Program

We provide a tailored incubator program which opens doors for startups
in Life Science & Health to the rich ecosystem of businesses, research
institutions and knowledge centers at the Leiden Bio Science Park.

phase

Activation

Entrepreneurship should be engrained in society, a valid career option for everyone with a great idea. unlock_ provides a place to encourage these ideas. Though everyone could come up with a great idea, that fits within unlock_ there is a difference amongst different groups, specifically in changing that idea into a company.

Together with PLNT, unlock_ has developed introductory modules in which the career opportunities that entrepreneurship and an entrepreneurial attitude offers for students and staff play a central role. These classes help form a better understanding of the personal opportunities that starting you own company offers. But not only inventors and future entrepreneurs benefit from this, also academics are fased with questions on how to transfer their ideas into societal impact and product.

Our current course portfolio:

Introduction course: creating a basic entrepreneurial mindset in Life Science (graduate) students and staff and introducing the potential follow-up steps: 2,5 hours
Research to Market Workshop: an interactive workshop to do the first reality check if a (research) idea is suited for commercialization through a start-up: 4 hours + networking
Research to market Bootcamp: A high-paced bootcamp that leads to a potential route to market and a self-check for the to-be entrepreneur(s) if they’re really up to the challenge: 4 days. The end-result of this bootcamp is the optimal (but not compulsory) start for the pre-incubation stage.
And several program-specific modules and activities.

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phase

Pre-incubation

When you are in the process of starting your own Life Science & Health company, it is important that you take the time to properly validate the assumptions in your business case. In the Venture Academy we support students, researchers, entrepreneurs and employees during this validation process.

The pre-incubation of unlock_ is an add-on to the Venture Academy of unlock_ partner PLNT. The Venture Academy is a three month program divided into two tracks. The main track supports you in topics such as how to build a healthy team, make business decisions, and validate your customer base. In the unlock_ specific Life Science and Health speciality track you will receive support and knowledge on topics relevant specifically for Life Science startups and spin-offs, such as IP & brand protection, finance & investment, and balance & budgets.

In the Venture Academy you will take your first steps in becoming an entrepreneur by learning from entrepreneurs with various backgrounds, connecting with experts in the field of life sciences and getting ready for your first round of investment of up to 30.000,- € through for instance the ELF.

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Incubation

Getting your Life Sciences and health or Biotechnology startup going comes with many challenges. The goal of the incubation program is to support early stage founders, researchers, and employees of biotech companies, in successfully navigating the first stage of setting up your Life Science and Biotechnology startup or spin-off. We do this by having you answer the question: how can we help you?

During the 12 month incubation program we will support you in identifying the blind spots in your business model and to develop and validation strategy. The program is based on the Healthech Innovation Cycle, a scientific model designed specifically for Life Science and Biotech entrepreneurs.

The program is divided into two parts, the onboarding in which you will follow a communal program with the other selected participants and the tailor made program which you can design based on your own specific needs. Furthermore, will you receive the support and the access to the venture capital and biotech network needed.

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Acceleration

Full speed ahead, the acceleration program is the final program of unlock_. In this phase we find out what companies need to help them grow as fast as they possibly can. This means its a highly personal approach that is focussed on the needs of the individual companies. This could mean that we help you find highly skilled personel, approach VC or connect you to new potential partners. If you are a fast growing LSH company in Leiden you can apply for this program.

Even though unlock_ focusses on the needs of individual companies, we always strive to combine activities for more companies. Not just because this is more efficient, but also because we believe that companies also learn a lot eachothers experiences. .

Examples of acceleration programs:

All of the courses offered by the Biotech Training Facility and Paul Janssen Futurelab Leiden – We train biomedical professionals can be followed through unlock_. Apply below for these courses or anything else we can do for you!

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