BugBiome wins Discovery Spark life science programme

• BugBiome wins a business support package worth over £100,000, including one year of free lab space at Discovery Park and £50,000 investment from Discovery Park Ventures
• BioMavericks awarded the wildcard prize as voted for by the audience at the GIANT Health Healthcare Investment Show on 5^th December

Sandwich, UK, 6^th December 2023 / Sciad Newswire / Discovery Park / BugBiome was announced as the winner of the Discovery Spark life science business support programme at the GIANT Health Healthcare Investment Show on 5^th December. BugBiome will be awarded a business support package worth over £100,000, including one year of free lab space at Discovery Park and £50,000 investment from Discovery Park Ventures.

Thirteen start-ups took part in the programme, including 3D Synthesis, Awen, Bing Bong Biologics, BioMavericks, BugBiome, CardioCrown, DLOC Biosystems, Dravya Discovery, KASNMR, Matrix Bio, Rapidx Bio, The Future Care and XR-Musica. They participated in in-person training sessions, covering topics such as building an excellent team, understanding and conveying business metrics, and building a strong brand, as well as extensive networking and mentoring opportunities. Having refined their pitches throughout the programme, six finalists pitched to investors and other audience members as part of the GIANT Health conference.

BugBiome was chosen as the overall winner based on its promising business offering and extensive progress throughout the programme. The company is harnessing the power of the skin microbiome to repel pests, utilising natural bacteria to create effective, long-lasting repellents.

Alicia Showering, Founder and CEO at BugBiome, said: “We’re so excited to win the Discovery Spark programme following a fantastic eight weeks learning from industry leaders and our fellow start-ups. We’re passionate about stopping the spread of deadly vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue and Discovery Spark has given us some excellent tools and connections to further progress our business and make this a reality.”

Based on the strength of the participating companies, Discovery Park decided to offer a wildcard prize in addition to the overall winner. BioMavericks was selected as the wildcard winner, following the audience vote at the GIANT Health Healthcare Investment Show. The company will be awarded six months free lab space at Discovery Park as well as business support from Barclays Eagle Labs and the programme’s partners. BioMavericks is an early-stage biotech start-up, focused on developing an in vitro diagnostic blood test for pancreatic cancer to revolutionise cancer diagnostics using AI-driven biotechnology.

Discovery Park’s Head of Innovation, Renos Savva, who led the programme, said: “We were thrilled to welcome such a promising group of start-ups to Discovery Park to share experience and ideas from specialists within the industry. We saw all of the participants develop their businesses over the course of the programme and I am excited to witness their further growth in the coming months and years. Choosing the winner was a very tough task and I would like to congratulate all the companies involved. Particular congratulations go to BugBiome and BioMavericks on their wins, and I look forward to welcoming them to Discovery Park and continuing to work with them. Many thanks to all our supporting companies, facilitators and advisors for making the programme such a success.”

Mayer Schreiber, CEO at Discovery Park, added: “The Discovery Park team prides itself on supporting the next generation of life science leaders, and our Discovery Spark programme is the embodiment of that. Working with these companies has demonstrated the wealth of innovation we have in the UK and it excites me to see how they will progress in the future. Congratulations to the winners, we look forward to welcoming you to Discovery Park soon.”

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Kirsty Budden
Head of Marketing, Discovery Park
E: kirsty.budden@discovery-park.co.uk
T: +44 (0) 7730 618514

Sciad Communications, Media Relations 
Juliette Craggs / Jasmin Shearan
E: pressteam@sciad.com
T: +44 (0)20 3405 7892 

Notes for Editors

About Discovery Park 

Discovery Park is a thriving life science community for visionary entrepreneurs and leaders and the ideal environment for businesses to start, scale and succeed. We offer state-of-the-art labs, modern offices and manufacturing facilities, unrivalled flexibility and comprehensive support including access to finance and a strong local talent pool. Within easy reach of London, Discovery Park spearheads Kent’s flourishing science and technology cluster. As an extension of the Golden Triangle, our location provides access to a wealth of resources and opportunities coupled with an enviable quality of life.  

Discovery Park has been a major centre for life science for nearly 70 years and is home to 160+ companies across a growing tenant community of dynamic start-ups through to global corporations. This includes Algaecytes, Canterbury Christ Church University, Concept Life Sciences, eXroid, Genea Biomedx, LGC, Pfizer, Psyros Diagnostics, Salvensis, Viatris, VisusNano and Wren Healthcare.  

Discover more via our website: www.discovery-park.co.uk email: info@discovery-park.co.uk or call: 01304 614060. You can also follow us on social media: LinkedIn, X, Facebook.   

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