Since 2015 we have nurtured more than 80 ventures in the MedTech, Digital Health and BioTech spaces. We are a community of 70+ people, from 20+ nationalities, with backgrounds in scientific research, academic institutions, healthtech corporations, consultancies, finance, start-ups, human resources, and more.

Yes, because lack of funding should never be the inhibiting factor for a promising technology to reach the patient. One of NLC’s key areas of support is in arranging funding for your venture.

NLC secures funding in two ways. Firstly, NLC manages several investment funds which provide every newly built venture with starting capital. Starting with an investment of €100.000 (which can be more than doubled through grant applications and co-investors) to get a company off the ground, NLC’s funds have the potential to provide follow-on investments up to an additional amount of up to €750.000 per venture.

Secondly, we also have an extensive network of angel investors, grant and subsidy providers, governmental funding bodies, as well as venture capital funds. These parties often co-invest alongside our own investment funds. This way we are able to secure larger amounts of funding and ventures can benefit from the expertise brought to the table by other parties.

With the help of our experienced and strongly connected venture finance team, our ventures have raised €60 million in both dilutive and non-dilutive funding. Through the €10 million Stepping Stone Fund raised by NLC, every new venture is also eligible for a first €100.000, with the potential to provide follow-on investments up to an additional amount of up to €750.000 per venture (based on Q1 2022).

Aligning our interests is key for a successful venture. How we get aligned depends on the conditions of the IP owner and of you as an inventor. We have experience with different models varying from royalty sharing to equity in the venture.

Usually, the starting point is that NLC negotiates the license agreement, and sets up a venture with a fair share for all those involved. We establish the venture together with the CEO, who builds up an equity stake over time. We encourage the inventor to have an equity stake as well. The IP holders (patent owners) decide for themselves whether they prefer to have equity or receive a licensing fee.

NLC founds the ventures fully at its own financial risk and supports the venture and its CEO extensively in the subsequent years, at no cost to the other shareholders.

It will depend on you- your involvement is based on your preferences, availability, and the expertise of the other team members. The time investment can differ from a few hours per month in an advisory position to a few days per week as a CTO/CSO. This way, you can focus as much on your research or practice as you would like while the venture brings your invention to the market.

We encourage you to continue with your dedicated research. You will have access to our extensive network and collective input from our previous venture achievements- further improving your academic success.

We are active in 10 European countries, the United States and expanding. Principally, we locate the venture close to the research group unless there are other more strong weighing arguments to establish a venture elsewhere.

Our team will review your submission and get back to you regarding our interest in your invention within 2 to 4 working days.

We will protect and preserve your confidential information using a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). This way, you can safely share your information with us.