What VCs want to see: A look back at the 112th 3rd Wednesday at the BMZ

How do you convince investors so that a good pitch turns into a robust funding discussion? This is precisely the question we've been addressing. 112. 3rd Wednesday on 15 April in Biomedicine Centre Dortmund (BMZ) pursued.

As hostess and head of the household, she led Dr Joanna Stachnik through the evening. At the start, she gave a brief overview of the TZDO, that BMZ and the new Centre for Integrated Drug Research (ZIW).

The substantive opening was made by Nico Hemmann (VORNvc) with a clear focus on investor fit: In addition to capital, network, experience, and access are all of paramount importance. It is crucial to be „due diligence-ready“ early on and to very deliberately assess which investor truly suits one's own project.

How these requirements are practically realised was then demonstrated by a financing example from Dortmund: Dr Matthias Stein-Gerlach from KyDo Therapeutics explained how scientific excellence is translated into an investable venture. KyDo develops novel covalent allosteric inhibitors for oncology and has secured a seed financing round of €4.45 million, co-led by VORNvc and KHAN completed. Correspondingly, add Dr Michael Hamacher (KHANThe investor's perspective on active substance research: What truly convinces in the early stages, and what role do translation, feasibility, and active support beyond capital play? Especially in the life sciences sector, it has become clear how closely financing and implementation expertise go hand in hand.

In the subsequent panel and Q&A session, things became very concrete. Some of the takeaways from the evening:

• Scalable Business Case and a Full Team Beat „Vision-Only“
• Be prepared for due diligence early (figures, structure, documentation) and remain realistic
• Clarity on the cap table / shareholder roles and a comprehensible strategy including an exit window help enormously.
• Typical no-gos: „Rosy“ portrayal of the status quo, unrealistic assessment, unclear stakeholder structures

To conclude, the focus shifted from the investor panel back to the founder experience: Kathrin Zuther (Clara plans) reported on their journey to founding a digital, AI-based tool for communal catering, providing a strong practical insight into mission, problem understanding, and implementation.

Thank you to all the speakers, attendees and our sponsors: Dortmund Savings Bank, TK, Founders' Centre the Dortmund Economic Development Agency, DOKOM21 and Marx & Marx.

Outlook: The next 3rd Wednesday is on 17 June at the Dortmund Production Technology Centre instead. The topic is „From idea to brand“… instead. Register now! https://www.tzdo.de/veranstaltungen/113-3rd-wednesday-im-zfp/

Photos: Sabrina Richmann