VB100 Global Healthcare Innovation Roadshow Successfully Concludes, Showcasing Cutting-Edge Projects and Bridging Startups with Investors

In the sixth year of the Future Healthcare 100, we adopted “China’s Story” as our foundational perspective, weaving a narrative around homegrown innovations in China and the novel solutions they offer to global challenges. Through the accounts of the protagonists behind these advancements, we conveyed the unique story of China’s life sciences industry. Building on this theme, the 6th Future Healthcare 100 Cloud Summit officially commenced on June 14, 2022. Over the course of five days, featuring 22 thematic forums and 78 hours of speeches and dialogues, participants gathered in the cloud to collectively share and discuss China’s healthcare stories.

The Global Healthcare Innovation Project Roadshow is a specialized communication platform established by the Top 100 Future Healthcare Conference for outstanding innovative projects and investment institutions both domestically and internationally. On June 18 this year, VCBeat VB100, in collaboration with the Canadian Embassy in China, the UK Department for International Trade, the Flemish Investment and Trade Agency of the Consulate General of Belgium in Shanghai, and the New* Scientific Research Enterprise Cooperation Center, jointly hosted the Global Healthcare Innovation Project Roadshow. Featuring dedicated sessions for each country, the event adheres to the principle of bridging venture capital and startups, facilitating dialogue between healthcare enterprises and leading investment firms, enriching the international healthcare venture capital ecosystem, and providing a public showcase for outstanding global healthcare innovation projects.

Canada Roadshow Session

Director of the Quebec Government Offices in Beijing and Qingdao, Business Development Director, and Counsellor at the Embassy of Canada to China

Mr. Francis Gagnon (Gao Zhengqing)

Mr. Francis Gagnon (Gao Zhengqing), Director of the Quebec Government Offices in Beijing and Qingdao and Business Development Manager, as well as Counsellor at the Embassy of Canada to China, delivered remarks at the Canada-specific roadshow session. He expressed his hope that this project roadshow would showcase the diversity of Canada’s life and health sciences industry and foster new collaborations between innovators in Ontario and Quebec and their counterparts in China. Ms. Wang Shanshan, Senior Business Officer at the Quebec Government Office in Beijing, and Ms. Wang Yuanyuan, International Foreign Direct Investment Officer at Investissement Québec, provided detailed introductions to Quebec’s life sciences sector, respectively.

This Canada-focused roadshow featured seven companies: CAE Healthcare, Cyclica, Neurolace AI, PMT, Qidni, SuperSight Tech, and Thought Tech. The participating companies operate in fields such as AI-enabled medical devices, medical robotics, ophthalmic treatment equipment, and new material R&D, with target financing rounds ranging from Pre-A to Series C.

During her interaction with Ms. Gao Lining, China Region Manager at CAE Healthcare, Ms. Dai Lian, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Zhongguancun Science City Innovation Development Co., Ltd., stated that medical training plays a crucial role in assisting physicians with clinical surgical decision-making. She then proceeded to gain further insights into global business models, challenges encountered in promotional strategies, competitive landscape within the sector, and market expansion strategies in China.

During her interaction with Mr. Qiu Dongxiao, CEO of PMT, Ms. Dai Lian expressed strong interest in the biopsy robot and inquired about the core technology origins, the company’s development strategy, and the project’s competitive advantages.

Ms. Dai Lian and Mr. Wang Tianfang, General Manager of Chaomu Technology, held discussions on product market size, user experience and safety, as well as market expansion.

During his interaction with Mr. Naheed Kurji, Co-founder, President and CEO of Cyclica, Mr. Zhang Shipu, Vice President of Investment at Yuanjing Capital, received a detailed explanation from Mr. Kurji regarding the company’s technological advantages and pipeline. The two also exchanged email addresses following their discussion.

During his interaction with Mr. Hu Jun, China General Manager of Neurolace AI, Mr. Zhang Shipu gained insights into the company’s business model, user payment patterns, revenue-contributing business segments, and future expansion areas.

Li Qi, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Medical Robot Industry Innovation Center, discussed international market share expansion and business models with Mr. Morteza Ahmadi, CEO of Qidni; during interactions with Mr. Liu Wenlong, Marketing Director of Thought Tech, they discussed issues related to channel expansion and product intellectual property rights.

