France Biotech, the leading organization representing French health innovation entrepreneurs, just announced the winners of this year’s Health Entrepreneur Awards, following the release of its “2017 French Health Tech Survey.”"
• The Best Biotech Entrepreneur Award® goes to Gil Beyen, CEO of Erytech Pharma
• The Best Medtech Entrepreneur Award® goes to Stéphane Piat, CEO of Carmat
• The Best eHealth Entrepreneur Award® goes to Pierre Dessein, Co-founder and CEO of Genepred
• The Best Health Discovery Award® goes to Xavier Duportet, Co-founder and CEO of Eligo Biosciences
Paris, December 12, 2017 – 7 pm CET – France Biotech, the leading organization representing French health innovation entrepreneurs (www.france-biotech.fr), just announced the winners of this year’s Health Entrepreneur Awards®, following the release of its “2017 French Health Tech Survey.”
Awarded every year by France Biotech, the Health Entrepreneur Awards® honor entrepreneurs and leaders of the French Health Tech sector who have taken significant steps in the clinical or financial development of their company during the year. For this 2017 edition, entrepreneurs competed in 4 award categories: the Best Biotech Entrepreneur Award®, the Best Medtech Entrepreneur Award®, the Best eHealth Entrepreneur Award® and the Best Health Discovery Award®
Le Trophée de l’Entrepreneur en Biotech® (The Best Biotech Entrepreneur Award®) goes to Mr. Gil Beyen, Chairman and CEO of Erytech Pharma, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that develops innovative therapies to fight rare forms of cancer and orphan diseases. With its proprietary platform ERYCAPS, Erytech Pharma is using a new technology to encapsulate drugs in red blood cells. Erytech Pharma is listed on Euronext Paris and Nasdaq NY (Euronext Paris: ERYP) (Nasdaq: ERYP). Prior to becoming CEO of Erytech Pharma in 2013, Mr. Beyen worked as the CEO and co-founder of TiGenix (NYSE Euronext: TIG BB) for 12 years. Before that, he managed the Life Sciences Division of Arthur D. Little, in Brussels (Belgium). He has a Master’s degree in Bioengineering from the University of Louvain (Belgium) and an MBA from the University of Chicago (U.S.A.).
Le Trophée de l’Entrepreneur en Medtech® (The Best Medtech Entrepreneur Award®) goes to Mr. Stéphane Piat, CEO of Carmat, a company developing the world’s most performant artificial heart. Carmat intends to respond, in the long term, to a major public health issue: heart failure. Carmat is listed on Euronext Growth (ALCAR). Mr. Piat is a renowned specialist in the commercial development of medical devices, including in the field of cardiology. An Economics & Marketing graduate, he has spent most of his career working for major life sciences companies, including Johnson & Johnson Cordis, where he led the market launch of the world’s first active stent, which became a worldwide bestseller. Prior to joining Carmat, Mr. Piat worked as VicePresident of Global Market Development at Abbott Vascular’s Structural Heart Division, in San Francisco (U.S.A.).
Le Trophée de l’Entrepreneur en E-Santé® (The Best eHealth Entrepreneur Award®) goes to Mr. Pierre Dessein, Co-Founder and CEO of Genepred, a company that develops a “predictive medicine” solution. At the crossroad of digital and biotechnologies, Genepred is developing a test to diagnose people with a high risk of developing severe fibrosis of the liver (cirrhosis). Mr. Dessein studied law in France, Scotland and the U.S. at HEC business school’s Entrepreneurship Center (Challenge + course). A New York and Marseille lawyer, he began his career at the legal department of Danone Group in Shanghai and Paris, before working for various law firms (Scotto and Associates and PWC) where he advised business leaders on fundraising issues. The international network he built throughout these experiences convinced him to become a key player in a field with a positive social impact. Genepred was born from this desire to influence tomorrow’s medicine by combining technological and social innovations.
Le Trophées « Pépite » de l’Entrepreneur en Santé® (The « Pépite » Health Entrepreneur Award®) goesto Mr. Xavier Duportet, Co-Founder and CEO of Eligo Biosciences, a company developing the world’s first programmable biotherapies platform, which is designed to treat the root cause of bacterial diseases and therefore remodel the microbiome. This startup raised more than $20 million in 2017 and was voted Tech Pioneer 2017 by the World Economic Forum as one of the 30 most innovative startups in the world. Mr. Duportet graduated from the engineering school AgroParisTech and holds a Ph.D. in Synthetic Biology from the MIT and INRIA. He created Eligo Bioscience in 2014 and was bestowed numerous awards, including the MIT TR35, Forbes 30 Under 30 and French Innovator of the Year. Mr. Duportet also works as an adviser of the French Ministry of Economy and Foreign Affairs on Emerging Technologies. In addition, he is the Founding Chairman of Hello Tomorrow, an international competition for the creation of technological companies that has become a springboard for scientific entrepreneurship.
About France Biotech
Created in 1997, France Biotech is a French nonprofit that brings together the country’s leading innovative health companies and their expert partners. France Biotech’s mission is to support the development of this industry in France by improving the tax, legal, regulatory and managerial environment in which these companies operate and by advocating for their recognition as a leading-edge industry. France Biotech also aims to turn French innovative health technologies into world leaders. The organization, which championed the creation of the French Young Innovative Company (JEI) status in 2004, develops a wide range of actions intended to set the innovative health sector on an independent and high-performance course. France Biotech is chaired by Maryvonne Hiance and has more than 170 members. www.france-biotech.fr
Press contacts
ALIZE RP
Caroline Carmagnol
francebiotech@alizerp.com
06 64 18 99 59
France Biotech
Maryvonne Hiance
President
mhiance@france-biotech.org
