The global pandemic of COVID-19 took a toll on cancer research projects by limiting laboratory capacities, changing the communication channels, and the way of life in general during the lockdown. To counterbalance these issues cLAB Ventures launched its mentorship programme on the 3rd of August; to accelerate the business development of oncology startups.
The acceleration programme lasts for 4 months; firstly the 12 selected startups attend seven workshops held by business, finance, and MedTech experts with long-standing experience. The workshops are mainly business-related – the topics include fundraising, marketing and sales planning, resource management, and growth pportunities. After the workshops, startups work with assigned mentors hand-picked based on each startup’s needs, who help the teams preparing for the closing event of the program.
The closing event aims to give insight into the oncology innovation ecosystem and to provide an opportunity for the startups to raise investment. The participating startups will get a chance to pitch to investors, corporate partners, and industry professionals. Due to the international nature of the program, it has gained great popularity and visibility from the beginning. The participating startups come from 10, the mentors 12 countries.
The founders of cLAB Ventures aim to lay the foundation of an international platform, that is dedicated to supporting cancer-related research projects, startups and corporate spin-offs.