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Bridging Innovation and Market Success: The Role of a Commercial Co-Founder in Biotech Startups — BC
A Mentor’s Moment of Clarity During a recent mentor-mentee matching session, part of a startup ecosystem — I was asked a question that gave me pause: “Chervee, should I find a co-founder? If yes, how do I find the right one? What criteria should I use?” It’s a simple question on the surface, but one that every founder eventually confronts and few are truly prepared to answer. Having co-founded BioChromatographix International (BCI), a Singapore-based biotech startup behind the AXISFLOW™ Next-Generation Monolithic Chromatography Media, I’ve lived the ups and downs of building a company from scratch. From this experience, I can say with conviction: Every biotech founder needs a ‘commercial’ co-founder — someone who complements the science with business insight, market understanding, and strategic focus. In this article, I’ll share why that matters, what I’ve learned from building BCI, and practical advice for biotech founders seeking the right commercial co-founder. The Essential Role of Co-Founders in Biotech When launching a biotech venture, it’s natural and often necessary to focus deeply on the science. Biotech is capital-intensive, complex and filled with technical unknowns. Many founders come from scientific backgrounds, driven by discovery and innovation. But here’s the truth I learned early on: Technology doesn’t build a successful company. People do. Co-founders aren’t just business partners. They’re your sounding board, your strategic compass, and — sometimes — your emotional lifeline. At BCI, I co-founded the company with Scott M. Wheelwright, PhD; whose deep technical expertise perfectly complements my commercial and strategic focus. From day one, Scott has been more than just a co-founder. He’s been a collaborative mentor, a critical thinker, and someone I trust deeply. I still remember him saying, “I’m not much of a conversationalist, but you have a real strength in sales, marketing and building relationships.” That candid moment reminded me that great partnerships aren’t about being alike. They’re about bringing different strengths to the table and trusting each other to lead where we shine. What Does ‘Commercial’ Really Mean in Biotech? The term commercial can mean many things. In the context of biotech startups, a commercial co-founder brings a specific set of capabilities: Understanding the market landscape and unmet customer needs Realistically positioning and pricing products based on pain points Building go-to-market strategies tied to regulatory and technical milestones Communicating value to investors, customers, and partners Bridging science with practical, scalable business solutions At BCI, this mindset has been foundational. Our AXISFLOW™ monoliths combine Advanced Methacrylic Polymer Technology with proprietary “Inverted Morphology” designed to solve real-world purification challenges. But without a commercial lens, we risked building something brilliant but irrelevant. Having commercial strategy embedded early helped us avoid the trap of “technology push.” It forced us to prioritize what matters to customers and focus on getting to market with clarity and speed — not perfection. The Humbling Reality of Commercializing Biotech Innovations Commercializing biotech isn’t glamorous. It’s messy, slow and full of hard truths. In our early days at BCI, we believed we had a game-changing product. But we quickly realized that customer adoption is never instant even for superior technology. Biopharma users often default to legacy systems unless they’re given compelling, validated reasons to switch. That’s why the question “Who needs this, and why now?” became our daily compass. A commercial co-founder keeps the company grounded. They ask uncomfortable questions, push for clarity, and ensure every technical decision aligns with customer value. They also drive momentum by translating big vision into tangible goals: What must we prove? Which customers can be first adopters? What pricing strategy removes friction? Having a commercial mindset from the start helps teams prioritize what’s needed to get to market sooner. It’s not just about branding or messaging. It’s about setting realistic launch goals, identifying the fastest viable path to revenue, and focusing technical development on what early adopters will pay for. That clarity and direction can be the difference between endless iteration and real traction. This thinking helped us move beyond theory. It turned launch from an abstract concept into a series of defined, achievable steps making commercialization feel actionable, not aspirational. When and How to Find a Commercial Co-Founder If you’re currently a solo biotech founder or wondering whether to bring someone on board, here’s my advice: Start early — before you’re overwhelmed. Finding a commercial co-founder before your vision and values are fully locked allows you to build with that partner, not just bolt them on later. Scott and I started early at BCI, which allowed us to co-create the foundation. That gave us faster decision-making and stronger alignment. Here are some principles that helped and may help you too: 1. Look for More Than Just Skills A great commercial co-founder should know go-to-market strategy, pricing, and customer behavior. But more than that, they should share your values and vision. Ask yourself: Do we believe in the same mission? Can we challenge each other respectfully? Are our strengths complementary? Are we equally committed to the long road ahead? Great partnerships are built on trust, not just resumes. 