I am happy to welcome you to BioData, in the Geneva Region, the only yearly French-Swiss Health Care Conference, was created in Geneva in 2001 to serve local entrepreneurs who wanted to fund innovative concepts and products in the field of Biotechnology and Medical Devices and Health Services.
Since its first edition in 2002, BioData has linked tens of thousands of professionals, mainly through meetings of entrepreneurs and financial institutions.
Over the years, we always kept a personal touch to everything. Most participants have been from our close network of professional friends.
Many companies have received their first chance to obtain funding from the open conversations that we actively maintained year after year here in Geneva. We are now proud to be able to say that BioData was instrumental in the fertilization of the entrepreneurial soil in the broad region encompassing Switzerland and Rhône-Alpes. Looking back, we see so many successful companies that we hosted from inception to the Stock Market or to the trade sale. The list is just too long to appear in this letter.
The broad recognition that BioData has received over so many years from its participants has allowed us to regain proper sponsorship from the Conseil Général de la Haute-Savoie, the Technopôle d’Archamps and the American Investment Bank Healthios. BioData has also kept intact the political support of the State of Geneva, in recognition for all this time at the service of its local community. We also count on an equivalent broad companionship from the Swiss and French Press, which has been on our side since inception.
Today, the objective of BioData remains the same, we intend to help innovative companies in the field of health care get funding and growth. Instead of serving local institutions as we have been in the past, we will now take care of individual companies and investors. We now provide our services directly to entrepreneurs, much beyond the usual 15 minute presentation time they merely get from other conferences. Moreover, we will continue to offer personal services and contacts to investors, who are the core of BioData, all over the year. We believe we really understand the needs of these two communities, entrepreneurs and investors, and we have the means to serve them to success.
And, first of all, on the spot, we give you the possibility to visit and explore the growing Technopôle d’Archamps which is the best possible development site for young biotech and medtech companies in the Region; then, we will offer the presence of regional incubators, European and US venture capitalists and also Swiss private bankers; finally, you will receive the direct help from Healthios professionals and the organizers of BioData.
Healthios and the BioData team have shown over time a long term commitment that is rarely matched in the financial world. We intend to offer this long term backing to entrepreneurs in a contractual relationship, as needed. This means help in capital raising, Deal Making, Public and Investor Relations and Recruitment. Combined, the professionals that will host you at BioData have raised several billion dollars for companies and funds, they have participated in scores of deals in the last 20 years, and their networks are among the largest and most influential in the health care field, in Europe, the USA and Asia.
Most importantly, the participants of BioData are the most valuable asset that can be offered to investors and entrepreneurs. BioData gets them together to share on the hottest topics in the industry and to cook the deals that will make the future of health care. They are our loyal hands when we need to call and find solutions for our CEOs and investors. We are extremely happy to create this renewed opportunity to have them, in our friendly way, reunited in the Geneva Area, for BioData2010, and contributing to the common success into the years to come.
As happened in Europe 20 years ago, many financial infrastructures will also be built in Asia. It is necessary to have a full chain of financial value creation from University Technology Transfer to Venture Capital, IPOs and Specialised Health Care Funds as well as Investment Bank Health Teams.
The followings are some of the successful companies having presented at BioData since inception, passing from startups to Venture Unicorns, thanks to a full value chain:
Actelion
Is the most successful biopharmaceutical company in Europe. A Swiss startup company launched in 1997, it attended BioData Forum every year since 2002. It is listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange and commands today a market Capitalisation of CHF 14 bn.
Basilea
Basilea is a successful Swiss startup company that developed innovative products to fight infections and cancer. Like many promising medical companies in Switzerland, Basilea was repeatedly present at BioData to meet investors. It was listed in 2000 and commands a market capitalisation of CHF 1bn today.
CoreValve
A French startup company founded in 2000 to develop an non-invasive cardiac valve. It attended BioData Forum to accelerate its funding and developement. it was successful in launching its medical device onto the European market and was acquired in 2009 by the giant company Medtronic for $ 700mn.
Innate Pharma
A French startup company developing treatments against cancer and inflammatory diseases, participated regularly to BioData Forum to meet investors. It was listed on the European Stock Market in 2010 and has a market Capitalisation of CHF 700mn.
Speedel
Speedel was a Swiss startup company that developed an innovative drug to treat High Blood Pressure. It naturally attended BioData Forum as one of the fastest-growingg medical company in Switzerland. It was acquired by the largest pharmaceutical company Novartis in 2008 for CHF 880mn.
Unilabs
Is the most successful Diagnostic Medical Centers Chain in Europe. Initially a Swiss startup company with one center in Switzerland in 1997, it grew very successfully. Unilabs attended BioData Forum regularly to seek investors and was listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange. Unilanbs has today more than CHF 600mn in revenues.
