GeneNovate Investors' Day 2026

Overview

• Background

  The importance of gene and cell therapies as well as tissue therapeutics (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products) is steadily increasing worldwide. In particular, patients with rare diseases - at least affecting 4 million people in Germany - and otherwise untreatable cancer patients can benefit from treatment in the long term. Technological advances, such as the expansion of the use of artificial intelligence, are further dynamizing the field.

  Sixteen gene therapies and one cell therapy are currently approved in Europe (as of December 2024, vfa). The number of clinical trials worldwide is constantly increasing. Groundbreaking developments are on the horizon for this innovative business field, with sales of up to EUR 27.9 billion expected by 2026. The German government has also recognized the potential of these innovative therapies. In a National Strategy for Gene- and Cell-Based Therapies, concrete measures have been defined to improve the framework conditions, e.g. in research and development, regulation or manufacturing practice.  One initiative is the GeneNovate Entrepreneurship Programme in the field of gene and cell therapies, which, for the second time in 2025, prepares participants from research and science who are interested in founding a company for the topic of spin-offs from the academic environment and accompanies them for six months. Bringing together different stakeholders is another key pillar of the strategy to facilitate the dialogue across disciplinary, sectoral, regional and national boundaries and thus accelerates translation.

  This is where the GeneNovate^© Investors' Day comes in: without smart investments and relevant expert mentoring, no new therapies! GeneNovate^© Investors' Day is a networking event for scientific, translationally oriented project teams, international startups, investors and experts from science, industry and politics. Discover with us the latest developments in the field of gene and cell therapies and promising investment opportunities.  Find out more in exciting panels on key topics such as the particular features of the value chain, investment specifics or international best practices. In the heart of Berlin, we create the right atmosphere for personal exchange!

• Advisory Board

  

  The Board advises the Berlin Institute of Health on program design, the selection of startups and acts as a multiplier. Learn more about the members of the Advisory Board here.

• Overview Events June 8-12, 2026

  Overview Dates

  • June 8: Biotech Finanz-Gipfel 2026 by BioDeutschland
    Venue: dbb forum berlin
     
  • June 8: Exclusive Evening Reception GeneNovate^© Investors' Day
    Venue: French Embassy, Berlin | by invitation only
     
  • June 9: GeneNovate^© Investors' Day 2026
    Venue: Futurium, Berlin
     
  • June 9.-11.: bio:cap europe
    Ort: CityCube Messe Berlin
     
  • 12. Juni: THE INNOVATION FORUM | The Activator Demo Day by Nucleate
    Venue: CIC Berlin
• Programme GeneNovate Investors' Day June 9

  Moderated by Melanie Senior

  • 8:00 AM Registration & Networking Breakfast
  • 9:00 AM Opening Remarks by Dr. Doris Meder, Administrative Director of the BIH at Charité
  • 9:10 AM Words of Welcome by Prof. Dr. Veronika von Messling, Directorate-General of the Life Science Division at the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space
  • 9:20 AM Opening Keynote „Building Drug Delivery Spaceships” by Kahina Lang, Executive Director and Head of Next Gen Drug Delivery at Merck Group
  • 9:40 AM Coffee Break & Networking
  • 10:00 AM Pitches | Gene- and cell-based Innovations

  1. WhiteLab Genomics, Timothé Cynober
  2. CamMed Therapeutics, Virginia Castilla Llorente
  3. Captain T Cell, Felix Lorenz
  4. TQ Therapeutics, Christian Eckert
  5. CAR Finder, Sandy Tretbar
  6. myotwin, Jan Pietras
  7. Full Circles Therapeutics, Howard Wu
  8. Akribion Therapeutics, Lukas Linnig
  9. Fusix Biotech, Jennifer Altomonte
  10. Green Elephant Biotech, Felix Wollenhaupt

  • 11:40 AM VC Panel | Cell & Gene Therapy - The Investor Perspective
    with Tim Lohoff from Forbion, Stella Paffenholz from Atlas Venture, and Ester Sklarsky from Sound Bioventures
  • 12:15 PM Lunch Break & Networking
  • 1:00 PM Patient Advocate Jonathan Clark
  • 1:15 PM Pitches | Gene- and cell-based Innovations

  1. BioOra, John Robson
  2. StemSight, Laura Koivusalo
  3. Splice Therapeutics, Lloyd Mitchell
  4. rnhale, David Jürgens
  5. T-Top, Karin Wisskirchen & Susanne Wilde
  6. Epitome Therapeutics, Guido Gualdoni
  7. EpiBlok Therapeutics, Regine Heilbronn
  8. Silicosome Tx, Christoph Gruber
  9. PacingCure, Hanno Tan
  10. OptoGenTech, Daniel Keppeler

  • 2:45 PM Closing Remarks and Transition to bio:cap
  • 3:00 PM Coffee Break & Get Together
• Pitching Startups 2026

  Akribion Therapeutics GmbH
  BioOra Limited
  CamMed Therapeutics Ltd. 
  Captain T Cell GmbH
  CAR Finder_Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology
  EpiBlok Therapeutics GmbH
  Epitome Therapeutics FlexCo
  Full Circles Therapeutics
  Fusix Biotech
  Green Elephant Biotech GmbH
  myotwin GmbH
  OptoGenTech GmbH
  PacingCure
  rnhale
  Silicosome Tx
  Splice Therapeutics LLC
  StemSight
  TQ Therapeutics
  T-Top
  WhiteLab Genomics