2. Broaden Your View Don’t just look for someone with an MBA. Some of the best commercial leaders in biotech come from hybrid backgrounds — regulatory, pharma, business development, or technical sales. Explore startup ecosystems, biotech accelerators or pitch events. You may find the right partner in an unexpected place — someone who gets your science and can see the business potential. 3. Test the Fit Before You Formalize It Before formal commitments, collaborate on small projects: pitch decks, discovery interviews, strategy sessions. This reveals how you solve problem together, how you handle disagreement and whether you can sustain momentum under pressure. 4. Be Honest About Your Gaps Many founders avoid looking for a co-founder because they aren’t sure what to look for or fear exposing their blind spots. That’s okay. Clarity is the first step. What are your superpowers and what type of partner would truly challenge and complement you? In my case, I could lead commercial execution, but I needed someone like Scott with deep technical vision to build a product platform customers could trust. Building the Partnership: Lessons from BCI One of the smartest decisions we made at BCI was to treat our co-founder relationship as a long-term collaboration, not a transaction. We came from different worlds — Scott from pharmaceutical product development and chromatography; I came from pharmaceutical commercialization and biotech strategy. On paper, it looked like a classic “tech and business” duo. But what made it work was that we deeply respected each other’s judgment. We debated often but always from a place of mission alignment. Here are a few lessons that shaped our partnership: 1. Define Roles, But Stay Fluid Early on, we wore every hat. As we grew, we gradually clarified ownership. But we stayed focused on outcomes, not egos. 2. Communicate, Even When It’s Uncomfortable From pricing pivots to delays in R&D, we talked early and often. That transparency-built trust and made us faster decision-makers. 3. Revisit the Vision Often Your original idea will evolve. And that’s not failure — it’s growth. AXISFLOW™ had to shift form, price point and validation level based on customer input. Because we were aligned, those pivots felt natural, not painful. 4. Build Around Momentum, Not Titles We stayed focused on progress: Are we learning faster than competitors? Are customers excited to test? Are we staying motivated despite uncertainty? In biotech, where timelines are long, that momentum is your true lifeline. What If You Can’t Find a Commercial Co-Founder? Not every biotech startup starts with a dream team. That’s okay. But if you don’t have a commercial co-founder, you need to intentionally fill that gap early. Here’s how: 1.Build a Commercial Advisory Circle Assemble advisors who’ve launched, sold or scaled similar products. Their insight on pricing, messaging and market entry will save you months. 2.Hire for Mindset Even one early commercial hire can help but look for curiosity and clarity, not just titles. Fractional CCOs or contractors can offer flexibility. 3.Get Out of the Lab Founders must engage in customer discovery, even if it feels unnatural. Ask direct questions. Attend industry events. Learn what your future customers care about. 4.Focus on the Right Signals Patents, specs and pitch decks are great but they don’t validate product-market fit. Watch for signs like: Requests for demos or pilots Customers sharing their pain points Willingness to co-develop or test 5.Don’t Wait for Perfect You don’t need a polished product to start selling. You need a clear narrative and a way to de-risk the first buyer’s decision. Work on polish later. Start with clarity. The Humble Power of Complementary Founders The biotech ecosystem needs more honest stories about founders who lean into complementary strengths. We often glorify the lone scientific genius but building a biotech company isn’t a solo act. It’s a team sport and the most resilient companies are built by co- founders who challenge, complement, and grow alongside each other. For every founder driven by the thrill of discovery, there’s immense value in a commercial co- founder who brings clarity to the market, asks the tough but necessary questions and turns vision into traction. This isn’t about business plans and sales decks; it’s about building a company that understands its customers as deeply as it understands its science. If you’re a biotech founder pondering your co-founder journey, ask yourself: What am I best at and where do I need support? Who can push me to see blind spots without undermining the mission? How do we build a partnership rooted in mutual respect, honesty and shared ambition? Because in the end, the hardest challenges in biotech rarely come from the science itself. They come from translating that science into something the world can use. And the right commercial co-founder doesn’t just help you build a product; they help you build a company that lasts. Pop over here : www.biochromatographix.com
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Reimagining Chromatography for Advanced Therapies: From Diffusion to Convection — BCI
