BIOVISION: Fifty promising life sciences start-ups and projects selected for April 15 and 16

The selection committees have identified 25 companies seeking funding for the Investor Conference and 25 innovative projects for the Catalyzer session
 
Lyon, France, March 26, 2015 – BIOVISION, the annual forum on future-oriented research in life sciences organized by the Fondation pour l'Université de Lyon, today announces the list of biotech and medtech companies and projects selected for the Investor Conference and Catalyzer pitching sessions.
 
The third BIOVISION Catalyzer and Investor Conference sessions continue to engage project sponsors and start-up participation from France and around the world. Between 2013 and 2015, the two sessions respectively received 180 and 200 applications.
 
Many of the young entrepreneurs previously selected or nominated at BIOVISION have gone on to achieve real success, securing stock market listings, funding and partnership arrangements with major pharmaceutical companies.
 
Co-organized jointly with France Biotech and Lyonbiopôle, the 2015 Investor Conference will bring together start-ups, growth companies and mid-sized businesses to introduce them to financial and industry partners for a series of pitches, discussions and meetings. This year the topics will include 'Corporate funding in healthcare' and ’Research network: collaboration for innovation.’
 
The 25 innovative businesses selected for the pitching sessions were chosen by a committee including high-level independent venture capital investors (VCs), corporate venture funds (CVCs) and investment banks, and co-chaired by Florent Gros, chief executive of Novartis Venture Fund, and Anne Horgan, a partner at Sofinnova Partners.
 
Selection brings numerous advantages to the young businesses; helping them to raise their profile, increase their visibility and find industrial or financial partners to support their plans to develop collaborative ventures.
 
The 25 businesses selected (see the full list below and online at biovision.org), are split between biotech (15) and medtech (10) businesses. The majority are European, coming from Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and France.
 
The Catalyzer selection committee’s membership is drawn from industry, academia and civil society. It is chaired by Professor Michel Goldman of the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, a former chairman of the Innovative Medicine Initiative, and Alexander von Gabain, deputy vice-chancellor for Innovation and Corporate Alliances at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute. The committee has selected 25 projects and seed-round start-ups out of the 56 that registered.
 
This year we have a balanced representation of European (Switzerland, The Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France) and international projects. Seven of these latest originate from the BIOVISION Next/The World Academy of Science program.
 
All the projects and companies selected will compete in pitching sessions (see the full list below and online at biovision.org). The pitch presentations and networking time offer genuine opportunities for the fledgling entrepreneurs to accelerate and develop their businesses. The start-ups and project sponsors selected will also enjoy BIOVISION and Lyonbiopôle support following their attendance at the 2015 event.
 
“We have received numerous applications for the Investor Conference and Catalyzer sessions again this year. This highlights the level of interest in Biovision as a sounding board and a key event for connecting stakeholders in the life sciences sector,” said Didier Hoch, chairman of Biovision. “We believe that the contacts that come out of these presentations will prove beneficial for the entrepreneurs, scientists and investors attending this year.”
 
Prizes will be awarded to the best of the Investor Conference and Catalyzer projects and companies at the BIOVISION closing ceremony on Thursday, April 16, conducted by Alain Mérieux, chairman of the Fondation pour l'Université de Lyon.
 
List of selected companies for the Investor Conference:
http://biovision.org/IC.php
•    ADVICENNE (France)
•    Alizé Pharma (France)
•    Axilum Robotics (France)
•    Calypso Biotech SA (Switzerland)
•    Ciloa SAS (France)
•    Corwave SA (France)
•    Cyclopharma (France)
•    EFFIMUNE (France)
•    ENYO Pharma SAS (France)
•    FeetMe (France)
•    FineHeart (France)
•    Gamamabs (France)
•    iDD biotech (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    iSonic Medical (France)
•    KALLISTEM (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    Neolys Diagnostics (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    Nanolive SA (Switzerland)
•    Nosopharm (France)
•    MyoPowers Technology (Switzerland)
•    Opsona (Irland)
•    PathMaker Neurosystems Inc. (France)
•    Pathoquest (France)
•    Plugmed (France)
•    PDC*line Pharma (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    Viscogel (Sweden)

List of selected projects for Catalyzer:
http://biovision.org/catalyzer.php
•    Altrabio (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    3Biotech (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    Cartimage Medical (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    DBS System (Switzerland)
•    Diabeloop (France)
•    EdgeLeap (The Netherlands)
•    (EPMA)/ AGENSYS (Germany)
•    Genecreek (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    Hospices Civils de Lyon (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    INOTREM (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) (Luxemburg)
•    NMR-Bio (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    Novadiscovery (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    Oniris (France)
•    ORPHIT (France)
•    Pragma Therapeutics (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    STEP Foundation (Egypt)
•    The CoSMo Company (Rhônes-Alpes, France)
•    And seven projects from BIOVISION Next program / The World Academy of Science.
Detailed Program : http://biovision.org/bv2015-programme.php
 
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About BIOVISION
BIOVISION is an international forum devoted to the life sciences. The aim is to discuss forward-looking opportunities and to facilitate collaboration between the various stakeholders, to encourage innovation and ultimately ensure public access to knowledge and solutions. Founded in 1999, BIOVISION is driven by an independent not-for-profit organization, the Foundation for the University of Lyon in France (the Fondation pour l’Université de Lyon).
The forum has a global reach and brings together a large number of leading figures every year in Lyon. Participants include researchers, policy-makers, investors and entrepreneurs; from startups to multinationals. Together, these multidisciplinary decision-makers reflect on the future advances in life sciences and consult on how to convert discoveries by researchers into practical, innovative solutions with a public health benefit. They directly address business models and funding solutions.

To foster innovation, BIOVISION has introduced two themed sessions where project owners and leaders of innovative start-ups can pitch their vision.
The BIOVISION Catalyzer is organized jointly with Lyonbiopôle, a world competitiveness cluster in the field of life sciences, to promote projects originating from public-private partnerships.

The BIOVISION Investor Conference is organized jointly with Lyonbiopôle and France Biotech to discuss funding and identify promising start-ups and innovative companies.
An online networking platform and on-site meeting areas foster and support these discussions.

BIOVISION also hosts live-streamed sessions to raise awareness and engage communities in scientific issues around the health care challenges of tomorrow.
BIOVISION enjoys the support of the Greater Lyon and the Rhône-Alpes Regions.
http://www.biovision.org 
 
About the Fondation pour l’Université de Lyon
Chaired by Alain Mérieux, the purpose of the Fondation is to support the University of Lyon in its ambition to be one of Europe’s ten largest higher education and research clusters. The seven active founders of the Fondation (banking group BNP Paribas, the French Deposits and Consignments Fund, CIC bank, retailer Casino, the Institut Mérieux, pharmaceutical group Sanofi and Lyon-based domestic appliance manufacturer SEB) help it to fulfill its remit of promoting the international recognition of the University of Lyon, contributing to its excellence and strengthening its ties with the territory.

For the Fondation, BIOVISION is a key element of the region’s international profile in one of its areas of excellence; the life sciences. The forum also contributes directly to the economic development of the area through innovation.

http://www.fondation-pour-universite-lyon.org