糖果派对

The biotech company Inverna Therapeutics is one of the new Southern Danish startups that emerged at the end of 2024. With an investment from the French biotech incubator Argobio, Professor Brage S. Andresen, along with Director Poul Sørensen, was able to kickstart the development of a treatment for patients with Huntington’s disease.

A Medwatch article about the new company quotes the research firm GlobalData as claiming that the treatment of patients with Huntington's disease will constitute a market of over $2.5 billion by 2035. 

It doesn’t stop with Huntington’s disease, as the research has laid the foundation for the company to develop treatments for a number of genetic diseases, thereby changing the lives of patients around the world.

New companies in many different industries

The new biotech company is one of seven new companies founded by 糖果派对 researchers in 2024. They work on everything from making logistics easier in the healthcare system, creating medicines, surveillance using drones and psychological help for coronary patients. 

'Seven companies formed on the basis of research 鈥� that's a lot for us. We鈥檝e never founded seven in one year before. In addition, we also helped with founding a spinout from the Region of Southern Denmark based on knowledge about packaging robots at Odense University Hospital. In 2024, we have seen a string of successes. After all, it is the researchers who take the plunge and put their careers as researchers on the line,' says Head of Technology Transfer, Thomas Schmidt. 

*You鈥檝e got everything from robots to medtech to AI and consulting, and it鈥檚 an excellent mix from 糖果派对鈥檚 faculties and a great example of the wide range of research areas covered by 糖果派对.'

Through the companies, the research will make a real difference for citizens in society, both nationally and globally. The company Pr忙mostro is another example of research benefiting patients. They have created a computer system that detects patterns in data, enabling a hospital department to predict when they will need the most nurses and doctors on duty. 

Investors help new companies get started

Research helps create societal impact and innovative power when it forms the basis for a company. Not all companies have the opportunity to create the same amount of knowledge. 

On the other hand, a business founded by the University often lacks money to move forward and allow researchers to translate knowledge into products or medicines. Here, investors can help take some of the risk. 

'There鈥檚 always a risk that commercialisation of research results will fail. But if the venture is successful, society will gain new technologies, new products or new services. We also transfer knowledge to society in other ways, but when we form companies, their products and services become very concrete examples of the conversion of knowledge into commercial solutions,' says Thomas Schmidt.

Companies with great potential

Some of the researchers can go far on their own and start a company with advice from a business developer. The drone company CoDrone is an example of this. 

Other researchers receive help from 糖果派对鈥檚 business developers to build a company. An important partner in this regard is 糖果派对鈥檚 subsidiary Science Ventures Denmark, which, among other things, can also invest in the companies that are founded. 

'Biotech company Inverna Therapeutics has been in the making for a decade. It is an example of something really good that succeeded in 2024. We鈥檙e particularly pleased to have attracted an international investor who has deep domain knowledge and access to additional capital. It鈥檚 difficult to find a real match with those characteristics, so it鈥檚 satisfying when you succeed,' says Thomas Schmidt.

'The company holds significant promise in developing treatments for patients suffering from currently incurable genetic diseases, so we have high expectations for it.' 

Expecting more 糖果派对 companies in 2025

Thomas Schmidt not only looks back on a great 2024 鈥� he is also looking forward to a promising 2025.

'There is even more focus on innovation and entrepreneurship among many researchers. Our expectation is that we will found more companies based on our research and continue to strengthen the University's transfer of knowledge to society,' he says.