Innovation District Copenhagen gives recruitment edge to biotech start-up

When the Danish CRISPR technology company SNIPR Biome goes looking for scientific talent, they are competing with companies in the hottest life science cities on the globe. With zero tax in Basel, Switzerland. With “Worlds’-Best Universities just around the corner” in Boston USA. With tax incentives in Cambridge, England. Fortunately, SNIPR’s location in Innovation District Copenhagen puts the company in a strong competitive position. By Jes Andersen.

Cutting edge work attracts talent

With CRISPR, scientists can edit genes almost as easily as the rest of us edit text in a Word- document. SNIPR decided to focus this powerful technology on altering hereditary characteristics of bacteria in the human gut. To kill them or to make them produce the medicine we need, right in our stomach and intestine. According to SNIPR CEO Christian Grøndahl, the company’s cutting-edge work attracts talent from around the world.

We are developing a new class of antibiotics that will save patients where the immune system is suppressed, such as blood cancer patients going through bone marrow transplants. Next in our pipeline are novel treatments against cardiometabolic disease, gout, obesity, and cancer. We were the first in the world to patent CRISPR for this type of purpose. Combine this with our location, and that is a powerful attractor”: Christian Grøndahl, CEO and co-founder, SNIPR Biome.

Location is a risk-reducer

SNIPR’s team of 30 come from more than 10 countries. They have joined a start-up, that is backed by a strong syndicate of investors including Lundbeck Foundation Biocapital, EQT, Northeast Family Office and Wellington Partners. Even so, working for a start-up carries more risk than joining a large corporation, but again location saves the day, says Grøndahl.

Only one in four biotech start-ups succeed, and everyone knows this. So, a way to de-risk working for start-ups is to work where there are many others. In Innovation District Copenhagen there are 500 deep-tech start-ups. About half are biotech companies, so that is an advantage for those who travel from abroad to work for us”: Christian Grøndahl, CEO and co-founder, SNIPR Biome.

A “walking distance” eco-system

Among the other advantages to the Innovation District Copenhagen-location Grøndahl mentions the many features within walking distance, including various stakeholders, opportunities for grocery shopping and a major park for head-clearing walks. The fact that his office building is 30 minutes away by underground train to Copenhagen’s internationally connected airport is also crucial.

I have worked in a lot of science parks and innovation districts around the world and visited even more. This one has the best location of them all”: Cristian Grøndahl, CEO and co-founder, SNIPR Biome.

Attracting serious investments

In 2019 SNIPR raised 50 Mio. dollars US (250 Mio. dkk) in a series A round. At the time, it was the largest investment ever for a Danish biotech start-up. Since then, the company has been awarded a 10 Mio. US $ grant specifically towards developing their antibiotics candidate. In 2024 they hope to close a series B-round.

We are delighted that a company of SNIPRs’ stature has found, and still finds, what they need in our innovation district. We continuously work to improve conditions for science-based companies to launch and grow in Copenhagen Science City”: Kristoffer Klebak, Head of Secretariat, Innovation District Copenhagen.

Value-creating geography

SNIPR is not the only promising Life Science company to thrive in Innovation District Copenhagen. Between 2020 and 2023 the four local University of Copenhagen spinouts Adcendo, Avilex Pharma, Twelve Bio and most recently Embark Biotech have been part of, respectively, a series A investment, a strategic partnership and two exits with a combined potential value of over 743 million Euro (5,5 mia dkk)

About Innovation District Copenhagen

Join us in Innovation District Copenhagen – a world-class innovation district where you can transform your bright ideas into growth, jobs, and global solutions.

• Co-locate with University of Copenhagen, University Hospital Rigshospitalet, University College Copenhagen (KP) and 500 innovative companies.
• Co-create with 40,000 researchers, staff and students.
• Collaborate to develop new solutions to societal challenges.
• Find a job with leading academic institutions and deep-tech companies.

Learn more about the Innovation District Copenhagen organisation.