How did a self-proclaimed dyslectic with a dream of becoming a professional gymnast end up as a senior R&D manager in one of the world’s biggest life science companies? This Axl Neurauter explains, together with Thermo Fisher Norway’s approach to personal development, strategy, and innovation. And how ShareLab plays a key part.

Originally from Austria, Axl’s family moved to Tromsø when he was 3 years old. He took up gymnastics at a young age with a dream of becoming professional. And as it turned out, there was a seamless transition from gymnast to break dancer for Axl who with a friend has been credited for having "introduced hip hop to Tromsø" as a touring break dancing duo. “It was pretty fun. We actually earned a fair amount of money touring, and even had a manager”, he reminisces. However, it was his original love for gymnastics that led him to move to Oslo. The goal was to become a professional gymnast, but to make ends meet he also started studying at university. “Education was initially a side hustle” he explains, as receiving a student loan was an “easy way to get some money”.

See Battle Force and Axl dance on national TV in year 1984 here (link directly to 24 min, 5 sec).

We got business from day one

Axl focus did eventually shift to his studies. Following a bachelor in biochemistry, he states he “accidently ended up in immunology”. His masters project ended up directing his professional life where he worked on T cell dynamics in collaboration with Oslo University Hospital. “Straight out of my masters I got head-hunted by Dynal” Axl says, where he studied T-cell activation using beads coupled with antibodies. In context of Dynal, the beads were the key point. Dynal was a Norwegian company founded on the work done by Professor John Uglestad. Uglestad invented the process of making uniform polystyrene spherical beads which can be coupled to polymers such as DNA or proteins. Axl joined the product development team early, where he worked on products aimed at the research market. “We got business from day one”.

Today, Axl is responsible for a team which focuses on development of products for both the research market and regulatory market for Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway. What was Dynal is now a part of the global company, which sells “Dynabeads” in what has become a multibillion USD market. “We have recently been working a lot on RNA-vaccines”, Axl says, explaining how more widely utilising this technology could make for instance seasonal influenza vaccines more effective.

We are very expensive machines

As a manager, Axl emphasises the importance of getting the best out of each employee. “My job as a manager is to figure out how to make the most out of the potential that exist in each individual”. It is also important to understand that not everyone fit into the same box, Axl explains, and that to maximise the potential of your team they need to enjoy going to work. A central part of Thermo Fisher Norway’s strategy the past years has therefor been to climb the “great-place-to-work” ranking. “We are very expensive machines”, Axl expresses, and maintenance should be a top priority.

ShareLab is a good fit for Thermo

Another central part of Thermo’s company culture and strategy is testing new concepts and out-sourcing some of the work associated to development. “Norwegian Thermo has proved to be competitive” Axl explains, adding that the Norwegian department is therefore granted substantial funds for investment and improvements. Out-sourcing is a way of reducing risk for us, Axl explains. This is where ShareLab enters the scene. Thermo has cooperated with ShareLab since 2018. “ShareLab is a good fit for Thermo”, Axl says. Initiating new collaborations is quite demanding due to the legal aspect of the process, and Axl explains that instead of finding 20 different partners ShareLab is a structure which can get the job done and has the network to find a third party to complement their competence. “This takes away a lot of the work associated with collaborations”. In essence the collaboration with ShareLab allow Thermo Fisher Norway to grow faster than would otherwise be possible. “And it also makes us visible in the network which ShareLab touches”.

Are you interested in pursuing a career in bioentrepreneurship? We have talked to some of the established start-ups at ShareLab to ask what tips and advice they can give to prospective entrepreneurs. 

Identify you mission

Firstly, when starting any business, you need a mission. “You have to have a passion for what you are doing” Jonas Hallén, Chief Medical & Development Officer at Arxx Therapeutics, states. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to solve? Identify your niche, and follow the industry you’re interested in.

Team up with the right people

Next, it is important to team up with people who share your passion and want to be a part of the journey. “I have spent a lot of time finding partners who I can discuss and talk things over with, and who are visionary”, Jan Terje Andersen, Professor in Biomedical Innovation, explains. Tor-Espen Stav-Noraas, co-founder of Node Pharma, also mentions the need for a diverse team with competence that supplement each other.

Think ahead

You know what you want to accomplish, and with whom, but how do you get there? In the biotechnology and life science sector, you often must make decisions early on that will affect your business years ahead. Because of this, Jonas Hallén’s advice is to do a thorough analysis before making any decisions, even in the very beginning. “Think ahead, and always have a plan A, B, and C”.

Moreover, the industrial life science sector is heavily regulated, and so it’s important to stay up to date on the latest and upcoming laws and regulations that may affect your business. This could include everything from clinical trial regulations to product labelling requirements. It is for instance easier to get a product to market as a cosmetic product rather than a medical one, as explained by Oscar Solér in 3Skin. “Try doing things right the first time” Tor-Espen advises, highlighting aspects as traceability, regulatory risk and minimising the risk of having to re-do trials.

