AstraZeneca’s A.Catalyst Network leads the way for healthcare innovation at Slush 2021

AstraZeneca’s A.Catalyst Network is proud to reflect on a successful Slush 2021, which saw us connect with start-ups from across the globe. Slush, the leading founder-focused event, brings together start-ups, investors and collaborators from across the world, and is built to be a vehicle for change.

During Slush 2021, the A.Catalyst Network had the opportunity to network with industry-spanning start-ups and entrepreneurs to share knowledge, advice and experience, as well as to showcase some of its most innovative partnerships. The A.Catalyst Network’s Aleksandr Bedenkov – VP Medical International and Global Health Innovation Hubs (A.Catalyst) Network Head, AstraZeneca also judged a healthcare pitching competition. The session featured a diverse group of specialists, including Sanna Lauslahti, Managing Director, Pharma Industry Finland (PIF), Juha Paakkola, Director, Health Capital Helsinki, Mark Daly, Director, Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki and Anna-Maria Henell, CEO, Disior, who shared their insights. The event included a number of inspiring pitches and showcased the enormous potential of start-up innovation in healthcare.

Furthermore, the A.Catalyst Network also participated in four additional key activities across Slush 2021, highlights included:

• The mentoring session with industry professionals, that gave start-ups concrete, executable advice, and insights.
• Co-event with Nordea that dove deep into benefits of co-development and cross-industry innovation.
• AstraZeneca's panel discussion powered by Amazon on how partnering is the key to success.
• An additional pitching session, which aimed to demystify the process of pitching to big pharma and provide mentorship from AstraZeneca experts.

“For many months, we have been looking forward to attending Slush 2021, The A.Catalyst Network’s first live event, and it didn’t disappoint, it actually exceeded all expectations. The event was a real highlight of the year for everyone involved in the A.Catalyst Network. We were really pleased to be able to connect with entrepreneurs and both share our knowledge and expertise and also learn from their experiences. Innovation does not happen in isolation; we need discussions and connections, like what we had at Slush. We hope that our presence here will result in potential projects that bring more innovative and patient-centric solutions to healthcare. We look forward to continuing our work with Slush and finding those innovators that can help us to address key areas of unmet patient need across the globe” – Aleksandr Bedenkov, VP Medical International and Global Health Innovation Hubs (A.Catalyst) Network Head, AstraZeneca.

“Slush is the conference of the future and we were thrilled to be able to use it as an opportunity to focus on the evolution of healthcare. A big takeaway for us has been how engaged people are about going into partnerships, and we have had some wonderful conversations with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, big tech, and start-ups on the power of collaboration. We have also been able to help shape a different perception of what the pharmaceutical industry represents and what we are looking for from a partner.” – Ryan Bate, Scientific Partnering & Alliances Director at AstraZeneca.

The A.Catalyst Network supports start-ups to work with local governments, academia and capital, as well as fostering collaborations within the start-up community and technology partners, generating opportunities for further growth and development. Through their partnership with Slush, the A.Catalyst Network is looking to support start-ups, tech innovators and founders in achieving their goals of developing biomedical solutions to improve outcomes for patients.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN)is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas – Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.

 

A. Catalyst Network

The A.Catalyst Network includes more than 20 AstraZeneca global health innovation hubs, bringing together digital, R&D and commercial resources to reimagine how we can improve patient outcomes. It encourages connected decision making, collaboration, knowledge sharing, research and development, commercialisation and fostering innovative technologies.

Through our A.Catalyst Network we are co-creating solutions with and for patients, and working with partners to establish integrated healthcare systems that benefit the whole patient experience — from prevention and awareness, diagnosis and treatment to post-treatment and wellness.

 

Slush

Slush is the world's leading start-up event and a student-led, not-for-profit movement. Slush’s annual main event organised this year in Helsinki on 1–2 December, gathers thousands of investors, founders, journalists, and executives to Helsinki annually during late autumn. On top of events and Node by Slush, Slush runs an online media called Soaked by Slush, a newsletter with 70k+ subscribers, research pieces, and much more. Slush Oy is owned by the Start-up Foundation. The Start-up Foundation aims to support and enable entrepreneurship and the creation, growth, and internationalization of start-ups in the Nordics. As with previous years, Slush's annual operating profit will be used directly to develop the events and support entrepreneurship through new projects and initiatives. www.slush.org & @SlushHQ.