Africa Biotech Conversations

What is possible from a failed experiment? A biotech company, Resyn biosciences!

In the 5th episode of the Africa biotech conversations podcast, I spoke with Stoyan Stoychev about proteomics and the Resyn biosciences story. The polymer technology behind the products was a result of a failed biocatalysis experiment. The curiosity to explore what could be done with the novel polymer and support from the CSIR with funding, work space, researchers etc. led to a spin out of the company from the CSIR.

We discussed among others:

• strategic creation of a successful proteomic portfolio of products from the technology
• the mindset and strategy for success in local and global markets
• current trends of proteomics in Africa
• building brand reputation through networking and peer-reviewed publications
• networking tips for scientists
• strategy for the organic growth of the company when they failed to secure funding from angel investors
• keeping up with the rapid development of the omics space and demand for more robust, high-throughput, sensitive, and user-friendly solutions by establishing R&D partnerships with the research community.

Stoyan has over 13 years of hands-on experience in mass spectrometry, proteomics and protein characterization. When he is not working on proteomics in his numerous roles, he loves adrenaline hobbies like motorcycling.

ONEBIO provides life science startups with funding, business support, lab facilities and office space; access to networks; mentorship; and connections to resources, international markets and large corporate partners, both in Africa and internationally.

ONEBIO is led by Michael Fichardt and Nick Walker.

Michael is an entrepreneur, technologist and investor, with experience working in banking, private equity, business consulting, technology startups and venture investing. Michael holds an MBA, a Bachelor of Commerce, post graduate diploma in Sustainability.

Nick is a scientist, entrepreneur and venture builder. He worked in business development and venture building at Next Biosciences between 2016 and early 2018. Nick is the Co-founder of Muzi, a decentralisation AI assisted disease testing platform. He received his PhD from UKZN, with a research focus in muscle stem cell biology.

Both are graduates of the Singularity University’s Global Solutions Program in Silicon Valley that is set up to apply technology to solve large global problems.

Ecosystems that excel in translational research have 3 layers:

• Strong scientific base
• Support ecosystem: co-working lab space, incubator programs etc.
• Venture capital funding

In Africa, we lack the latter 2 layers. There is really great science in Africa but the translation rate to products and services is still low. ONEBIO is the only venture studio focusing on biotechnology in Africa and aims to fill this gap by building co-working lab spaces, an incubator and a venture fund.

We spoke about:

• the history of ONEBIO
• ONEBIO’s faith in Biotechnology investment in spite of the high risk and relatively long timelines
• how a scientist can gain entrepreneurial skills
• how ONEBIO assists biotech start ups
• Bixbio startup success story
• how to increase the investment mix into the Africa biotech space
• qualities of startups and entrepreneurs that are of interest to ONEBIO
• the areas in which ONEBIO is interested in 

Have you experienced delays in receiving reagents for your research? How did that make you feel?

In Africa, it is almost a guaranteed experience. For at least one person, Dr Peter Durcan, that was enough impetus to start his biotech company Afrobodies. A great twist to the story is that his wife Benedicta Mahlangu is the CEO!

Listen to this episode of the ABCs podcast with Adrienne to learn more about their origin story; why their products, nanobodies, are revolutionary; their latest innovation in relation to COVID-19 treatment; and Peter’s take on skills required to be a successful biotech entrepreneur. Be sure to note the call on how you can become part of this success story from Africa to the world. Also, don’t miss Peter’s prediction on the most important biotech trends to impact Africa in the near future.

In this episode of the ABCs podcast with Adrienne I talked with two of the co-founders of the startup De Novo Dairy based in Cape town, South Africa. They are out to revolutionize the dairy industry by producing nature identical dairy proteins using specially engineered yeast.

The foundation of their company is a combination of friendship, lifestyle choices and how to find/scale sustainable alternatives that alleviate the pressure on agriculture. We spoke about:

• the story behind De Novo Dairy
• considerations on building an efficient team
• skills required in bioentrepreneurship
• unique challenges in starting a biotech company in Africa
• trends currently having the most impact on biotech in Africa

and much more.

"If you're curious about what goes on in biotech across the African continent, I have good news for you. Adrienne Leussa has started a podcast to give us all a look into that community. I have no doubt that this will be good.

Adrienne interviewed me about podcasting and its potential to build a community while providing insights. I asked her a few questions too. What's exciting in the African biotech space right now? Are there particular areas of interest? ... And more.

Give this a listen and share it with someone who will be interested." Chris Conner, Host of The Life Science Marketing Radio podcast