One of the bottlenecks identified in the study is a lack of knowledge, both among public and private investors. Biotech companies need to be large-scale to operate profitably. This requires substantial investments, but investors are reluctant because they are not able to properly assess the risks. Also, compared to their US counterparts, Dutch investors are risk-averse and attribute lower ratings to companies. As a result, many Dutch biotech companies fall into foreign hands or relocate outside the country.
The financing ecosystem of agro, food and industrial biotech companies was investigated by Max van den Berg, as part of his Science and Business Management thesis at Utrecht University. Van den Berg mapped where there is room for HollandBIO to remove bottlenecks. On 1 February, he joined HollandBIO as a project manager.
HollandBIO will use these insights to further improve the financing ecosystem for biotech companies. For more information, visit HollandBIO’s website.
Image: DRN Studio/Shutterstock
