In the crowded standing-room-only Chan Auditorium March 16, 2015, the chief executives from three successful associate companies at the HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology shared some of the secrets of their entrepreneurial success.
“Huntsville is very open to entrepreneurs,” said Conversant Bio co-founder and CEO Marshall Schreeder at the “Business of Biotech at HudsonAlpha” panel, hosted by the College of Business Administration at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Schreeder encouraged students and those considering embarking on their own business to look for problems in industries that excite them and find a unique solution. That’s exactly what Schreeder and co-founder Luke Doiron did when founding Conversant Bio in 2007 as a human tissue procurement company. Conversant provides samples to researchers working on cures for the world’s most prominent diseases.
Schreeder was one of three panelists from HudsonAlpha associate companies discussing the business of biotech in Huntsville. Also on the panel were Randall Moreadith, President and CEO of Serina Therapeutics, and Gwen Fewell, Chief Commercial Officer and co-founder of TransOMIC Technologies.
“Persevere and believe in yourself and others will believe in you as well,” advised Moreadith. “Don’t be afraid to learn new things.”
“HudsonAlpha is dedicated to growing the life sciences in Alabama,” said Carter Wells, Vice President for Economic Development at HudsonAlpha. “Initiatives such as this roundtable give the associate companies at HudsonAlpha the opportunity to share what they have learned with future biotech leaders.”
This event was a part of the Entrepreneurship Collaboration between HudsonAlpha and UAH. The purpose of the collaboration is to strengthen the business skills of life science sector startups at HudsonAlpha and enhance the educational experience for UAH business students.
