7CIOEra10 MOSTTO WATCH IN 2023INSPIRING CEOSadvisors to globally help out partnering and licensing knowing that the transaction is not a commodity and Gemseki needs to help deeply." Knowing biotech start-ups or academia have difficulties in paying upfront, Hirama decided charging only success fees to out-licensors contingent on deal closing. Thus, Gemseki is totally aligned with its clients, and Gemseki charges only when they bring values to clients.In an instance, one of the company's clients, a renowned biotech research-oriented company,was facing trouble with administering and managing business issues and the CEO was unable to manage the situation singlehandedly as he wanted to drive more research. The client engaged Gemseki to take care of all their business developments, roping in new potential partners and assisting in negotiations, hence, freeing up the internal members of the company to focus on developing the company and increase their ROI. Towards the FutureFrom the beginning of April, Gemsekihas been offering free partnering and licensing platform services to combat COVID-19 which has become a pandemic around the globe. Though Gemseki is a start-up, it wants to contribute in the fight towards the deadly virus and has decided to take this free program action very quickly. "If assets are targeted to COVID-19, we can list them in our Drug Candidate Marketplace, and help out partnering and licensing for free. This kind of idea and move came from our mission statement:`We strive to make contributions to humanity and society by supporting the best development of valuable drug candidates'," says Hirama. "We would like to have a world that everyone and every country can unite together beyond borders."Gemseki has come a long way from being a business development platform company to a more robust platform company in the life science industry by adding more capabilities. Since Gemseki is a part of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories (SNBL), Ltd. group, the largest preclinical contract research organization in Japan, Hirama aims at providing total solution with its group companies. "As a part of SNBL group, Gemseki can arrange wider supports for life science industry such as preclinical study supports. Thus, Gemseki, with its group companies, can provide a holistic platform to incubate and grow biotech companies." Another plan is to add investment capabilities. "Biotech companies and academia have difficulties to connect with pharmaceutical companies in right ways, and our business development platform can serve this purpose. But, they often need more data and developments to persuade potential partners, and Gemseki is considering to support closing these gaps to offer our investment," adds Hirama.Under the current COVID-19 pandemic, the society recognizes the importance of alliances and open innovation in the industry while realizing the lack of players who promote these activities. Hirama says, "I hope Gemseki can contribute to the society and people by offering the best treatment as early as possible through the appropriate alliances and partnering of innovative drug candidates and technologies. Hideyuki Hirama, President & CEO of Gemseki
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