The “Google Of Biotech” And Other Swiss Entrepreneurial Awardees

- by guest blogger Susan Kish

(Susan is our VP of Network and Community Practice at openBC Live and the CEO of First Tuesday Zurich, and has been a member of the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ jury since 2003)

Friday night I went to the Maag Areal, a dismissed industrial-area-turned-trendy in Zurich, along with probably 200 other luminaries of Swiss business society, for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards. This is the ninth time that E&Y has attributed the prizes, which are part of a global program to celebrate the individuals and the qualities that make a great entrepreneur. The experience shows – it was a great party, everyone looked wonderful in black tie, the floor show and video shows were exciting (although we all kept asking ourselves about that androgynous flame dancer – maybe that was the point?), Heinrich Christen was gracious as the host and the E&Y partner responsible for the event, the moderator was funny and kept things on time – we’re in Switzerland – and the sponsors were a positive parade of great brands of the Swiss establishment (”dear winners, here’s your key to a car from AMAG, the importer of Audi; here’s your IWC watch; here’s your certificate from Swiss Air Lines; and here’s your gold bar – chocolate wrapped in golden paper of course -  from Credit Suisse. Sheesh).

You may ask, but what about the entrepreneurs?  They were great too, from their humorous remarks to their wonderful stories.   I’m going to focus on one – Fabio Cavalli – a genuine serial entrepreneur and Chief Business Architect and CEO of MondoBiotech
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Fabio bounced on stage after the jury member announced his name, to a great swell of music and huge applause. After being handed the award (a pretty enormous plexiglass thing that will do well in the company’s reception lounge), a short video was shown and he was interviewed on stage.

What did we learn about Fabio as an individual, and about Mondobiotech? Well, we learned about all the those little things that make for great entrepreneurs:

A great cause – Mondobiotech focuses on finding cures to so-called “orphan diseases”, illnesses that are rare and typically deadly. These diseases are not the focus of major research at big drugs company, for by definition their cure would never be a blockbuster.  In Fabio’s words, “we try to make money while making a difference”.

An intriguing business model - Their website describes it as “licensing out”, a model which thrives on the explosion of communication, network, storage and analytical technologies. The company is built on networks – they work with networks of external doctors to create huge databases of existing treatments, and then to model and test those already approved treatments and their possible application to the 6000+ known orphan diseases.  In the process of doing that, they come across some potential matches, which they then test and out-license for production. See their description of a recent deal for a possible treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension with Biogen, announced in September. This model keeps their fixed costs to a minimum, focuses on their speed of growth and their cash flow, lets them leverage global networks of research and production, and lets them take full advantage of the fast track approvals available for orphan diseases and for pre-approved drugs.  Fabio quotes an analyst at a recent meeting describing Mondobiotech as a “the Google of Biotech”, and goes on to say that these words are just a dream for their team.

A great communicator – Many entrepreneurs are passionate and effective communicators. Fabio sure is one.  He’s clear to say that in 2000 when they had the first conversations about this and while in the midst of one of his previous startups (selling snowboards), he did not have a clue as to what pulmonary arterial sclerosis was.  Fabio makes a gigantic effort to connect what he and the firm does to us. Their recently opened headquarters in Basel, in a lovely XIX-century villa, are dedicated to making these things accessible and visual, and feels more like a hip museum than a nerdy biotech firm.  Fabio works consistently and effectively to connect the abstract and inaccessible world of these diseases to his listener, and his non-scientific background and his advertising and communication experience are a real advantage here.

A clear idea of their role – Fabio states “I am a coach, not a doctor”.

A genuine appreciation of the team – Many leaders come on stage, and say how they would never have made it without the wonderful contribution of (fill in the blank). You listen to it, and it sounds politically correct.  Fabio talks about his team, and his enthusiasm jumps up a notch. He describes his “fantastic wife” who heads up scientific research. He sounds genuine and authentic – and personally, I believe that this kind of humility and recognition of others is a hallmark of a great entrepreneur. Too many times, entrepreneurs take their success too personally.

My favorite quote was probably when the moderator described him as a serial entrepreneur, a healthy man with the inspiring energy of success, and then asked him if he was a magician. Fabio said without hesitation, “absolutely”. And no one in the audience would ever have interpreted that statement as arrogance.

Switzerland needs more people like Fabio. They make entrepreneurship accessible, inspiring, tangible and real. You sense that Fabio has not always succeeded, but has never stopped trying.  It lets you share in his success – and not be jealous of it. What a great way to live.

Fabio received the award in the category “startup”. The other “Entrepreneur of the Year” prizes went to Walter Borner of Zimmerli, a fashion and textile group (category “services”) and to Rudolf Lieberherr of Morga, an organic and health-food producer and distributor (category “industry”/hith-tech”). Domenic Steiner, founder and CEO of Thermoplan, a leading producer of automated coffee machines (it supplies Starbucks among others) was awarded a special “Master Entrepreneur” prize.

Congrats to all!

In the picture, the winners and the organizer. From left: Borner, Cavalli, Steiner, Christen and Lieberherr.

cross-posted here