Philip Hemme
MET International alumnus Philip Hemme makes no bones about his plans for the future of his company, Labiotech.eu. When asked about his long- and short-term career goals, he affirms he wants to “grow the biggest digital media [source] for biotech worldwide.”
Hemme and co-founder Joachim Eeckhout, both of whom studied bioengineering in Paris, were frustrated with the lack of comprehensive coverage of the biotech scene in France, so they started their own blog. After Hemme returned from studying at Boston University (BU) for a year with a Graduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, he and Eeckhout decided to scale their blog to the whole of Europe.
According to Hemme, Labiotech.eu gets over 40,000 visitors per month. They’ve raised their first round of capital, he says, and their team is comprised of “nine highly motivated people.” As the startup’s Chief Executive Officer, Hemme says he spends most of his time managing content and marketing the business, among other things.
“We are preparing our international expansion right now,” says Hemme, “as we want to cover the American market as well. We might have an office in Boston sometime soon.” Labiotech.eu was just nominated for the Mediscience award for best European biotech commentator of the year. “I’m extremely proud of such recognition,” Hemme says, “and our team deserves it, as they worked very hard.”
Hemme fondly remembers the year he spent studying at BU. “It was a wonderful time. I met with great people, had very rich classes and got in touch with the American culture ‘from inside.’” He continues, “One reason I came to Boston was for its biotech ecosystem, [which is] the largest in the world. I met with awesome people in the industry [who] I’m still in contact with regularly, and this increased my experience in the field a lot.”
During his time at BU, Hemme spent three months doing a video tour of Boston-based biotech companies. He met with some of the most well-regarded local biotech CEOs and startup founders. According to Hemme, this was a truly unique experience that motivated him to achieve great things with his own startup.
One of Hemme’s favorite classes at BU’s Metropolitan College was “The Innovation Process: Developing New Products and Services,” taught by Professor Barry Unger, who he describes as ‘awesome.’ “He has a deep knowledge in building companies and bringing innovation to the market,” explains Hemme. “I’m still in touch with him, and [the class] was a great source of inspiration for me.”
Like many MET International alumni, Hemme still keeps in touch with his BU classmates on a regular basis, meeting up with them in person when he travels or chatting by Skype. To learn more about his company, visit labiotech.eu on the web.