1/21/2025

Cell Therapy and Biotech Recession Talks

In this episode, I talked with Troels Jordansen, chairman at KELI Therapeutics, where he discusses the ongoing recession in the biotech industry. He shares insights from the Advanced Therapies Congress in Lisbon, highlighting investor optimism and the importance of smart hiring and team building in biotech companies.

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Troels shares valuable lessons learned from past experiences, including the need for companies to secure sufficient funding and the significance of having the right people in key positions. The discussion also covers Troels' interest in the hair care market, highlighting its increasing connection with biotech.

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Here's what you're in:

What do people forget during the good times?
Why this recession is not the worst?
What are big mistakes companies are still making?
Why are the investors are optimistic despite current situation?
Why proper preparation and research are crucial when approaching investors?
How good team dynamics can change as companies scale, requiring careful management?
Why should companies secure more funding than initially planned to ensure stability?
Why is cellular therapy have seen success despite current market challenges?

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Timestamps:

02:17 Introduction and Career Background

07:43 Biotech Recession and Insights from the Advanced Therapies Congress

12:46 Strategies on Reaching Out to Investors

18:13 The Challenges of Being in a Hiring Position

21:16 Finding the Right People for the Team

25:50 Lessons from Past and the Current State of the Biotech Inddustry

28:36 Exploring the Hair Care Market

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Listen Now

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About Troels

Troels Jordansen is the Executive Chairman at KELI Therapeutics, a stem cell and gene therapy company based in Lithuania, with nearly 30 years of experience in international healthcare of which about 25 years focusing on tissue engineering and cellular therapies.
Though not a scientist, his commercial expertise has led him to roles in pioneering companies like Genzyme and Isotis, where he contributed to major innovations and IPOs.
Troels has a marketing and management background earned from Copenhagen Business School and Aarhus Business College.

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Connect with Troels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troelsjordansen/

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About KELI Therapeutics

KELI Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapies for severe medical conditions.
The company utilizes advanced technologies in molecular biology and dynamic biosynthesis to create treatment solutions.
KELI Therapeutics aims to address highly unmet medical needs, particularly in immunology and inflammatory conditions.
KELI Therapeutics is raising €5 million to accelerate the development of KELI-101, backed by non-dilutive funding to support its clinical trials.
KELI Therapeutics' lead drug candidate is KELI-101. It is currently in a First-In-Human, multi-center, adaptive Phase 1/2A-B clinical trial, which is expected to last 24 months.
The candidate utilizes allogeneic GMP-grade placental stem cells, aiming to address severe medical conditions with high unmet needs.

Pipeline: https://keli.eu/pipeline

Website: https://keli.eu/

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About me

My name is Charles Spence and I lead Discera. After many years working in the life-science recruitment world, I decided to work for myself. Before doing recruitment I graduated with a biomedical degree, have worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent a year working in diabetes research in Stockholm. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.

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In 2023, I decided to launch his firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

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Connect with me:

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/

Website: https://www.discera-search.com/

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