Munich Startup: On April 1st, you took over the management of the Innovation and Founder Center for Biotechnology. How did that come about?
Christian Gnam: Before taking over the management of the IZB, I had already held several roles in the startup scene with different focal points. Over the last five years at Insurtech Hub Munich (ITHM), my focus was on insurtech startups – including health insurance companies. This created strong connections to the healthcare sector and the digital health scene. In my previous role at Invest in Bavaria, I was able to support a number of biotech companies with their settlement and expansion in Bavaria. This experience gave me insights into the industry and helped me build relevant contacts and networks. The biotech scene fascinated me even then, and I’m excited to be able to support companies and the industry even more actively through my work at the IZB.
Munich Startup: Hand on heart: how much respect do you have for the new task?
Christian Gnam: Managing the entire IZB campus certainly involves a very broad spectrum of tasks. From renting and managing office and laboratory space, to supporting biotech founders in their growth, to managing the associated hotel and gastronomy. But it’s precisely this diversity that makes the job so exciting, and I’m looking forward to being on campus every day and tackling new challenges.
Promoting exchange and making connections
Munich Startup: You were most recently managing director at Insurtech Hub Munich and previously led the investment team for startups, life science, energy and environmental technology, and chemistry at Invest in Bavaria. How can you use this experience for your new position?
Christian Gnam: While each industry certainly has its own challenges for startups, there are also topics that are cross-industry. Often, founders, especially at the beginning, are extremely focused on developing their product. But something quickly gets neglected that is very important: networking and exchanging with others, gaining new insights from it, and making contacts. And that’s exactly where I’ve focused my efforts in my previous positions. With my teams, I’ve made important connections, opened doors for startups, and accelerated their growth. This support can be applied to all industries.
Munich Startup: You are succeeding Dr. Peter Hanns Zobel, who held the position of managing director for 28 years and thus you’re filling big shoes: What do you want to keep – and what do you consciously want to do differently?
Christian Gnam: First of all, I want to emphasize that my predecessor has built and set in motion an incredible amount over the last three decades. This wonderful campus that I’ve taken over is largely his achievement. At the same time, however, the requirements and challenges for companies are changing rapidly. Among other things, AI will also have a major impact on biotech. I will address these and other developments accordingly and make adjustments.
Munich as a biotech hub
Munich Startup: Bavaria and especially Munich is an important location for life science and biotechnology companies. How has the IZB contributed to this?
Christian Gnam: Before the IZB was founded in 1995, there was no place in Munich outside of institutes and universities where young biotech companies could start and grow. With the establishment of the IZB, this became possible and successful companies like Morphosys and Micromet were created here. Since its founding, over 200 companies have made their home at the IZB. In addition, alongside the purely technical infrastructure, a vibrant campus has gradually developed with neighboring institutes (Max Planck and LMU), where founders and researchers can network and mutually inspire and support each other. In this respect, the IZB has made a decisive contribution to making Munich an interesting and important location for the biotech industry.
Munich Startup: You will also be speaking at the Munich Startup Festival this year. What role, in your opinion, does the Munich biotech cluster play in comparison to other European locations?
Christian Gnam: In Europe, the Munich biotech cluster is among the pioneers of the scene. The mix of universities, research institutes, global life science companies, international connectivity, presence of venture capital firms locally, and strong industry diversity provides an excellent breeding ground for biotech startups. Other locations in Europe are also developing well, so we cannot rest on our laurels and must continuously further develop the location and its conditions. I’m looking forward to that.
More public attention is desirable
Munich Startup: What successes have startups based at the IZB achieved in recent years? Are there specific challenges they will face in the future?
Christian Gnam: Despite the still tight situation on the venture capital market, many of our startups have raised considerable funding rounds in the two- to three-digit million range, including Tubulis, Insempra, Eisbach and Bind-X. This keeps the biotech scene one of the strongest and most interesting target sectors for external capital investment.
What amazes me repeatedly, however, is how little attention the startups and the industry in general receive in Germany – measured both by their funding rounds and their significant technological developments. I would welcome more interest and greater public support here.
Advancing international networking
Munich Startup: What plans and visions do you have for the IZB in the coming years?
Christian Gnam: As broad as the range of tasks at the IZB is, so numerous are the topics I want to tackle in the coming years. One of them is the topic of AI, which will play an increasingly important role for the biotech industry. Most of our companies are already using AI for their research, but in terms of potential we’re only at the beginning. Therefore, my goal is to significantly expand expertise at the IZB campus in terms of user knowledge (gladly cross-industry as well) and infrastructure.
Major technological innovations – whether coming from IT or biotech research – always happen on a global level. Therefore, it’s important to me to intensify international networking with other leading biotech research and founding centers to promote knowledge exchange. This can create more investment activities and cooperation opportunities on both sides, from which the industry as a whole benefits. At the same time, knowledge exchange can also be further expanded locally. In Munich and Bavaria, we have many wonderful technology initiatives and research competencies that are not yet known to parts of our community and from which they could benefit. For these and other measures, I will also work closely with our partners such as the cluster organization BioM or the neighboring leading research institutes.