• Selection of Confirmed VCs for 2026

  AbbVie Ventures
  AdBio partners
  Alternative Assets Finance
  Apollo Health Ventures
  Atlas Venture
  Avant Bio
  Avery Row Capital
  Bayern Kapital
  BioInnovation Institute
  bmp Ventures AG
  DvH Ventures
  European Investment Fund
  Eli Lilly
  Forbion
  Goldman Sachs
  Hadean Ventures
  HTGF
  i&i Bio
  IBB Ventures
  Kerna Ventures
  KHAN Technology Transfer Fund
  LBBW Venture Capital
  Life Science Valley Ventures Management
  LongeVC
  Lunar Ventures
  MIG Capital
  Mission BioCapital
  M Ventures
  Occident Ventures
  Pace Ventures
  PVP Advisors
  redalpine
  Sound Bioventures
  SOSV
  SPRIND
  Springboard Health Angels
  Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen
  TVM Capital Life Science
  Verve Ventures
  Vi Partners
  Wellington Partners

• Partners & Sponsors

  

  This event is supported by the following partners: Berlin Partner & HealthCapital, Cytiva, HTGF, Sartorius, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies & Thermo Fisher Scientific.

• Call for Applications: GeneNovate Investors' Day 2026

  The application period has ended. Applications will be evaluated and selection decisions made at the beginning of March 2026.

  __________________________________________________________________________________________________

  Eligibility criteria

  Eligible for (founded) startups and late-stage academic projects with signed term sheet with focus on gene and cell-based innovations

  Application period: November 3rd, 2025 to January 16th, 2026

  Focus on: International Start-ups and late-stage academic projects in the field of gene- and cell-based innovations and AI
  
  Definition: Gene- and cell-based therapies (GCT) are defined here as the following methods, among others:

  • Therapeutic approaches with advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs):
    • Somatic cell therapeutics (for example in the form of stem cells, immune system cells or mesenchymal stromal cells, among others)
    • Gene therapeutics in the form of substitution, addition or suppression therapies using viral and non-viral vectors or genome editing
    • Tissue engineering products such as the production of tissues for surgical use, including the use of novel biomaterials
  • Therapeutic approaches with novel biological products, such as mRNA- and other nucleic acid-based methods, extracellular vesicles or exosomes
  • Companion diagnostics for advanced therapies
  • Oncolytic virus-based therapies, which employ genetically engineered or naturally occurring viruses to selectively infect and destroy tumor cells while stimulating systemic anti-tumor immunity
  • Bacteria-based therapeutics, making use of naturally occurring or engineered bacteria (e.g. Clostridium, Salmonella) for targeted tumor colonization, local delivery of therapeutic agents, and immune modulation
  • Integration of artificial intelligence (AI) along the GCT value chain, e.g. in:
    • the discovery and optimization of therapeutic targets and vectors,
    • predictive modeling of patient responses and therapy outcomes,
    • automation and quality control in cell and tissue manufacturing,
    • analysis of multi-omics data for personalized treatment strategies.

  Benefits:

  • Participate and pitch at GeneNovate^© Investors' Day on June 9, 2026 in Berlin.
  • Connect with relevant key investors and industry leaders.
  • Benefit from expert selection by a jury comprising academic representatives, public and private investors.
  • Enhance your presentation with mandatory pitch training in May 2026.
  • Travel support: We will take care of your accommodation and cover the travel costs for one participating person.

  How to apply:

  • All applications submitted by the deadline will undergo a comprehensive review based on formal criteria.
  • Projects and start-ups will be selected based on key factors: originality, differentiated clinical safety and/or efficacy and commercial viability.
  • Submissions should include a pitch deck making sure to address the following aspects:
    Problem & Proposed Solution/ Innovation, Business Model & Strategy, Market & Competition, Team & Mentors, Achievements & Upcoming Milestones, Investments & Use of Funds

  Take advantage of this unique opportunity to showcase your innovative ideas and accelerate your journey in the field of gene and cell-based therapies!

  Start your application today!

• bio:cap Life Science & AI Investival from June 9th to 11th, 2026

  The GeneNovate Investors' Day will be held alongside the bio:cap Life Science & AI Investival, taking place from 9–11 June 2026 at the CityCube Berlin. More information is available at bio:cap Europe.

  On June 9 and 11, 2026, the German capital will become the central hub for life sciences in Europe and worldwide. From biotech and techbio to diagnostics and artificial intelligence (AI) – disruptive ideas from science and industry will meet capital and politics here.

  Messe Berlin is organizing bio:cap together with partners from science and medicine – with Charité and the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) as conceptual sponsors, and supported by the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI). This new format breaks down traditional industry boundaries and connects stakeholders across disciplines.

  The goal: to connect investors, startups, and leading life sciences researchers from around the world with the pharmaceutical industry, leading AI players, and policymakers to identify the most exciting innovations, invest in the best projects and companies, and establish the socio-political framework for the science and growth hub of the future. While Europe boasts cutting-edge research, it still holds enormous potential in terms of capitalization in companies and growth.