Formation Bio’s Post

Today is an exciting day for me and my co-founder Linhao Zhang, as we announce that TrialSpark has rebranded to Formation Bio. From the very beginning, we have envisioned building the pharma company of the future, one that marries the worlds of technology and pharma and built around velocity and first-principles thinking to ultimately transform how we bring new treatments to patients. We are progressing toward that goal, and have been operating as a clinical stage pharmaceutical company for some time with our own pipeline of drugs. Now, our brand reflects that identity. I am so proud of our teams, whose creativity, collaboration, and focus steer every innovation and milestone here at Formation Bio. While we know that fundamentally transforming how we bring new treatments to patients faster is no easy task and that we have a lot of work ahead of us, we know the impact this will make for our world will be profound. We are so grateful to all our partners, team members, mentors, advisors, and investors for their continued support and look forward to sharing the journey ahead to create this generation's tech-driven pharma company. Sequoia Capital, Michael Moritz, Thrive Capital, Spark Capital, S32, Rehan Verjee, Alex Gorsky, Paul Hudson, Casdin Capital, LLC Yosemite, Lachy Groom, Sanofi, Merck Group, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Joe Jimenez, Aditum Bio, Felicis, Mantis Venture Capital, Don DeGolyer, Emerson Collective, Wesley Chan, FPV Ventures, Pegah Ebrahimi, William R., Joshua Kushner, John Doerr, Kareem Zaki, Sound Ventures, Lee Cooper, Julie Grant, Doug Schantz, Dr. Matthias Müllenbeck, MBA, Ling Wong, ArrowMark Partners, Stefano Quintini, Mark Fishman, Jay Parikh, Michael Esquivel, and Sam Altman

Pharmaceutical startups face significant challenges in the ever-evolving healthcare industry. A 2020 Drug Discovery Today article emphasized that these challenges often result from unclear business models, the absence of a go-to-market strategy, or an inadequately defined value proposition. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded these hurdles, making it essential for startups to have a clear business model, product roadmap, and go-to-market strategy, as noted by Alan O’Connell, Partner at Seroba Life Sciences VC. Written by Alivia Kaylor https://lnkd.in/g6JGAWZD #startups #pharma #covid19 #personalizedmedicine

Quite a few have been saying this for quite some time. The opportunities are huge and the benefits for patients more so. What lies ahead is the ability for companies to bring these to market with the challenges they face. There belies the change required to look at this from a different model to what Pharma is used to. These are game changers, we need to change the game. 🚀 https://lnkd.in/grpiuZvS

This is cool. A new #incubator is being launched in #singapore called 65LAB. It was founded to establish a model of long-term partnership to foster development of Singapore's #biotech ecosystem. 65LAB will select promising academic projects and invest up to $1.5 M USD in each project over the course of 18-24 months. 65LAB is coming out of the collaboratuon of Lightstone Ventures , Evotec SE, ClavystBio , Leaps by Bayer , Polaris Partners Partners, and the LS Polaris Innovation Fund https://lnkd.in/gGxmnhsa #biopharma #startups #accelerator #research #academia #pharmaceutical #pharmaceuticalindustry #partnerships #investors #business #innovation #science #nanomedicine #Nanotechnology #medicine

🎉 Exciting news from the world of #HealthTech! 🚀 Swedish pharmaceutical startup, Dicot AB, just secured their first funding round with a generous 250,000 SEK grant, led by none other than Almi Invest. This infusion of capital will accelerate their ground-breaking lifestyle drug discovery, furthering their mission to enrich patients' lives. Based in the thriving hub of Uppsala, Dicot stands as a testament to the region's burgeoning health-tech scene. With this boost, they're now poised to revolutionize the Healthcare, Lifestyle, Manufacturing, and Pharmaceutical industries with innovative lifestyle drugs. 💊🧪 The world is watching as Dicot uses this momentum to catalyze changes in the pharmaceutical landscape. Get a glimpse into their journey so far and what this funding means for their future in our latest article. 👇 https://lnkd.in/e_JttC-i #Dicot #AlmiInvest #HealthTech #Pharmaceuticals #LifestyleDrugs #Innovation #StartupFunding #UppsalaTech

