Biotech entrepreneurship in Germany — surviving the gaslighting

From “You will be the world-leading expert!” to “Who do you think you are?” in a year. What changed? I move from top medical research institute in the world Harvard Medical School in USA to a small #biotech and then #entrepreneurship in #Germany.

German professional ecosystem is incredibly cruel to outsiders: since I started my entrepreneurial journey, I have built an incredible international network, I worked with top cancer research institutions like Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and Danish Cancer Institute, I bootstrapped a company from 0 to now 4 team members and hundreds of users from tens of biotech companies. But for German startup ecosystem, I will always be a female immigrant with no ties to German academic institutions, and therefore not worthy of attention.

• One top female entrepreneur in Germany in biotech once told me: there is hierarchy in biotech in Germany, and entrepreneurs are at the bottom of it. If you are not in university, decision makers will not even talk to you, because you are a nobody.
• One fellow biotech founder in Germany told me they remove GmbH from their business cards and at international presentations as to not scare investors and decision-makers away.
• When I just moved to Germany, and wanted to do a post-doc at TUM, just moving from post-doc at Harvard, with a first-author publication in Cell — one of top journals in molecular biology, I was told that my international experience did not count, and my salary would be as I was just a fresh PhD graduate.
• I was told many times “You are a brave woman for trying to build this in Germany”.
• I was once asked: “You have Harvard in your CV. Did you actually physically go there or was it an online course?”

I have been incredibly lucky to have mentors and champions from around the world who remind me of all the great things I have achieved, and who invest themselves in opening doors and opportunities for me. People who only know me for my work, and who were so impressed that they dedicated their personal time to help me succeed. Without these people I would have succumbed to the German narrative of being a nobody.

Despite being rare, there are a few investors that I met in Munich who do not judge you by your ties to a German institute, but rather for your international potential. I will forever be grateful and I gained a deep respect to these individuals for their intelligence and global vision. Thank you!

I see a bright future for OmicsChart, but it is most likely that this future will not be in Germany. And it’s a pity, as I chose Germany as my home, and I gave it all to build OmicsChart in Germany and for German research. But enough is enough.