The Venture Challenge is a ‘must-do’ opportunity for starting life sciences entrepreneurs and the ideal way to receive coaching and advice on essential elements of setting up a business. In two 3-day workshops, the coaches and the other teams will challenge you to focus your business idea, and you will learn to pitch your business case. At the end of the Venture Challenge, the team with the best venture plan and pitch will be awarded € 25,000.00.

More than fifteen years ago, an idea to create a programme to support life sciences researchers with entrepreneurial aspirations came true with the start of LifeSciences@Work (LS@W). The Venture Challenge is part of the LS@W programme and has proven to be the most successful startup programme in Drug Development, Diagnostics and Medical Devices in the Netherlands. The internationally recognised program has won the European Enterprise Promotion Award in 2022 and is listed in the Financial Times as one of Europe’s Leading Start-up Hubs 2024.

In this session, we explain why participating in the Venture Challenge might be the rigth thing to do for you and alumni explain what participating in the Venture Challenge has brough them and share their expericiences in starting up a company to bring a new drug to market.