In-person session
Innovation Bridge is a series of events to bridge between cities to facilitate collaboration and make things happen. Venture Café Tokyo and Rotterdam collaborate to bridge between two countries and share each other's Life Science & Health ecosystems and forefront of innovation in the area.
The Netherlands is one of the happiest countries in the world, but it is also one of the best in Europe and a world leader in Life Science & Health innovation! The Netherlands is home to more than 3,100 innovative Life Science & Health companies, which work together in public-private partnerships with academia, business and government to create an innovation ecosystem. With a concentration of life science companies within a 200 km radius, including major multinationals such as Janssen, Amgen, Astellas, and GlaxoSmithKline, the Netherlands has one of the highest concentrations of life science industries in the world (Ref: Invest in Holland).
In this event, we share "Frontline of innovation in Life Science & Health" from both sides and discuss "How Japan and Netherlands can collaborate to create a future in which all people can live in good health". We also have a pitch session to showcase our wonderful life science & health startups!
We focus on CONNECTION at the Innovation Bridge by bringing key players along and taking actions to build a connection with them to make things happen. Let’s CONNECT with speakers, startups and investors at the virtual networking space and expand your network to Rotterdam!
This Innovation Bridge program replaces Venture Café Rotterdam's LSH010 Café which is organized on a monthly basis together with our partners: Gemeente Rotterdam, InnovationQuarter, Rotterdam Partners and Erasmus MC. We have all bundled our powers to ensure a great line up for this international event full of connections and opportunities.
12:00-12:45 - Panel Discussion: How Japan and Netherlands can collaborate to foster Life Science & Health Innovation!
12:45-13:00 - Networking with Panelists
13:00 - 14:00 -  Life Science & Health Startups Pitch + Networking
Venture Café Rotterdam
Venture Café Tokyo
Erik Pentinga: Erik is the Programme Manager Japan at Task Force Health Care (TFHC), the public-private platform for the Dutch Life Sciences & Health (LSH) sector with international ambitions. He has been involved in multiple activities to facilitate knowledge exchange and foster partnerships between Japan and The Netherlands since 2018. Erik has a comprehensive understanding of Dutch LSH sector and related expertise and smart solutions provided by industry, knowledge institutes and NGOs. On behalf of the Dutch sector, he has visited multiple countries around the globe, often facilitating Dutch healthcare delegations led by high-level officials.
About Task Force Health Care : Next to working closely with the Dutch government in programmes and activities to foster international partnerships in the field of LSH, TFHC supports Dutch organisations and companies in their international journey with training and consultancy services. Erik holds an MSc in Science & Innovation Management from Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
Sasja Heijman is Senior Accountmanager Life Sciences & Health for InnovationQuarter, regional partner of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) for the Greater Rotterdam – The Hague region. Sasja has been working at InnovationQuarter for the past four years and has within Life Sciences & Health a specific focus on Medical Technology and Digital Health. She works with organizations like GE Healthcare, Pfizer, Siemens Healthineers and Cerner. Making the right connections between organizations is what she enjoys most.
About InnovationQuarter : Apart from assisting foreign companies with setting up their business, InnovationQuarter also creates consortia between companies and the knowledge institutes in the region. InnovationQuarter also has an investment fund of around 200M to invest in local innovative start-ups and scale-ups to bring their technology faster to the market.
Dr. Tord Labuda is a Life Science executive and R&D leader with 15 years’ experience across therapeutic areas within inflammation, immunology and dermatology. I have extensive knowledge of the full value chain in the pharma industry from early discovery to regulatory approval, launch and beyond. I have been a leader in Discovery biology, Translational Medicine, Global Development and Medical Affairs. I have broad international experience from the US, Scandinavia and the Asia Pacific (including Japan, China and South Korea). I am currently accountable for all R&D activities in the APAC region for LEO Pharma.
About LEO Pharma: LEO Pharma helps people achieve healthy skin. By offering care solutions to patients in more than 130 countries globally, LEO Pharma supports people in managing their skin conditions. Founded in 1908 and owned by the LEO Foundation, the healthcare company has devoted decades of research and development to delivering products and solutions to people with skin conditions. LEO Pharma is headquartered in Denmark and employs around 6,000 people worldwide.
Dr. Olivier Van Till holds MD, PhD, background in surgery/urology (PhD in immunology/surgery). Professional Pharmaceutical industry experience in Drug Development as Medical director in clinical development from preclinical to clinical development (P1-3) stages. Originally from the Netherlands, now based in Japan.
About Astellas Pharma: Global pharmaceutical company with HQ in Tokyo, Japan, marketing and developing drugs in oncology and non-oncology area (e.g., transplantation, urology).
Pitches from Tokyo:
Pitches from Rotterdam:
In between the above scheduled sessions there is time to network and engage (12-2pm CEST). The panel members and pitching startups will be present, but you can surely expect other interesting community members to join, including:
Venture Café Rotterdam¬†
Investors/Corporate/Community/Startup Supporters
Venture Café Tokyo
Investors/Corporate/Community/Startup Supporters