For more than a century, bead-based chromatography has been the foundation of purification. It has served us well from producing lifesaving biologics to everyday applications such as high-fructose sweeteners and water purification treatment. But today, as advanced therapies such as gene therapies, mRNA vaccines, viral vectors, exosomes and cell therapies reshape the future of medicine, the limitations of diffusion-based purification are becoming impossible to ignore. The reality is simple: Methods designed a hundred years ago cannot keep pace with the therapies of tomorrow. Incremental improvements won’t solve the problem. What we need is a fundamental shift — one that replaces slow diffusion with rapid convection. This conviction led me to co-found BioChromatographix International (BCI) in Singapore, alongside my colleague and friend Chervee Ho. Chervee is not only a remarkable marketing strategist but also someone who deeply understands how to connect innovation with real customer needs. I feel truly fortunate to have her as a co-founder, because if there is one lesson I have learned, it is that groundbreaking technology only matters when it’s paired with customer-centric execution. The Problem, the Solution and Why It Matters The Problem: Traditional bead-based chromatography is diffusion-limited. While effective for proteins and small molecules, it struggles with large biomolecules — viruses, plasmids, mRNA, exosomes and others that cannot access most of the pore volume. This makes purification slow, inefficient, and costly. The Solution: At BCI, we developed the AXISFLOW™ platform: a monolithic chromatography medium with interconnected microchannels. Instead of diffusion, liquid moves through these channels by convection, enabling rapid and efficient purification even for the largest biomolecules. In essence, we remove the diffusion bottleneck — delivering purification that is faster, more scalable, and more cost- effective. Why This Matters: The promise of advanced therapies is extraordinary, but their cost of goods remains a critical barrier to patient access. If purification cannot keep pace, many therapies will remain out of reach. AXISFLOW™ directly tackles this bottleneck — helping innovators cut costs, shorten timelines, and bring next-generation treatments to the people who need them most. Breaking Beyond Beads To appreciate the shift, consider how traditional chromatography works. Porous beads provide surface area, but molecules must slowly diffuse in and out of tiny pores. This design is efficient for small molecules, but for large biomolecules, diffusion is a roadblock. AXISFLOW™ replaces beads with a monolithic solid phase — a sponge-like structure full of interconnected channels just a few microns wide. Instead of being forced into dead-end pores, liquid flows freely through these paths, carrying molecules across a vast surface area at high speed. Think of it this way: A bead-packed column is like stacking oranges in a box, where liquid trickles only around the gaps. AXISFLOW™, in contrast, is like a sponge that liquid moves through the entire structure with ease. This is what makes convection the future of purification. Innovation Starts with Imagination Over the years, I have come to believe that innovation is too often held back by a lack of imagination. Drug development has always advanced in step with our ability to measure. As soon as we gain new ways to quantify molecular properties or biological effects, we unlock new opportunities in design. Bioprocessing is no different. Today, tools like advanced analytical testing and additive manufacturing allow us to imagine and realize entirely new purification approaches. What once required months and tens of thousands of dollars to prototype can now be tested within days. At BCI, these tools have been essential in developing and refining AXISFLOW™. Imagination drives new ideas. Measurement and iteration make them real. Together, they open doors to the future of bioprocessing. Building with the End-User in Mind One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that science alone doesn’t guarantee success. Many brilliant technologies fail not because they don’t work, but because they don’t solve the right problem for the end-user. That’s why at BCI, we engage early with innovators and collaborators. We provide sample materials during process development so our partners can test, validate and adapt their workflows from the very beginning. This ensures AXISFLOW™ is applied where it delivers maximum value while avoiding costly rework or regulatory disruption down the road. Ultimately, process development is not research for its own sake. It is about delivering safe, effective products to patients faster, at lower cost, and at higher quality. That means starting with the end-user in mind, every time. Why Biotech Moves Slowly and How We Can Help Our industry is famously conservative in adopting new technologies. Unlike consumer products, where multiple models can be released under one approval, every drug requires its own license. That makes changes expensive, time-consuming, and risky. The best way to overcome this barrier is by integrating new technologies early in development. By adopting AXISFLOW™ at the start, companies can build purification strategies that scale with them — avoiding painful changes later, while gaining efficiency and lowering costs from day one. Looking Ahead Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to be part of transformative moments: helping develop the first HIV and hepatitis C diagnostics in the U.S., building biotech companies in China and now pioneering purification innovation in Singapore. The common thread across all of these experiences is clear: Progress happens when science, engineering and customer needs align. With AXISFLOW™, we aim to bring that alignment to the next generation of advanced therapies. By moving from diffusion to convection, we can make purification faster, more scalable, and more accessible — ensuring that therapies don’t just remain scientific achievements, but become realities for patients worldwide. I am deeply grateful to the BCI team, and especially to Chervee, for the vision and drive that make this possible. Together, we are reimagining chromatography and shaping a future where efficiency truly exists in every channel. Opportunities are everywhere. The challenge is to imagine them clearly — and the responsibility is to turn them into solutions that make a lasting difference. Pop over here : www.biochromatographix.com
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