Biotech Booster works closely together with a pool of 150+ experienced entrepreneurs who play a vital role in the program. In this series, we highlight the various ways in which they contribute: from helping to select promising early-stage projects, to guiding project teams as a virtual board member and beyond. Each article features one entrepreneur, sharing about how and why they are part of the Biotech Booster community.
Bouke de Jong is a biotechnologist, entrepreneur, and he was a member of Biotech Booster’s Impact & Assessment Panel for Thematic Cluster 1: Industrial Biotechnology & Production. With a career in commercializing bioingredients spanning biotech start-ups and corporates in the US, he brings a valuable perspective to the table. “If my experience can help Biotech Booster select the most promising projects, I’m happy to contribute,” he says.
From Delft to San Francisco – and back again
Bouke always followed a journey at the forefront of biotechnology which started with at the TU Delft followed by studies on microbial cell factories in Jens Nielsen’s lab in Sweden. San Francisco, was the logical next step for getting immersed into a biotech innovation ecosystem with a ‘think big’ mindset. “That ecosystem showed me what’s possible when entrepreneurship cutting-edge science and large capital investments come together. I saw where ideas succeed, but also where and why they fail to make it to market.” After several years working for DSM Firmenich in the United States, Bouke returned to the Netherlands, where he helped to stimulate biotech innovations. That role eventually led him to getting involved in Biotech Booster.
Biotech Booster’s Impact & Assessment Panel
This year, Biotech Booster introduced thematic Impact & Assessment Panels (I&AP) as part of the selection process for the program. These panels combine the knowledge of various entrepreneurs with diverse expertise – from scale-up experience to market insight and regulatory expertise – and advice on two Biotech Booster criteria: societal relevance and commercial feasibility.
Baukje Sikkema, Business Developer at Thematic Cluster 1, is closely involved in the selection process and she states that this external expertise of the entrepreneurs is crucial. “Our team of business- and impact developers carefully looks at each project application, but we can’t know everything. Entrepreneurs bring highly specific knowledge, for example around scaling up or compliance, or technical risks related to a niche biotech topic. Bouke, for instance, has successfully scaled various biotech innovations over the years. His knowledge about what factors determine a high chance of success in project ideas is very helpful in our selection process.”
As part of the selection process, panel members independently score each proposal on the criteria and then come together to discuss their findings. “Their feedback helped us make well-informed decisions on which projects to select, and more importantly: they helped to make project plans much more robust and detailed,” Baukje explains. “Even for the projects that didn’t get selected, the feedback was incredibly valuable. It allowed us to have constructive conversations and gave project teams clear next steps.”
For Bouke, the value is mutual. “The panel combines different angles and backgrounds – investment, corporate, scientific, entrepreneurial – to reduce blind spots. That ensures that the right projects get selected for the program. It’s really exciting to be part of this process with so many bold and outside-the-box ideas aiming to create a better world.”
Embracing a growth-mindset and collaboration
In Bouke’s view, one key challenge for new biotech entrepreneurs is getting out of their comfort zones, whether they come from academia, or the corporate world. “Each environment has its own culture and way of working. For start-ups it’s important to be agile, move quickly and embrace risk rather than avoid it. When entrepreneurs come from backgrounds rooted in scientific freedom or risk avoidance, adjusting to a start-up culture can be a real shift.
A successful entrepreneur, he says, needs a growth mindset: the ability to keep learning, to listen carefully and take feedback seriously, and stay true to their vision without becoming inflexible. “And don’t try to do it all alone. ‘If you think you can do it all alone, you are not thinking big enough’. Know your core technology and your strengths and find the right partners for everything else. That’s how you build something that can truly scale.”
Biotech Booster as a platform for connection
What inspires Bouke about Biotech Booster is the ecosystem it creates. “It’s a platform and a launchpad for biotech ideas and the people behind them. Their events bring together people from all over: researchers, industry partners, knowledge institutes, experienced founders and beyond. That combination generates a real positive energy and creates an environment for serendipitous encounters.
Bouke’s reason for joining is simple: “I genuinely want people to succeed in bringing their biotech ideas to the market. If my experience helps, I’m happy to share it. And it’s incredibly exciting to get a sneak peek into the future of biotech this way. I would encourage any entrepreneur to get involved!”
Do you want to know how you can get involved in our program as an entrepreneur? Get in touch with us here!
