
Empowering Young Scientists: Rethinking ‘Academic’ Entrepreneurship
‘Academic’ entrepreneurship is too focused on professors, perhaps it’s time to acknowledge, empower, and give visibility to younger scientists who actually make things happen.
I am a constant learner and focused entrepreneur who seeks positive impact in society and the world.
I am interested in creating and bringing to market new technologies to democratize access to healthcare and to speed the development of new medicines.
I help companies and other entrepreneurs with the hardest challenges they face at every stage, from finding product-market fit to developing partnerships.
These are some highlights of the things I have been doing in the past few years. From deep tech company creation to software development.
I co-founded Dispertech in 2019. The company focuses on building next-generation nanoparticle characterization instruments, with the long-term goal of supporting new diagnostic approaches.
Since June 2023 I decided to stop my daily involvment with the company to focus on my next challenges.
Our mission is to democratize access to tools for biomedical applications. Our ambitions range from malaria diagnosis to cancer screening. We are pursuing innovative business models built on open-hardware and forward-thinking partners.
Solbion is in an early stage, and is currently looking for opportunities. Reach out if you are interested to know more.
I am a scientist and an entrepreneur. I launched a high-tech company based on research done at the University of Leiden. Developed both products and the business, focusing on extracellular vesicles.
After completing my PhD, I began looking for alternative careers. I started my own project developing software and organizing workshops. I joined an incubator and learned what it takes to get started in the challenging world of scientific entrepreneurship.
I am an avid learner, I like exploring ideas, building teams, and finding solutions to complex problems.
These are the last essays I have written on my blog. To know more about what I am currently thinking, visit my digital garden.
‘Academic’ entrepreneurship is too focused on professors, perhaps it’s time to acknowledge, empower, and give visibility to younger scientists who actually make things happen.
Extracellular Vesicles are a fascinating topic of research in biology and biomedical sciences. These particles, released by all cells, are fundamental agents for intracellular communication in complex organisms.
Extracellular Vesicles are a fascinating object of study. A paper in which they used #SERS to identify samples from cancer patients through machine-learning algorithms shows great promise, but raises many questions. Is there a path forward for using label-free methods with EV’s? I think so, but the tools are not there yet.
Creating a startup is an extremely personal endeavor. It starts with you, your computer, and perhaps one more person with whom you discuss.
Moving away from the startup you created and sustained over years is a very tough decision.
The thing I miss the most from my time as a PhD is access to people with interesting problems. That’s very hard to find outside of academia.
Salzburg is a special place for me because it is the symbol of the most serendipitous thing that ever happened to me: winning a paper
I am a scientist at heart. I am driven by curiosity, the seek for innovation, and out of the box thinking. I am interested in understanding how technology can shape our future. I am mostly interested in translating complex scientific results into products and services that can have a very broad reach and impact.
I believe that one of the largest challenges faced by deep-tech entrepreneurs is the lack of a roadmap and exemplary roles models. I don’t only have first-hand experience, I have also supported younger companies, and engaged in the elaboration of workshops.
I consider myself a polymath, continuously learning about different topics. My digital garden is the manifestation of this process. I can be equally motivated to learning about the latest on single-molecule characterization, or how to integrate an AI API into my website.
I believe in the value of paying it forward through education (such as by organizing workshops), mentorship, or just by engaging in meaningful discussions with a diverse group of people.
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