CREATIVELY NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS, NEW AND OLD

Being based at Biopôle is not just about having a space in which to work. Alongside the buildings, Biopôle SA shares its valuable network with its members, helping residents to connect with the right people, partners, openings and experts to create synergies, both on and off campus. As a result, Biopôle members benefit from opportunities for funding, business development and collaboration.

Olivier Philippe joined Biopôle SA in 2016, recruited by Nasri Nahas to implement his business expansion strategy. Since then, he has worked to attract new companies to the community. Yet despite the vision of constantly growing the number of companies operating on site, Olivier simultaneously nurtures relationships with community members from across the organisational spectrum, thus remaining in tune with the developing needs of companies that have already chosen to make the Biopôle campus their home. As he puts it : ‘It's very important to keep the connection, the relationship, the trust that we’ve built with these companies.’ That way, when the companies grow, Biopôle SA is by their side for the long haul.

In one example, Olivier remained in close contact with the CEO of a promising start-up that had initially rented 400 m2 on the Biopôle campus. It soon became clear that the start-up’s intention was to grow, but the team liked the space they had already. They just wanted to expand – to remain on the same floor – but with more room. Olivier and his colleagues at Biopôle SA got to work, liaising with the existing residents on that floor, finding them alternative space that would suit them, and even moving the Biopôle SA head office to another building. ‘This is the kind of creative solution we are proud of,’ says Olivier, ‘which was only possible thanks to the existing community spirit at Biopôle.’

Olivier Philippe helps companies setting up their operations at Biopôle and introduces them to the right people to facilitate their growth.

3,000 m2 of serviced laboratories in total (the largest in Switzerland) 17 companies hosted at StartLab 11 companies hosted at Superlab