ONE BIO: Building a Thriving Biotech Ecosystem in Africa

In this episode of the Africa Biotech Conversations podcast, our host Dr Adrienne Leussa engages in a captivating discussion with Gian-Marco Melfi, a partner at One Bio Venture Studio. One Bio is a venture capital fund that focuses on investing in local biotech startups in Africa. Marco, a biomedical scientist with a background in biochemistry and biomedical sciences, shares his fascinating journey from research to startups and now investing and funding early-stage biotech companies. 

Marco discusses his experience at Cambridge University, where he supported biotech startups and spinouts through the Milner Therapeutics Institute. He highlights the advantages of building a biotech hub in Cape Town, South Africa, including the availability of talented scientific graduates and the potential for creating supportive ecosystems for startups. 

The two delve into the competitive advantage of building a biotech business in Africa, emphasising natural biodiversity and genetic diversity. Marco explains One Bio's approach to making first-time investments, focusing on competitive advantages, team dynamics, and advisory support to refine startup ideas. He underscores the importance of understanding the science behind investments and how the One Bio team's scientific background contributes to their success. 

The conversation also covered government involvement in the biotech industry in South Africa. Marco highlights the support mechanisms provided by the Department of Science and Innovation, such as soft grant funding and supporting funds and platforms. They discuss the thriving bioeconomy in South Africa and the significant role played by the government's bioeconomy strategy. 

Moving forward, Marco shares a story of one of their portfolio companies in the future of food or food tech space, showcasing their resilience in closing a pre-seed round with international investors. The challenges of raising international capital are explored, along with the tips and learnings gained from their fundraising journey. 

Marco emphasises the importance of building networks proactively and developing resilience and connections beyond scientific ideas. They stress the need for thorough preparation and the ability to answer technical, business development, financial, and budgeting questions. 

Marco reflects on his time studying biochemistry at Stellenbosch University, crediting senior biochemists' mentorship for solidifying his interest in the field. He also shares an inspiring story of a founder's dedication and determination witnessed in the Milner incubator. 

Marco discusses the commitment and sacrifice required to build a successful biotech company. He draws inspiration from notable biotech companies like Kappa Bio Systems and Gyroscope Therapeutics. Marco reveals One Bio's plans for expansion into other African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt. 

Crucial elements for a thriving biotech ecosystem are highlighted, including access to capital, support mechanisms, and talent. Marco emphasises the importance of shared access laboratories and support offerings to foster a sense of community among startups. He acknowledges the growing number of biotech startups in South Africa and other regions and emphasises the need to learn from other ecosystems while tailoring approaches to the local context. 

Tune in to this enlightening episode as Marco shares their expertise, experiences, and vision for the future of biotech in Africa. 

In this episode of Africa Biotech Conversations, host Adrienne Leussa welcomes Nii Simmonds, a non-resident fellow for the Atlantic Council and the Center for Global Development, based in Washington, DC. With a diverse background in pharmaceuticals, life sciences, consulting, and international development, Nii Simmonds emphasises the importance of supporting Africa's development and passing on skills to future African leaders. 

The discussion begins by exploring trends and opportunities for investors and biotech entrepreneurs in Africa, considering the challenges in the financial landscape. Nii Simmonds highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in healthcare systems and supply chains, but also presents opportunities for Africa to develop its own pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing capabilities. Drawing inspiration from the success of India, Nii Simmonds suggests that Africa can learn from their achievements thanks to diaspora engagement. 

While acknowledging the difficulties in financing pharmaceutical ventures in Africa due to government-controlled healthcare systems, Nii Simmonds notes the growing interest in life sciences, pharma, and medical devices, with more skilled individuals from the diaspora returning to the continent. Africa's burgeoning population and rising disposable incomes are identified as significant market factors, and the continent's potential in producing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and leveraging its biodiversity is underscored. 

The conversation continues with a focus on the strategic plans of various governments over the past 50 years to engage the diaspora and leverage their experience for the benefit of India. Successful companies like Dr. Reddy’s and Ranbaxy in the pharmaceutical and life science space are highlighted as examples. Nii Simmonds emphasises the opportunities for African companies and entrepreneurs as the population grows and urban centres develop. He stresses the importance of health outcomes and the need for sophisticated capital markets in Africa. 

