From Science to Business- How Entrepreneurial Scientists Turn Breakthroughs into Companies That Matter

If Raoul’s article describes the hole in the bucket, this one is about what actually keeps the water in.

One of the most damaging myths in science-based innovation is that great research will naturally turn into great companies if you just add a venture builder, a pitch deck, or a bit of funding. In reality, the journey from discovery to impact is fragile precisely because it demands something uncomfortable: that at least one of the scientists steps fully into responsibility beyond the lab.

When the Company Stops Being the Research

In the earliest phase, the company is the science. The breakthrough defines everything. Credibility, direction, and momentum all sit with the researchers.

Then something shifts.
‍

Suddenly the questions are no longer:
Does it work in principle?
‍

They become:
Who actually needs this?
What problem does it solve today?
What has to be proven, approved, reimbursed, manufactured, and trusted before anyone will buy it?
‍

Regulatory strategy, clinical pathways, quality systems, partnerships, pricing, and capital planning move from “later” to “now.” None of this replaces the science. But all of it determines whether the science will ever reach patients or customers.
‍

This is where many promising DeepTech ventures stall. Not because they lack intelligence, but because no one is fully accountable for integrating all of these dimensions into one coherent company.

The Entrepreneurial Scientist Is Not an Exception

There is a persistent idea that scientists shouldn’t, or can’t, lead companies. Experience tells a very different story.
‍

Across life science and DeepTech, many of the most resilient and successful startups are built around what we at Sting call entrepreneurial scientists: researchers who choose to pause or leave academia to take full operational responsibility as founders, CEOs, CTOs, or R&D leads.
‍

This is not about abandoning science. It’s about expanding its reach.
‍

Large-scale European data, as well as decades of hands-on experience at Sting, show the same pattern: when scientific founders stay deeply involved and take real execution responsibility, companies move faster, earn trust earlier, and make better long-term decisions.
‍

We’ve seen it in practice in companies like Akira Science, Uti-Lizer, Single Technologies, and BrainZell. The common denominator isn’t charisma or business training. It’s ownership of the technology, the risks, and the outcomes.
‍

Building a Company Is a Team Sport, But Someone Must Carry the Core

No life science company succeeds on the shoulders of one person alone. Strong companies are built by complementary teams that combine:
‍

Deep scientific leadership that protects quality and long-term integrity

Commercial and strategic competence early, not bolted on later

Regulatory and clinical expertise grounded in real-world constraints

Operational capacity to build systems, culture, and momentum
‍

But complementarity only works when roles are clear. Venture builders, advisors, and commercial leaders are powerful additions, not substitutes, for a committed technical founder.
‍

Without an entrepreneurial scientist at the core, the bucket still leaks.
‍

Ownership Follows Responsibility

One of the most misunderstood aspects of this transition is equity.
‍

Equity is not a reward for having been there first. It is a signal of who is carrying execution risk going forward. Investors understand this intuitively. They look for ownership structures that reflect real responsibility, commitment, and decision-making authority.
‍

In companies that mature well:

Ownership evolves as roles evolve

Control aligns with accountability

Founders who commit fully retain the mandate to lead
‍

This isn’t a betrayal of the original vision. It’s how that vision survives contact with reality.
‍

Completing the Science

Commercialisation does not diminish science. It completes it.
‍

A discovery that never leaves the lab is unfinished work. When scientists step fully into leadership, supported by strong teams and the willingness to learn fast, research becomes something more than knowledge. It becomes impact.
‍

At Sting, we’ve seen this transformation enough times to be convinced:
when scientific depth meets operational ownership, the hole in the bucket disappears, and the water finally goes where it’s meant to.
‍

-Olof Berglund
Head Coach, Health & Life Science, Sting

‍