nextGEN Founder Community
Turn world-class science into a company
nextGEN is LifeScience ORG’s community for pre-seed and seed founders. Each month, learn a part of company building with fellow founders, experienced CEOs and industry experts.
“nextGEN is one of the few communities where I actually learn something every time…”
Jannik Lockl · inContAlert
“nextGEN is the community I prioritise to make the time to join.”
Janette Thomas · Five Alarm Bio
“I am still waiting for the catch but there genuinely hasn’t been one…”
Kevin Maskell · Bio Architech
Why it exists
Europe has the science.
It needs more entrepreneurs.
Europe produces several times more state-of-the-art science than the United States or China, yet it produces fewer entrepreneurial successes and fewer unicorns.
Cultural fragmentation makes it worse: founders in one country rarely learn from founders in another. nextGEN brings them together from the first round, so lessons cross borders instead of being learnt again.
“Coming from Cambridge, UK, a lot of the organizations we join for life sciences are quite local, but I find that nextGEN has really helped open up my network to people that I would never have interacted with…”
Zahra Jawad · Creasallis
“nextGEN provided valuable perspectives that helped sharpen our communication for U.S. investors.”
Nico Weigand · Symphera
How it works
A monthly rhythm for building a company
Every month has a company-building theme. Insight sessions, roundtables and mentoring run alongside it.
Every month
A company-building theme
A new company-building theme each month, with an in-depth article on the topic.
“The knowledge base alone has been a game-changer, giving me direct, actionable insights exactly when I need them—it’s like having a mentor on demand.”
Omar El Nahhas · StratifAI
Every fortnight
Insight sessions
Two sessions a month: one with an industry leader or expert, and one with a CEO sharing a case study.
“I’ve been impressed by the best-in-class learning provided through nextGEN on relevant topics key to the success of early-stage founders.”
Torbjørn Furuseth · DoMore Diagnostics
Every month
Fundraising and finance roundtables
Sit down with other nextGEN founders to work through fundraising and finance, chaired so the conversation stays open and frank.
“My favourite part of being a LifeScience ORG member are the fundraising meetings and the monthly CEO founders meetings.”
Jon Cuccui · ArkVax
Ongoing
Mentoring from experienced CEOs
Learn from CEOs who have already built companies, including their mistakes.
“The greatest value I’ve found is the connection with experienced individuals who share their successes and failures, guiding me on my entrepreneurial journey.”
Uirà Melo · Lucid Genomics
Upcoming events
Coming up in nextGEN
Insight sessions, roundtables and member meet-ups on the calendar now, so you can plan the next few months around them.
In founders’ words
You’re not the only one figuring it out
“Personally, the greatest value I receive from nextGEN is the sense of camaraderie — sharing both wins and challenges with like-minded individuals who understand the unique pressures of being a founder. This support alleviates the isolation founders often feel.”
Mikkel Precht
Alcolase
“Building meaningful innovation in healthcare as a startup is demanding and can feel lonely, but here you’re surrounded by people who carry the same ambition and the same weight.”
Tobias Vybiral
HTG Medical
“Unlike other platforms or events, nextGEN is free from marketing noise - it’s rare to find a space that is truly dedicated to personal and professional growth.”
Benjamin Winkeljann
RNhale
“Thanks to one of the live sessions, I connected with a CEO who later participated in our round as an angel investor.”
Raphael Peralta
CardiaTec
“My scientific co-founder at AKIGAI states that I have started to speak a different language.”
Christian Kersten
AKIGAI
“I met one of our investors through nextGEN, who has also opened doors as we look ahead to future fundraising.”
Sam Windsor
Ignota Labs
After nextGEN
Raise your Series A, then graduate
nextGEN is built for the years before a Series A. Once you raise it, you move up to LifeScience ORG’s CEO Community.
1
Join at pre-seed or seed
Build your company alongside founders at the same stage, from across Europe.
2
Raise your Series A
Fundraising roundtables, Insight sessions and mentoring help you get there.
3
Graduate into the CEO Community
You join the CEO Community and are paired with a more experienced CEO.
Membership
Build your company with peers
nextGEN is selective, and free for qualifying founders thanks to our sponsors.
FAQ
Questions, answered
What founders ask before they join.