"We build them to be great companies," Anne Osdoit tells In Vivo

In Vivo published a feature article today (Feb. 23) about how Sofinnova Partners' medtech acceleration strategy is being refined. In a lengthy interview with the In Vivo writer Ashley Yeo, Anne Osdoit, a partner with Sofinnova MD Start, delved into some of the details about the strategy that make it unique.

The latest iteration of the strategy, Sofinnova MD Start III, which raised €63 million at its final closing last year, builds on some key experience from the first 2 iterations, Osdoit said in the interview. "We were learning how to transfer technologies from where they were invented, how and when to create the companies," she said, underscoring that not every idea she and her colleagues have liked has turned into a company.

“We create and fund companies when we have enough confidence that they will materialize and become successful,” she told Yeo, adding that they took a "lean" approach until projects reach that stage.

The strategy's razor-sharp focus and very early-stage approach is rare, the article points out. “It’s pretty specialized, and the incubation-plus-funding model is unique in Europe," Osdoit said. "But the opportunity pool is really vast – there is a lot of potential for disruptive concepts.”

Osdoit stressed that Sofinnova MD Start is striving for more than just returns. “We don’t build these companies with the exit in mind; we build them to be great companies.”

Read the full article by Ashley Yeo of In Vivo. (Subscription required)