Belgium Special Session

Consul for Commerce, Flanders Region, Consulate General of Belgium in Shanghai

Mr. Bart Boschmans (Lin Bosen)

Mr. Bart Boschmans (Lin Bosen), Consul for Flanders Affairs at the Consulate General of Belgium in Shanghai, delivered remarks at the Belgium-specific pitch session. He expressed his pleasure that he and the Commercial Section could participate in the global healthcare innovation project pitches at this year’s Future Healthcare 100 Conference. Four Belgian companies presented their projects, seeking collaboration opportunities with Chinese partners.

Ms. Zhang Xiaoyun, Investment Director of the Flanders Investment & Trade Office at the Consulate General of Belgium in Shanghai, delivered a presentation titled “Flanders, Belgium – The Gateway to European Biotechnology,” providing a detailed introduction to the life sciences sector in the Flemish Region of Belgium.

As Mr. Lin Bosen mentioned, this Belgium-focused roadshow brought together four companies or institutions from different specialized sectors: IMEC, Etherna, Elmedix, and Fertiga, representing an advanced semiconductor R&D platform, mRNA pharmaceutical R&D, solutions for pancreatic cancer and other life-threatening diseases, and diagnostic technologies for female assisted reproduction, respectively.

During the interactive session between Mr. Li Zhe, Partner at Lingxing Venture Capital, and Mr. Yang Jie, Strategic Cooperation Manager at IMEC, Mr. Yang provided additional details on the rapid COVID-19 diagnostic device based on exhaled particles. He also introduced IMEC’s new business collaboration model. Mr. Li expressed confidence that there would be numerous opportunities for future cooperation between the two parties.

During Mr. Li Zhe’s engagement with Etherna, he discussed with Mr. Steven Powell, CEO of Etherna, the LNP delivery approach for nucleic acid therapeutics and the company’s business model.

Mr. Ai Siwen, Partner for Greater China at Agio Capital in Belgium, introduced life sciences projects in the Flanders region of Belgium and shared insights on cross-border transactions in the life sciences sector.

Mr. Henk Joos, Life Science & Healthcare Director at Agio Capital, represented Elmedix during the project presentation and interactive session. As pancreatic cancer is one of the common malignant tumors of the digestive tract, Elmedix presented its solution. Mr. Shen Qiang and Mr. Henk Joos discussed its core technologies.

Ms. Elien Van Hecke, COO of Fertiga, presented an overview of diagnostic solutions for female assisted reproductive technology (ART) to the audience. Ms. Li Qi, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Medical Robot Industry Innovation Center, and Ms. Elien Van Hecke discussed the accuracy of these diagnostics and competing products in the market.

UK Special

Consul, Life Sciences and Healthcare, British Consulate-General Shanghai

Mr. Gary Hunt (Han Rui)

Mr. Gary Hunt (Han Rui), Life Sciences and Healthcare Consul at the Department for International Trade (DIT) of the British Consulate-General in Shanghai, introduced the DIT and expressed his hope to strengthen commercial ties between China and the UK through its efforts. He also aimed to showcase outstanding British enterprises in the fields of life sciences and medical technology by participating in the global healthcare innovation project roadshow at the Future Healthcare Top 100 Conference.

Next, the project presentations will be given by Suzhou Cadimark, MediSieve, Kmira, Congenica, Seroxo, and OXSIGHT, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, cardiac diagnostic devices, immunoassays, and genetic disease research and diagnosis.

Ms. Xu Lin, Quality Manager at Cardiomag, introduced the company’s latest cardiac diagnostic equipment from three perspectives: company profile, product overview, and market analysis. During her interaction with Ms. Xu, Ms. Dai Lian, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Zhongguancun Science City Innovation Development Co., Ltd., noted that while magnetocardiography (MCG) devices are not new to the market, a novel sales channel has been emerging—sales to research institutions.

Mr. Craig Dookie, founder of Kmira, introduced to Ms. Dai Lian, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Zhongguancun Science City Innovation Development Co., Ltd., how Kmira stands out among numerous healthcare service translation platforms. Ms. Dai also gained further insights into the market size and the company’s revenue performance.

