The program combined nine in-person days in Munich with twelve full-day online sessions as well as independent teamwork. Participants worked on key topics such as business model development, medical need and market, preclinical and clinical development, intellectual property, technology transfer, financing, and company building. Experienced experts from industry, academia, and the investment sector supported the teams throughout the entire program.

The participating teams addressed a wide range of biomedical challenges – from innovative drug and RNA therapies to AI-powered platforms for drug discovery and protein engineering, as well as novel diagnostic approaches, organ-on-a-chip technologies, and more precise preclinical models. Approaches to treating infectious diseases, cancer, and metabolic disorders, as well as new technologies to improve drug development and delivery, were also represented.

At the concluding Demo Day, the eleven teams presented their validated business models to an expert audience. In addition to valuable feedback, participants had the opportunity to network with investors, pharmaceutical companies, and strategic partners. An audience award was also presented, granting the winning team the opportunity to participate in the Bio^M conference BayOConnect.

Team Coldex received the Audience Award. Coldex is working on an antiviral nasal spray based on lipid nanoparticles that activates an early immune response against respiratory viruses.

“We are thrilled to have won the bootcamp – it is a great recognition of our work and motivation for the next steps. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been able to significantly develop our idea and tailor it specifically to market demands, says Dr. Christine Wübben from University of Bonn. Her team colleague Dr. Simone Carneiro from Ludwig Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich adds: "In particular, the intensive exchange with mentors, investors, and other teams has helped us advance tremendously and given us the confidence to take the next step toward implementation.”

“Our bootcamp clearly demonstrates how important structured support is in the early stages for turning scientific innovations into successful companies. The teams have made tremendous progress in a short time – both strategically and entrepreneurially,” says Elisabeth Harbich, Project Management Start-up Support at Bio^M. “Our goal is to equip founding teams early on with the right know-how, network, and mindset to accelerate the transition to application.”

With the BioEntrepreneur Bootcamp, Bio^M is specifically strengthening the next generation of biotech founders and making an important contribution to the further development of the innovation ecosystem in the life sciences. The program supports teams in validating their technologies early on, understanding regulatory and commercial requirements, and successfully positioning themselves in the international marketplace.

An overview of the teams:

• CELLenger is developing an automated, dynamic cell culture platform that enables more physiologically relevant in vitro models.
• Coldex is working on an antiviral nasal spray based on lipid nanoparticles that activates an early immune response against respiratory viruses.
• FormulAIte uses AI-powered simulations and active learning to accelerate the development of efficient lipid nanoparticles for RNA therapies.
• FungiMAB develops monoclonal antibodies to enable new therapeutic approaches against invasive fungal infections.
• Mithryon combines AI-based target identification with the development of targeted protein degraders for hard-to-treat cancers.
• ProP is developing an mRNA-based therapy for the treatment of diabetes and fatty liver disease.
• Protzilla leverages AI-driven protein and enzyme optimization to significantly reduce development times and costs in biotechnology
• SELECKREM develops selective peptide therapeutics for the targeted modulation of inflammatory signaling pathways in cardiovascular and other diseases.
• T-TOP is working on a platform for the development of innovative T-cell receptors for personalized cell therapies against cancer and infections.
• Vasc-on-Demand is developing artificial blood vessels to enable more realistic preclinical models and better predictions of drug effects.
• Xemeia is developing a tumor-specific prodrug that specifically targets cancer cells while reducing side effects in healthy tissue.