ExCulture, a pioneering startup, has emerged victorious in the Venture Challenge Spring 2023. The prestigious announcement was made at the Dutch Biotech Event, recognizing ExCulture’s exceptional achievement in developing a proprietary, natural, mixed-culture fermentation bioprocess for producing heparin, the world’s most commonly used blood thinner. The Venture Challenge Spring, which commenced in April, culminated in ExCulture being awarded the prize money of €25,000 to invest in their growth.
Jury faces tough decision with high-quality pitches
The jury, consisting of esteemed professionals including Carine van den Brink, Sterre Witteveen, Inez de Greef-van der Sandt, Rob de Ree, and Brigitte Drees, faced a challenging decision due to the high caliber of all participating teams’ pitches. The exceptional quality made it nearly impossible to select just one winner.
ExCulture’s technology offers advantages over current methods
ExCulture’s innovative solution addresses a pressing need as heparin has been on the FDA drug shortage list since 2017. Traditionally, heparin is derived as a by-product of pig slaughter, which can no longer meet the global demand. The jury recognized ExCulture’s value proposition, which holds potential for future expansion.
In contrast to conventional heparin production methods, ExCulture’s cutting-edge technology offers several advantages. It has the potential to ensure supply security, reduce the risk of contamination, and eliminate dependency on animal materials. Furthermore, its scalability sets it apart from emerging synthetic methods.
The initial proof-of-concept studies conducted by ExCulture have demonstrated comparability between their heparin compound and commercial heparin. Moving forward, the team plans to carry out biosimilarity and safety studies in compliance with the Pharmacopoeia heparin monograph.
Founders Aisling Foley and Ilaria Poledri expressed their gratitude for the Venture Challenge program, highlighting the sharpening of their focus and the valuable perspectives gained from experienced professionals and fellow participants. Their mission now is to execute their venture plan and ensure the success of ExCulture.
Venture Challenge equips startups with clear plans and investor-ready pitches
The Venture Challenge showcased several highly motivated participating teams, including Invision-Ex, Pneoo Tx, Saturn, Sencilia, and Spatium Medical. As mentioned earlier, the jury faced a considerable challenge in selecting a single winner from such outstanding teams, making these participants worth keeping an eye on.
Participating in the Venture Challenge equips startups with a clear venture plan and investor-ready pitches. Powered by Health~Holland and the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health, the LifeSciences@Work Accelerator provides specialized coaching through boot camps and personalized sessions. The program helps startup teams identify key risks, analyze customer value propositions, develop validation strategies, build venture plans, and establish connections with life sciences experts, investors, and seasoned entrepreneurs. Learn more about LifeSciences@Work, the national accelerator for high-potential life sciences startup initiatives.