The episode provides guidance for African entrepreneurs, emphasising the importance of building strong teams and finding the right support when raising capital. The potential for African entrepreneurs to integrate into global supply chains by supplying products and services is discussed. 

Nii Simmonds advises small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to gain experience and establish cash flow before venturing into niche markets like biopharmaceuticals. He advocates for focusing on addressing everyday challenges in Africa, such as malaria and food insecurity, before moving up the value chain. 

The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies on Africa is also explored. While acknowledging the enhancements in productivity and business reach that AI offers, Nii Simmonds highlights concerns about job displacement. They stress the need for an Africa-focused debate on how to harness AI in the context of African realities and challenges to drive development. Addressing fundamental needs such as food, education, and basic infrastructure is deemed essential before fully adopting AI. 

Finally, Nii Simmonds shares insights into advising and mentoring early-stage ventures, highlighting challenges such as building a strong advisory board, establishing governance structures, attracting talent, and raising capital. The higher costs and complexities involved in biotech and life science startups compared to consumer internet startups are emphasised. 

Join Adrienne Leussa and Nii Simmonds in this enlightening episode as they delve into the opportunities, challenges, and potential of Africa's biotech sector, discussing the importance of innovation, investment, and collaboration to drive sustainable development and improve health outcomes across the continent. 

In this episode of the Africa Biotech Conversation podcast, host Adrienne Leussa speaks with Cindy Lawley, Sr Director, Global Population Health of the Proteomics Company, Olink. 

Cindy shares insights on her background, the technology of Olink, and its potential impact on understanding genetic risks of diseases.  

In this episode, we learn of the first deployment of Olink’s technology on the African continent at the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) in Cape Town, South Africa. 

Cindy joined Olink in 2020 soon after the launch of the Explore Platform that leverages Next Generation Sequencing as a high throughput proteomic readout.  At Olink, she drives population health initiatives, working closely with the UK Biobank, FinnGen, SCALLOP and other large cohort studies. 

Prior to Olink, Cindy spent 14 years at Illumina and together with customers, she helped develop solutions to better understand genetic risk in diverse populations and holds several Excellence in Technology Transfer awards for her work leading Illumina’s Consortia Program.   

Cindy is passionate about innovation to make multiomic technologies easier and cheaper to measure.  Such advances are essential to lower barriers to implement scalable, reproducible discoveries that can be translated to the clinic to drive individualized medicine and health equity. 

Main Topics Covered: 

Links to publications mentioned in the interview: 

SCALLOP website: https://olink.com/our-community/scallop/ 

SCALLOP Nature Metabolism paper Folkersen et al 2020: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7611474/ 

54gene preprint Biddanda et al 2022                                        https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.09.519773v1 

UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project Preprint: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.06.17.496443v1 

Cohen et al 2005 on PCSK9 and LDL in African population: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15654334/ 

In this episode of the Africa Biotech Conversation podcast, host Adrienne Leussa speaks with Neil Thanedar, the founder of labdoor.com and Utopic Ventures.

Neil shares his inspiring story of building a biotech startup like a Silicon Valley tech company, including the creation of Labdoor.com, which tests vitamins and supplements that the FDA doesn't test and offers free transparency on product purity and accuracy. Through Labdoor.com, Neil raised over $7 million in seed and Series A funding and built a platform for independent testing. 

Neil also discusses Utopic Ventures, a fund they started to fill the gap for the first equity check for biotech startups, particularly those that need to drop out or spin out of universities. The focus of the fund is to help biotech founders take the first few steps after they've spun out of a university and get their first sets of funding. 

Here are some of the key topics covered in this episode: 

• Neil Thanedar's background and inspiration for entering the biotech industry 

• How he raised funding for Labdoor.com and his vision for the future of biotech startups 

• The vision for Utopic Ventures and filling the gap for pre-seed and seed funding for biotech startups 

• The potential of younger and international biotech founders 

• The bias against founder-driven and non-pharma biotech 

• The potential for biotech in agriculture, industrial, and environmental sectors 

• The meaning of "it's 1994 again" and how the next generation of businesses will be created 

• The importance of education for investors about biotech.

• The potential for Africa in the biotech industry