Mr. Hu Cheng, Investment Director of Guangzhou Development District Industrial Fund Investment Group, primarily engaged with Mr. George Frodsham, CEO of MediSieve, to gain insights into the product’s core technologies, patent rights, and drug delivery technology.

Mr. Jayesh Pankhania, CFO of Congenica, kicked off the session with a project presentation. During the interactive Q&A segment, Mr. Pankhania joined online together with Mr. Yang Junjun, Director of Market Development for Congenica China and Asia-Pacific. In response to a question from Mr. Li Zhe, Partner at Polaris Venture Partners, regarding the competitive advantages of NGS service providers, Congenica expressed strong confidence in its proprietary database and artificial intelligence algorithms.

Following Ms. Xiaomeng Li, Co-founder and Head of Clinical Research at Seroxo, who introduced the project, Mr. David Sarphie, CEO of Seroxo, joined the session to engage with Mr. Li Zhe, Partner at Besun Ventures. He addressed questions regarding the company’s primary biomarkers for sepsis and its future development plans.

During his interaction with Mr. Li Zhe, Partner at Bi Lingxing Ventures, Mr. Chen Xuesong, General Manager of OXSIGHT China, further elaborated on the technical principles underlying the product’s solution for central visual impairment, the distinctions among different product models, and the scalability of its services.

New*Center for Industry-Academia-Research Collaboration

Director of the New * Scientific Research Enterprise Cooperation Center

Mr. Chen Quancheng

Mr. Chen Quancheng, Director of the A*STAR Industry Innovation Center (A*IIC), introduced the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the A*STAR Industry Innovation Center to the audience. He emphasized the center’s focus areas across industries and the types of services provided, noting that the A*IIC is not an incubation platform but rather a catalyst for growth. Consequently, the five projects presented were all from relatively mature companies.

The five projects participating in the Singapore roadshow special session were Lusheng Biotech, Dandelion Biotech, BioTotem, Zhongyi Zhichuang, and Ruizhi Haoming. Their respective fields are early cancer detection, drug discovery and technology development platforms, digital histopathology biomarker solutions, intelligent robotics, and PCR diagnostic kits.

After Mr. Chen Minhan, CEO of Lusheng Biotechnology, provided a brief overview of the project, Mr. Liu Yaming, Investment Director at Hongli Venture Capital, raised questions regarding Lusheng Biotechnology’s liquid biopsy technology, focusing on its clinical registration planning, regulatory oversight of sequencing services, and competitive landscape analysis.

Ms. Wang Xiuhua, founder of Ruizhi Haoming, introduced the company from two aspects: its background and its core technology—sepsis detection technology. After hearing the project presentation, Mr. Liu Yaming, Investment Director at Hongli Venture Capital, raised questions regarding the direction of market expansion and strategies to address market access issues.

Mr. Li Jie, Managing Director at Danlu Capital, posed questions to Mr. Chen Shunxing, Co-founder of Dandelion Biotech: What is the underlying rationale for not requiring chemical modification? What are some successful case studies from the perspective of target identification? In these cases, what are the inherent advantages of the product compared to those requiring chemical modification? Who are the current clients being served? Following the interactive session, Mr. Li expressed his interest in further discussions with Dandelion Biotech after the roadshow.

Mr. Xu Shuoyu, Chief Scientist at BioTotem, presented a project showcasing novel solutions for digital histopathological biomarkers. Mr. Zhang Shipu, Vice President of Investment at Yuanjing Capital, noted the challenges encountered in obtaining Class III medical device registration for AI products and asked how BioTotem plans to overcome these hurdles. Mr. Xu responded that, although the company has not yet reached the registration stage, it has established clear plans for future Class II and Class III medical device registrations.

Mr. Li Deli from Zhongyi Zhichuang presented the smart surgical robot project to the audience, covering aspects such as company and team overview, core business, product introduction, and intellectual property. Mr. Zhang Shipu, Vice President of Investment at Yuanjing Capital, asked Mr. Li whether this surgical robot primarily addresses efficiency issues or technical challenges in clinical practice, and whether future sales would adopt a “instrument plus consumables” model. Mr. Li provided a brief response.