💡 Did you ever wonder which innovative startups are leading the charge in transforming Canada's Healthcare Industry, particularly in Quebec? Look no further! We've analyzed the game-changers in the pharmaceutical sector, and we're excited to share our findings with you. 👇 https://lnkd.in/e7B_sAMi 💊Featuring: Perceiv AI founded by Christian Dansereau, Ph.D., César Laurent Valence Labs founded by Daniel Cohen, Prudencio Tossou, Therence Bois Aplantex Medzy founded by Francis V., Sonia Boutin Jubilant Radiopharma Ditch Labs Airix founded by Sami Soltan Modelis founded by James Doyle Medfuture Sorintellis Opportune Therapeutics TALLC Corporation founded by Damon Smith CannaHive founded by Jonathane Seguin Organon Canada Kaster Technologies Inc. founded by Alexandre Clarizio, eng. Get the scoop on these startups, learn about their cutting-edge work in the pharmaceutical industry, and see how they're disrupting the status quo. #HealthcareIndustry #PharmaceuticalStartups #QuebecStartups #Innovation #DigitalHealth #HealthTech

Congratulations to Rubedo Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company with a focus on age-related diseases that secured $40 million in Series A funding yesterday. The round was led by investors Khosla Ventures and Ahren Innovation Capital, with participation from Hevolution, R42, Modi Ventures, Cerigo Investments, and others. “Rubedo is targeting senescent, or aging, cells that drive age-related diseases. This first trial can bring us another step closer to achieving better healthspan.” #RubedoLifeSciences #biotech #biotechfunding #clinicalresearch #clinicalresearchupdates

The drug-making industry is seeing a growing disparity between biotech startups and big pharma firms as the former struggles to attract capital while the latter is outperforming the broader stock market. Incredible to read that the combined value of Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk climbed from $350 billion in 2021 to $1.2 trillion today. While biotech is seeing some improvement, the ongoing dominance shows how important it is for upstarts like Calocurb to challenge the status quo and provide an alternative to the expensive and inaccessible weight-loss drugs provided by big pharma. #weightloss #obesity #biotech

The future of healthcare is evolving before our eyes, and we are proud to present a remarkable collection of innovative pharmaceutical startups in New York to look out for in 2023. Take a deep dive into these exceptional organizations in our latest piece.👇 https://lnkd.in/ecDMxh_F Featured Startups: Ophelia - Founded by Zack Gray Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals - Founded by Andrew Kruegel, Dalibor Sames, Elevation Oncology - Founded by Shawn Leland Exeevo - Woolsey Pharmaceuticals - Elix- Founded by Lulu Ge VantAI Sumitovant Biopharma, Inc. - Founded by Myrtle Potter Gannex LAVVAN MyRx365 MindMed EVQLV - Founded by Andrew Satz& Brett Averso Each one of these startups is pushing the envelope, creating revolutionary products and services that have the potential to transform healthcare as we know it. We can't wait to see what they'll achieve in 2023. #PharmaceuticalStartups #HealthcareInnovation #Biotech #USVentureNews #Startups2023 #NewYorkStartups #HealthcareStartups

AI is already starting to dictate drug development - favoring the tried and true over the innovative unknown. This scenario is becoming a reality in the pharmaceutical industry, as AI begins to play a pivotal role in predicting the success of drug trials. A recent article highlights AI's growing influence, but at what cost to medical breakthroughs? https://buff.ly/3NGIDmI IMPACT The reliance on AI for decision-making in drug development risks ushering in an era of 'safe bets'. Much like the film industry's penchant for sequels and franchises over original scripts, the pharmaceutical world may lean towards developing the '19th beta blocker' or the '12th edition of a Marvel movie'. This approach, while financially safe in the short term, could stifle the emergence of novel therapies that address unmet medical needs. LONG TERM IMPACT Moreover, this trend poses a long-term challenge. As reimbursement models evolve, they may begin to favor truly innovative treatments, leaving behind those that are merely incremental improvements. This shift could catch companies off guard, especially those that have played it safe, guided by AI's predictive analytics. In essence, we risk training our pharmaceutical research to 'study for the test' rather than to 'learn and innovate'. RECOMMENDATION The need for balance is clear: while AI can streamline initial drug trial processes, it should not be the sole arbiter of what gets developed. The pharmaceutical industry must nurture a culture of innovation that allows for both data-driven decisions and creative risks. Only then can we ensure that our medical future is not just a repetition of the past but a landscape rich with groundbreaking therapies. #AI #Pharma #DrugDevelopment #innovation