "Business Forum" within Club Alfa, a sort of joint platform promoting the skills and expertise of its members and which will over time be made accessible to representatives of the big pharmaceutical companies. In the latter part of the evening, the Networking Forum, a kind of "projects market," enabled the participants to identify opportunities for cooperation and to learn more about support available at a pan-European level. Organibio, Eureka and the European Commission took part in the "Start-up Networking Event 2003," to express their shared determination to promote the creation of networks of young entrepreneurs to encourage innovation in areas related to human health. About Club Alfa:,Club ALFA (whose name is derived from Association des Lauréats des Tremplins de la Fondation Aventis, or Association of Prizewinners of the Aventis Foundation's Springboards Competition) is a unique network of start-up companies specializing in human health designed to promote inter-company cooperation and business synergies. Contacts and discussions are chiefly organized via an extranet-based business forum: http://www.club-alfa.com,The current members are as follows: Ademtech, Agreentech, Ariana Pharmaceuticals, Atlanchim, Atragene Bioinformatics, Bioprofile, Bio-Sens, Biotom, Bio-Xtal, BT Pharma, Urogene, Clean Cells, Echosens, Endotis Pharma, Euroclide, GenePep, Genescore, GenOway, Gensodi, GTP Technology, Helios Biosciences, Hemobiotech, IDmyk, Innate Pharma, IVF Biotech, Mauna Kea Technologies, Mêtis Biotechnologies, Modul-Bio, Nokad Biotechnologies, Physiogenex, Protein'Expert, ProtNeteomix, Sibio, Targa Therapie, TcLand, Transat, TxCell, Urgence.net Voluntis, and Zimgen. About the Aventis - Institut de France Foundation:,The Aventis - Institut de France Foundation is an ideas laboratory and a hub for social innovation. It pursues a sponsorship program based on initiatives focused on three major areas: it encourages scientific creation through the "Springboards for New Business Creation in Human Health," a program that has already led to the incubation of 42 start-up companies specializing in human health; it rallies expertise for progress in health care more equitably shared by all (notably in favor of rare diseases and developing countries); and it helps to bridge the gap between the biosciences and the general public through the "Science Generation" initiative launched in France, Sweden, and Italy with the support of the European Commission. About Alcimed:,Alcimed (http://www.alcimed.com(opens in new window)) is a consultancy providing decision-making assistance applied to the life sciences and chemical industries. It translates scientific and technological progress into strategic positioning, marketing innovations, and financial results. After specializing in biotechnology in 1993, Alcimed has gradually extended its decision-making support activities to the life sciences and their sectors of application (health care, agro-food, and cosmetics) as well as to chemistry and materials. Alcimed bases its activities on a team of 51 high caliber engineers, biologists, and chemists boasting dual qualifications in economics/finance as well as in their own scientific disciplines capable of taking responsibility for an extremely wide variety of assignments (market research, strategic analyses, Business Plans, Business Development, promotion, etc.) at the interface between R&D and business activities.,
Countries
France