RetiPharma is one of the eight start-ups that joined BioInnovation Institute at the beginning of September. We had a talk with CEO Henrik Vissing about the first three weeks at BII.

Could you put a few sentences to RetiPharma?
In RetiPharma we work on treatments for eye diseases. We focus on protection against vision loss by developing candidate drugs that have a neuroprotective effect in the eye. The science comes from many years of research from the department of neuroscience at the University of Copenhagen and the eye clinic at the University Hospital. In 2015, our work led to a Novo Holdings pre-seed grant. We have also received an InnoBooster grant, and today we are part of the BII Creation House program.

You have been part of the BII for three weeks now. What is your first impression?
The first three weeks have certainly shown that BII is a place of innovation and entrepreneurship. It is high-quality open offices, and the entire setup around BII makes it an inspiring place to be. Even though we have been active with the project for a couple of years now, this is the first time we have really sat down with everyone on the team and discussed how to move on our business plan.

You are also part of the Business Acceleration Academy. What have you taken from there so far?
It is evident that the Business Acceleration Academy provides an opportunity to move the company forward. We would not be able to do so without having worked through the process several times previously. Even with more than 20 years in pharma and biotech, working for Novo Nordisk and AstraZeneca it is valuable for me to get an update and brush up on some of the topics.

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