KMBF proves to be the right remedy

They say when one door closes another opens. It’s just the one Inese Sarcevica walked through on the day she launched her new business was pretty familiar.

She and fellow colleague Ivan Marziano faced uncertain futures after Pfizer announced in November 2023 it was withdrawing the pharmaceutical science division from Discovery Park in Sandwich with the loss of 500 jobs.

She had been with the company seven years, he 26 (his entire working life - “I’d always wondered what it was like on the outside!”). They could have taken their expertise and experience to another major pharma firm. Instead, they decided to develop something from scratch in situ.

They walked back into their neighbouring labs as new tenants, having secured some of their trusty equipment from their previous employer, now masters of their own destiny. And they have been busy ‘doing their science’ ever since.

Inese, who is originally from Latvia and came to the UK during her PHD studies, said: “It is exciting but there are a lot of learnings!

“I personally hadn’t really considered starting a business until events began unfolding. Once the situation became clear, it appeared we had a really good pool of talented people and a domain of expertise and it would be a loss if it got dispersed. The joint interactions elevate the value above the individual contributions.

“Moving away from the area was ultimately a decision we were unwilling to make and that also became a motivation.”

Ivan added: “You always ask the question ‘what if’ and sometimes in life you just need something to give you a kick and get you out of your comfort zone.

“We wanted to continue the scientific collaboration we had established and because we all have a strong attachment to East Kent, we wanted to create something that could help in whatever small way to favour the local community, nurturing the next generation of scientists.”

Inese is CEO of Biowaived, currently a team of seven, and Ivan is the proud Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer at Particology (a team of 12) and both are a specific link in the chain when it comes to the process of taking a new drug from its clinical trial to the pharmacy shelf.

For the non-scientists amongst us, Particology focuses on making the active ingredient of a medicine (the part that will make you better like aspirin, ibruprofen and paracetamol) in a way that ensures it is going to behave in the final product (for example, how will the particles of the active ingredient dissolve and how do they need be stored).

Biowaived’s talents lie in understanding the performance of a finished drug product in the human body.

It is one thing to be a brilliant chemist, quite another to run a business.

And their growing success in little over a year is thanks in no small part to the supportive and energising community at the park, which runs its own incubator programme for small businesses and hosts Barclay’s Eagle Labs, with its scheme to help with all aspects that start ups need to think about.

Inese said: “It has been a very steep learning curve for us all. It wasn’t easy or straightforward. But we also found a lot of support from within Discovery Park from other small companies who shared their experiences with us.”

Both praised the KMBF process and the step-by-step support from the team, from completing the application form to sharing the contacts book.

Ivan said: “When it came to the presentation to the KMBF board, there was a lot of honest and encouraging dialogue which was a win, even if we hadn’t secured the loan.

“That was one of the best experiences so far because the panel asked probing questions but also gave us lots of tips of businesses we could work with, parties we could reach out to and you could really see there were there to help us.

“There is a significant time lag between when you need to start spending money and when you start making money and that’s where KMBF really assisted us.”

The funding paid for amongst other things software licenses and scientific instruments, some of which they had a hand in developing so they are like old friends (Ivan - “The first paper that was ever published with data using that technology was mine so that’s a long history with that particular piece of equipment”).

It has also paid initial salaries for new job posts.

Inese added: “It is sad that the area has lost a lot of talent, but I’m proud on behalf of Biowaived that we have kept a number of people and we’re hopefully going to be able to offer workplaces going forward to more.”

The funding boost will help support one of Particology’s great desires - partnerships with schools and the universities in Canterbury and plans for student placements, classroom science demonstrations and apprentice recruitment.

Ivan said: “The outreach component is really important to us. Building those interfaces has been really motivating. It’s been one of our aspirations and another way to support the local community.”

Pfizer is a client of both businesses, but both know they need to become sustainable to safeguard themselves, growing organically with an expanding portfolio of new and repeat clients.

Inese said: “Stability is a key word for us and something we are still striving for. That comes with the challenge of adapting to different requirements from our clients. We are learning a wide variety of expectations from across the world, from different types of companies, and this is another business challenge to adapt to over time.”

At a point in the future, they may turn their attentions to considering cutting-edge niche technologies and services. For now, for both, it is about being the very best at what they do, which includes continuing to nurture the culture of integrity, respect and inclusion that they have always been so proud of in their teams.

One of the joys of the week is a Wednesday coffee with all the startups that have risen in Pfizer’s place.

Ivan said: “Oh we’re all nerds! We’re scientists, that’s just the way that it is and we’re comfortable with that! But one of the other things that brings us all together is our love of food and normally one or two people will bring cake to our coffees. It’s always a nice informal opportunity to get together and build links.”

The next offering will have to be birthday cake as they celebrate their official first anniversaries.

Ivan said: “It’s been a well-supported journey and all of us feel a lot of gratitude for those who have helped us along the way. There’s a little bit of pride too as we know we have worked hard for this. We understand the challenges are never going away so it’s just adapting and thinking creatively about how to tackle them.

“When you stop and think about it, it is quite amazing.”