WHERE LIFE SCIENCE STARTUPS SCALE UP

When your business is going well and it’s time to leave SmiLe, why not stay as an Alumni member, and benefit from a multitude of opportunities.

After graduating from the incubator you are eligible for our Alumni membership service for scale-ups, that gives you continued access to labs, events, media exposure, investment opportunities as well as to our dynamic community and our innovation network.

One thing we ask in return – that you contribute to our community and are active in driving it forward.

Benefits of Alumni members

Access to our labs and state-of-the-art instruments
Access to our events
Free media exposure
Access to the Business Strategy Program
Office space at our facilities
Coaching in People & Culture
Access to our network
Access to new markets

“Thank you Ebba! You and your excellent team have managed to create such a fantastic atmosphere where SmiLe and its companies generously share their knowledge and experience. It is a privilege to be part of such a great community and we look forward to continuing as an alumni.”

Johanna Asklin, PhD
Director Of Operations at SAGA Diagnostics

Immunovia

While at SmiLe, Immunovia gained access to a broad life science expertise, valuable infrastructure with laboratories and closeness to Lund University. Today, Immunovia has a market cap of close to 300 million EUR. They develop tools for diagnosing complex diseases and biomarker signatures specific to each disease are identified by blood tests. The first test is for early stage pancreatic cancer.

SmiLe’s internationalization experience and commercial community is crucial for a startup.

Carl Borrebaeck, PhD
Founder of Immunovia

Speximo

Speximo is one of the spin-outs from Lund University. While the experts optimized the characteristics of the substance and the technology in the labs at SmiLe, the CEO developed the company being challenged and supported by Smile´s coaches and experts. Speximo business – next generation stabilization and encapsulation technology – then had such a value that a global market leader aquired the company.

At Smile I got tools and support needed to succeed and in the end make an exit.

Malin Sjöö, PhD
CEO of Speximo

Acrivon

Acrivon is focused on developing oncology drugs and came to SmiLe with a scientifically mature technology for identifying patients that benefit from a specific treatment. SmiLe has supported Acrivon with training, exposure and expertise to successfully build the infrastructure and discovery efforts.

SmiLe has been instrumental for the growth of Acrivon.

Kristina Masson, PhD
Founder of Acrivon

GPX Medical

GPX Medical, a spinoff of Gasporox AB, develops medical devices for continuous monitoring of the lungs of preterm born infants. The company joined SmiLe to gain insights in the Life Science industry and draw on the expertise of SmiLes business coaches, especially in preparing for capitalization. After an impressively fast development GPX Medical was listed on Nasdaq First North in 2020 – making it SmiLe’s 16th IPO.

SmiLe opened the doors to the life science industry and their networks and their coaches were instrumental on our journey to the stock market.

Hanna Sjöström
CEO, GPX Medical

Preactly

Despite the geographical distance, SmiLe was the obvious choice when Preactly needed support in developing their digital health management tool for improving workplace well-being. Through digital coaching sessions the company was able to leverage SmiLes healthtech expertise to verify their business idea and further develop the product, allowing them to raise capital, attract more paying customers and grow the company.

We wanted to be part of SmiLe’s renowned life science community. The team was very accommodating, and the digital coaching was a very positive experience.

Jeanette Köster
Founder and CEO, Preactly

NEKI

Neki joined SmiLe after having tested the business idea of wearable GPS devices for elderly people with dementia in SmiLes’ Bootcamp program. With the support of SmiLes’ experienced coaches the business concept was developed into a complete platform of products and services to support dementia patients and their families. Recently Neki acquired POOW, another SmiLe company, developing an e-health application for children with eating problems.

SmiLe’s life science expertise combined with a hands-on approach to developing your business and taking products to market has been crucial.

Philip Fransson
Founder of Neki

Thyrolytics

Thyrolytics has developed a unique method for diagnosing thyroid-related diseases more precisely than current methods. Although a seasoned entrepreneur, Mohamad Takwa, the founder of Thyrolytics, joined SmiLe for support in areas outside his own expertise.

The SmiLe community is a perfect environment for developing startups. The coaches are great, and their network of sponsors have also helped us in many areas.

Mohamad Takwa, PhD
Founder and CEO of Thyrolytics

Viraspec

Viraspec was founded as a response to the urgent need for efficient Covid-19 tests. Leveraging on SmiLe’s life science expertise and unique access to fully equipped laboratories, Viraspecs team of international researchers developed a rapid and sensitive technique for detecting coronavirus in saliva. Merely 6 months after the company was founded, and before the test was ready, the technology was acquired by Aegirbio. The first rapid test was launched in April 2021.

I have seen three startups through SmiLe so far, and their life science expertise and outstanding lab infrastructure have been instrumental to me.

Mohamad Takwa, PhD
Co-founder of Viraspec

Red Glead Discovery

As a SmiLe community member, Red Glead Discovery, an expert in designing and executing drug discovery, has gone from a small team of experts to an organization with 47 employees, a turnover of 46 MSEK for 2020 and a global customer base. Access to well-equipped labs, educational initiatives as well as cooperation with other SmiLe life science companies have been instrumental in the company development.

Being part of the SmiLe community was critical for the company startup phase and hence contributed to the subsequent success of Red Glead.

Johan Evenäs
CEO of Red Glead Discovery

Cellevate

Cellevate is a biotech company that develops next generation cell culture systems for more realistic in-vitro models. Founded by a group of students and professors from LTH and LU, the company came to SmiLe to be part of the life science community. Lab infrastructure and support from SmiLe’s experienced business coaches has been instrumental for the company’s development and today Cellevate’s products are attracting some of the world’s largest pharma companies.

Being a SmiLe member was very important in the startup phase and cooperation with other companies in the community has also brought new business opportunities for us.

Maximilian Ottosson
Co-founder and CEO of Cellevate

SARomics Biostructures

For SARomics Biostructures, a CRO providing structural biology services, SmiLe’s lab infrastructure provided the possibility to expand lab facilities to meet a growing need. With some initial support from SmiLe in raising venture capital the company has been able to grow and develop a professional organization attracting big pharma customers. Acquiring a new drug-discovery technology together with Red Glead Discovery, another SmiLe company, has also opened new business opportunities.

Being able to expand the lab gradually to meet our growing needs has been a gamechanger.

Björn Walse
CEO of SARomics Biostructures

Redoxis

Redoxis is a CRO providing preclinical models for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Starting out as a small research company from Lund University, Redoxis initially needed access to laboratory infrastructure. Developing into today’s service organization, the company has benefited from SmiLes’ community of experts and peers where synergies and successful co-operations with other SmiLe community companies has led to new business opportunities and significant growth.

Being part of a large community and having access to expertise outside your own competence area is crucial for a small startup.

Malin Hultqvist
CEO of Redoxis

SAGA Diagnostics

SAGA Diagnostics, a company focusing on liquid biopsy cancer testing, joined SmiLe to be part of a startup community. While in the incubator, support in a number of areas – from practical things to business development, IP and regulatory issues – helped the company grow and raise venture capital. Since then the company has released the first CE‑IVD marked product and started the next funding round.

The SmiLe team was really supportive. Whenever we needed help with something, they were always there for us.

Lao Saal
CEO of SAGA Diagnostics