Life Sciences Scale-Up Programme
We’ll help you overcome challenges in achieving rapid business growth.
Focused Workshops | Peer Support | Events
Fully-funded programme | Limited places available
Apply for 2024 below
Exclusively available to companies based at a Pioneer Group location
We are delighted to introduce our 2024 Life Sciences Scale-Up Programme for ambitious businesses across the Pioneer Group community.
We understand that entrepreneurs are not ‘an everyman’. You have the determination, drive, endless energy and commitment to turn a great idea into reality. Revolutionising industry, pioneering medical technologies and transforming healthcare takes more than just a great idea and a can-do attitude.
We’re here to help.
Pioneer Group is an ambitious and experienced business incubator, supporting the growth of ambitious life-science businesses.
Our Life Sciences Scale-Up Programme will enable you overcome challenges in achieving rapid business growth, through a combination of peer support, events and focused workshops.
Workshops
Thought provoking content sessions that will stimulate discussion and debate on key topic areas for any scaling business helping participating businesses to address key questions:
#1 Renewed Customer Focus
Do you really know your customer? What is their problem? Why do they or don’t they buy from you? What is your value to your customer? Have you optimised your product market fit?
#2 Finance and Funding Growth
Is cash slowing your growth trajectory? Which sources of growth finance are best for you? What are the risks and pitfalls of external finance v organic growth?
#3 Leadership, Culture and High Performing Teams
What is your leadership style? How effective is your leadership? How do you grow your leadership team? How do you set the right culture to achieve high performance? How can culture help attract and retain the best talent? How do you remunerate and incentivise to align your people with your business goals?
#4 Business Model and Pricing
Innovations and improvements in business model design and pricing strategy can radically change your business performance. How? What can you change to tie in customers, improve cash and profitability, lock out competitors?
#5 Scaling Strategy
What else can you be doing to accelerate growth? Expanding into new international markets? Launching new products? Buying and integrating other companies?
Peer to Peer & Expert Support
The Pioneer Group collective houses 300 companies, 280 expert mentors, Academic Health Science Networks, university tech transfer offices, large corporate venture practices and innovation teams, venture capital, private equity, experienced entrepreneurs, professional advisors, and scientific domain experts, to name a few.
Experienced Leaders
Dr Glenn Crocker
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Toby Reid
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Miranda Knaggs
DIRECTOR
Ayokunmi Ajetunmobi
DIRECTOR
Leading the programme are Glenn, Toby, Miranda and AJ, each of them hugely respected in the life-sciences sector. They have supported and mentored a vast array of business in their growth ambitions, and their industry connections know no bounds.
Fire-side Chat Dinners
Following each content session, there will be the opportunity for detailed discussions over a series of dinners with different successful entrepreneurs. A chance to ask your own questions, network with the other cohort companies attending and take some time out from your business.
SWAT Team
Stress-test your business strategy through a day
with a panel of expert advisors who will question and challenge
but ultimately pitch in to help out. (More DIY SOS than Dragons Den!)
1-to-1 Connections and Introductions
Who do you need to talk to? We’ll see who we know
and make tailored personal introductions as and when we can.
Eligibility & Costs
Funded by the landlord, the Pioneer Group Life Sciences Scale-up Programme is free. It is open to applications from all Pioneer Group-based businesses with ambitious growth plans. Successful candidates will typically meet the following criteria:
Places are limited and there is an expectation that each company will attend a certain percentage of the workshops, to be discussed with Pioneer after application.
Testimonials
“What the programme has brought to me is the people involved. Not just the people that are delegates for the programme, who have been fantastic, but it’s also the mentors, the folk that teach us about the various aspects of scaling-up”
Claire Thompson, CEO, Agility Life Sciences
Claire Thompson started in a mid-formulation lab. And then came the pandemic, bringing a massive demand for the services that her company, Agility Life Sciences, provided.
So Agility needed to scale – and fast. Claire joined our Scale-Up Programme, giving her access to mentors, delegates and experts who mapped the route to quick and comprehensive scaling.
Denis Smit, Commercial Director at Micropore Technologies, worked for fifteen years with his team developing research that could be transformed into real-world use. When the time arrived to take this work from the lab bench to manufacturing, he joined our Scale-Up Programme.
“We are currently less than 20 people. Now, I can see us grow to 30, 40 in the future. The programme has been absolutely worth it from my point of view”
Our Scale-Up network shares everything you need to know about securing investment.
From science ventures that started with skeleton team startups to seasoned investors, our network has the knowledge and experience to guide you through each critical round.
The Scale-Up network is always on hand to ensure you benefit from their vast experience as life sciences business specialists. At our Scale-Up events, we’ll allow you to connect with a cohort of industry leaders.
Access to experts is an essential part of Scale-Up events. We’ll have specialist life sciences investors ready to impart knowledge to ensure your readiness to raise funds.
Hear from the investors at our latest event and discover the nuggets that will help you navigate the complexities of investment. With years of experience nurturing companies ready to make the next step, their wisdom is a game-changer for companies that join the Scale-Up programme.