Beginner's Mind

EP 157 - Fabrizio Conicella: Why Europe Keeps Losing the Next Breakthroughs in Medicine


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Europe has the science. The talent. The breakthroughs.

But when an idea feels too uncertain, our systems shut it down before it has a chance to breathe.

And with every safe bet… we quietly lose the next cure, the next Car-T, the next AI that could change everything. 

🚨 Risk-aversion, fragmentation, and bureaucracy are draining Europe’s innovation power—and nobody dares to name it out loud.

But Fabrizio Conicella, VP of Open Innovation at Chiesi Group, isn’t holding back. 

💡 In this deep, urgent conversation, Fabrizio shares how Europe can build the ecosystems we need to turn bold ideas into real-world impact—without compromising ethics, patients, or long-term value. 

🎧 Watch now to explore:
1️⃣ Why uncertainty, not risk, is the true frontier of innovation
2️⃣ The hidden reasons startups leave Europe—and how to keep them
3️⃣ How Chiesi’s “The Impulse” model flips corporate R&D on its head
4️⃣ What every policymaker, CEO, and scientist must change before it’s too late
5️⃣ A bold new playbook for turning visionary science into trusted medicine 

👤 About Fabrizio Conicella:
As one of Europe’s leading voices in health innovation, Fabrizio is pioneering how pharma collaborates across startups, data, and ethics. His mission: create environments where the best ideas don’t get shut down—they get built. 

💬 Quotes That Might Just Change Your Thinking:
(01:58:01) "Be bold enough to dream, but pragmatic enough to make it real."
(01:07:22) "Science is essential, but turning it into a product requires a different kind of wisdom."
(01:04:35) "Visionary entrepreneurs see the future and change the game."
(00:16:51) "Innovation today is no longer a race for ownership, but a journey of collaboration."
(00:47:55) "If the idea is truly bold, no pharma company can replicate it without you." 

⏱️ Timestamps:
(03:00) Europe’s Innovation Crisis: A Wake-Up Call
(08:19) Chiesi’s Bold B Corp Strategy
(16:26) Building Healthcare Innovation Ecosystems
(22:09) Predictive Medicine and Patient Data
(29:49) Pharma vs. Startup Ecosystems Today
(34:38) Why R&D Must Go External
(35:06) The End of Buy-and-Wait Pharma
(41:42) Ethics First: Pharma’s New Mandate
(44:06) Respecting Founders, Not Just IP
(47:23) Debunking the 'Pharma Steals Ideas' Myth
(54:10) Why Pharma Moves Slowly—but Must Adapt
(59:25) Market Acumen: Startups’ Missing Ingredient
(01:04:35) What Makes a Visionary Entrepreneur
(01:29:22) Embracing Failure to Spark Innovation
(01:46:01) Europe’s Risk Culture is Holding Us Back 

🔔 Help Us Grow the Future of Thoughtful Innovation
If this conversation sparked something in you—an insight, a question, a sense of urgency—help us keep it alive.
Subscribe. Leave a comment. Share it with someone who still believes bold ideas deserve a fighting chance.
Every action brings in deeper minds, bigger questions, and the kind of leadership our systems so desperately need. 

Book mention: The Venture Mindset

🎧 Watch now—and join the movement to rebuild Europe’s innovation edge. 

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Beginner's MindBy Christian Soschner

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