The investor: “The major common diseases are hot again”
Funding, AI and factors for growth – that’s the theme of the congress. This is the theme of The Future of Swedish & Danish Life Science congress, which will be held at Medicon Village in Lund in August. Nina Rawal, partner at Trill Impact Advisory, will act as the moderator.
“I am really looking forward to it, as Skåne-Copenhagen is a very active region in life science with many great companies and very exciting research. When the EU’s pharmaceutical authority, EMA, was due to relocate, the Skåne region voted for Denmark rather than Stockholm, which speaks volumes about the level of collaboration.”
Nina Rawal, who has a background in biomedicine and most recently headed the life science business area at Industrifonden, was voted Investor of the Year by Life Science Sweden in 2016. In her position at Trill Impact Advisory, she is focussing on broadening global access and ‘underserved patient groups’ – an area with huge growth potential, she says.
“I’m very passionate about showing that you can do this successfully with commercial returns. There’s huge potential – not least in women’s health, and there’s meaningfulness and willingness to pay.”
What are investors generally looking for right now?
“There are the fundamental issues that investors always look for, but especially now with a crowded market in which the stock market is not so open to our sector, namely: Which are the big medical problems and which companies have innovative solutions? And also, which companies have strong teams and can raise capital even when the going gets tough?
Nina Rawal recognises that there has been a certain shift in terms of what investors are focusing on. A few years ago, she says, rare diseases – conditions that affect fewer than five people in 10,000 – were “incredibly hot”.
“I feel that the major common diseases have become hot again now; a few years ago, you saw very narrow indications, whereas now you see more of the cardiovascular field, for example.
How hot is AI in life sciences?
“AI was practically made for life science; half of all the companies we look at have an AI component. It’s a welcome new tool, especially in neuroscience, which has been very neglected. The biology of the brain is a complicated field, and AI is perfect for that because you get so many data points per patient. However, trends and AI aside, you have to solve a medical problem.”
What are you looking forward to at the Congress?
“You don’t have to be in the same country to collaborate, which is what this region epitomises. I hope and believe that this event can create new collaborations to strengthen life sciences even more.”
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