Network, network, network

The importance of networking is repeatedly brought up when talking to entrepreneurs. Start-ups are by nature changing and developing rapidly, and having a strong network which can provide input, feedback and broad expertise is hugely valuable. “Contact people. Call people”, Tor Espen advices. “Most people you meet are nice, so don’t be afraid of reaching out”, Jonas states. One practical tip can be to relate reaching out to a question or transfer of information. Moreover, understand that people come from different backgrounds, Jan Terje emphasises. For instance, people with background in business have a very different prerequisite when entering a conversation than a scientist. This can be useful to keep in mind.

Be flexible and creative

“Having the ability to be flexible is crucial in a small team”, Jonas explains. Having to manage a range of different tasks is both what makes life in a start-up challenging and exciting. This is supported by the scientific team from Caedo Oncology, who encourages prospecting entrepreneurs to keep their mind flexible, trying to absorb as much knowledge as they can and don’t predefine what their role should be based on what they have done earlier.

This flexibility also creates room to be creative. “Creative solutions for getting started often exists” Tor Espen says, mentioning aspects of starting a business, like financing, your own salary and obtaining the initial proof-of-concept. The need for flexibility combined with the room for creativity is what makes working in a start-up such a valuable platform for learning and developing new skills.

Be prepared for setbacks and don’t give up

Finally, be prepared to face challenges and setbacks along the way. Starting a business in any industry can be difficult, and biotechnology is no exception. In life science and biotech, you must be especially prepared for long timelines and high costs. But with hard work, perseverance, and the right support, you can turn entrepreneurial dreams into a successful reality. “Don’t lose faith” Jonas emphasises, highlighting that you generally always get results if “you just keep pushing.”

By following these tips, you can lay the groundwork for a successful biotechnology business. Good luck!

Despite all the planning, brainstorming, risk management and planning some more, entering the start-up space can be a scary step to take. Tor Espen, entrepreneur and father of three, demonstrates through his own example how you can become a life science entrepreneur without putting your personal life at risk. 

Googling major life science companies already in high school, Tor Espen Stav-Noraas knew early on that he wanted to work in the life science industry. After 5 years of molecular biology at the University of Oslo he wanted to make action of his plans, but due to a dried-up job market Tor Espen had to be creative. He started a PhD, which was partially finished after three years. At that point started a new job at Thermo Fisher. Two years of early morning writing sessions followed by a day of work allowed him to finish his thesis while a full-time employee. As his steppingstone into industry, Tor Espen speaks warmly about his time at Thermo Fisher, highlighting the steep learning curve a big company can provide for someone who just entered the workforce. After five years, he was, however, ready to start on his own. “I saw there was a lot of new and exciting opportunities in bioinnovation” he explains, before adding on his motivation for entering the field. “If you want to make a bigger impact as a single individual, I believe your potential is greater in your own company than at a bigger cooperation”, he says, before highlighting how at the latter it can be more challenging to really make a change “both for yourself and for the world”. 

Tor Espen joined ShareLab last September as Lab Lead and Entrepreneur-in-residence (EiR). AsLab Lead, he is involved in managing the day-to-day affairs of the lab, including maintenance, acquiring new equipment and on-boarding of new members. He also gets insight, he explains, into the workings of ShareLab, it being strategic planning, meeting investors or meeting new, potential members. “It’s an invaluable source of advice and networking for a fresh entrepreneur”. In addition to managing affairs on behalf of ShareLab Tor Espen is also an entrepreneur. When hired as an EiR, time was set aside for him to work on his own start-ups, Node Pharma. “One challenge of a joint position is that you have split focus” Tor Espen explains refereeing to his dual role, before quickly adding that in his experience the benefits outweigh the challenges manyfold. “I think it would have been challenging to get where we are today [with Node] in the timeframe that we have without my involvement with ShareLab”. Just one year after establishment, Node Pharma has hired their first employee, secured several rounds of financing, including 16MNOK from The Research Council of Norway just before summer, and is actively working with a range of partners including Oslo University Hospital and Institute for Energy technology. “We have gotten a lot done the past year”.

On a personal level, he also emphasises the reduced risk associated with being hired as EiR compared to being a stand-alone entrepreneur. The shared position provide security allowing him to, for instance, take out paternity leave within the first year of starting up. “The barrier becomes much lower to enter the start-up lifestyle” he explains. 

Tor Espen has two major pieces of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, to be creative and proactive. “There are often creative solutions to get started” he says, mentioning common hurdles in the first phases of a life-science start-up like financing and getting proof-of-concept. Secondly, he emphasises the importance of proactively reaching out to people, using his own employment at ShareLab as example, where he contacting the team eventually led to employment. He also stresses that bioinnovation as a growing field is gaining a lot of competent people, making today an exciting time to enter the space. “Vocationally I believe you stand stronger after some time in the innovation space”. “The risk is not as high as many makes it out to be” he adds, “and there is a lot of available financing”.

Taking his own advice and having paved his own path in a manner that worked for him, Tor Espen is a glowing example of how thinking outside the box allow him to do everything and then some, safely combining the entrepreneurial lifestyle with a full house at home.