What makes a biotech startup investable? Andreas Schmidt on science, scale & ecosystem
What makes a biotech startup investable? At bio:cap 2026, Dr. Andreas Schmidt talked about business models, scaling, mentorship and the power of the right ecosystem.
Dr. Andreas Schmidt, Managing Director at Springboard Health Ventures, joined us for an interview at bio:cap 2026. He shares what investors look for in life science startups, where founders often struggle and why experienced mentors and a strong ecosystem can make the difference.
What makes a startup investable?
What I'm looking for is very good business models where founders not just talk about technology, but really explain their business model, knowing whom to sell to and understanding the customer. I think that sets them apart from just being very good technology players.
Where do founders struggle most?
I think a lot of them stay scientists and I can totally feel with that, being deeply in technology and keeping on telling the advantages of technology rather than focusing on: what is the business model, how do you sell, how do you set up the business, how do you lead it, and how do you scale it?
Why does bio:cap matter?
It's bringing the entire ecosystem together. In the end, we play the World Cup, just not soccer, but the biotech World Cup. And that takes the entire ecosystem. That includes pharma companies, family offices and many other stakeholders to bring the teams to the front.
What advice would you give founders?
Seeking advice earlier. If you dig deeper, the secret behind almost any successful life science company is that they have people behind them who were successful entrepreneurs themselves. They have successful CEOs that are advisors and mentors.
And I'm always surprised how many of these people say: Yes, I'll back you up. I'll help you. I'll write the first check. It's also the kind of help I received and that I'm willing to give to others.
What would make bio:cap a success?
I'm already amazed what bio:cap achieved as a startup today. It's a fresh atmosphere. You see many different stakeholders coming together.
And typically a few weeks later you can say: I met these people, they were never on our agenda before, and now we're working on a financing round together. That would be a real success. And I'm really looking forward to that.