What do investors really look for in the first 30 seconds of a pitch? At the 2025 London Biotechnology Show, Discovery Park hosted a panel discussion featuring five incredible biotech investors, who peeled back the curtain to share insights for founders and tips on perfecting your pitch.

Our expert panel included:

• Dominick Peasley, CEO – SPRK Capital (Panel Chair)
• Sonja Lawrence, Associate Director – Proven Connect & The TAR Network
• Sonal Pai, Investor – First Spark Ventures
• Emmi Nicholl, Managing Director – Cambridge Angels
• Eva Tarasova – Investment Director – Wharton Asset Management

Key learnings from their discussion on the investor landscape and perfecting pitches:

Behind the Scenes of Being an Investor:

The Reality of Investment Timelines

Understanding investor timelines is crucial for planning your fundraising strategy. These timelines can extend significantly if investors aren’t familiar with your sector.

Get to the Point – 30-Second Rule

Family office investor Eva Tarasova knows within 30 seconds if she can invest. Investors are short on time, so your approach should focus on:

• What you need from the investor
• Why that specific investor is right for your company
• Your key story without unnecessary detail

Eva is receptive to cold outreach, but warns she’s too busy to give personalised feedback if the business isn’t the right fit. VC Sonja advises founders to understand the focus and portfolio of the investors you are pitching to, always tailoring the approach according to their specific interests. 

How Investors Really Evaluate Startups

The 5 Ts Framework: VC Sonal Pai uses this proven method to assess founders for investment potential:

1. Team – Passionate problem solvers who can execute 
2. Traction – Evidence you’ve spoken to the market and are gaining momentum 
3. Tech – Innovation with genuine potential to disrupt 
4. Total Addressable Market (TAM) – A big market with significant growth potential
5. Timing – Entering the market at the right moment

Industries of Particular Interest

While AI remains the “flavour of the decade”, other hot areas include:

• Cell and gene therapy
• Platform technologies
• Companies with potential to remove industry blockers

Find an Incubator

Family office investor Eva urges founders to research incubators, which can be great for referrals and building a network of investors. VC Sonal tends to track interesting companies she spots on incubators. 

Ask for Introductions

It’s important to be well networked in your sector. Angel investor Emmi urges founders to end every meeting asking for your next introduction. 

Perfecting Your Pitch

Lead with Business, Not Science

The biggest mistake? Focusing too much on pure science instead of commercial potential. Do this instead:

• Set up the problem succinctly and demonstrate market potential
• Clearly outline your business plan and commercial case – this isn’t a scientific project 
• Be receptive to feedback and open to taking advice 

Master the Art of Scientific Storytelling

Biotech investors understand the broad picture, but details often escape them. No investor wants to feel uninformed, so:

• Use storytelling over scientific jargon
• Explain your concept simply (think 5-year-old test)
• Focus on the impact, not the methodology

Be Honest About Competition

VC Sonal feels suspicious if founders claim they have no competitors at all. Every business has competition in some form. Instead:

• Acknowledge your competitive landscape
• Demonstrate your understanding of the market
• Show how you differentiate

Showcase Your Dream Team

When reviewing a deck, Angel investor Emmi goes straight to the pitch slides covering the team and advisory board. She’s looking for:

• A team with execution ability
• Advisors with credibility and diverse skills
• The right mix of expertise to support the business

At Discovery Park, we are supporting the next wave of science and tech innovators. We’ve created a practical guide called ‘Science to Startup’, packed with useful insights to help you lay solid foundations, avoid common pitfalls, and start building a business with real potential.

Download your free guide covering core topics every founder should consider in the early stages, from market analysis and funding, to branding, IP, and team building.

Discovery Park based Logical Biological – biospecimen and critical material experts – today announced the launch of a new sister company, Logical Antigen. The new company focuses on rapid and customised delivery of high-quality antigens and biologicals for research and manufacturing of diagnostic products.

Antigens are a key component in the manufacture of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) test reagents, often used in controls to confirm test performance. However, unmet needs currently exist in relation to protein derived material availability, suitability and consistent performance. Helping to solve these challenges, Logical Antigen offers both native and recombinant antigen customisation, as well as serum and plasma customisation and engineering, unlocking clinical innovation and addressing supply sustainability. The company will focus on antigen and raw material development tailored to complex biological requirements, with stringent quality standards and large-scale usage.

Led by Managing Director Hannah McIntosh, the Logical Antigen founding team of three scientists each have over 20 years of protein purification experience. Their streamlined workflows enable customised antigen delivery within weeks, accelerating the industry-standard timelines which traditionally have taken years. This significantly reduces  timelines across discovery, design review, validation, and product development pipelines.

Stephane Argivier, Chief Executive of Logical Biological, said: “The launch of our sister company addresses today’s and tomorrow’s global challenges in the supply of critical raw materials. Hannah and the team at Logical Antigen are amongst the very best in the world at what they do, providing deep expertise in protein purification, as well as serum and plasma engineering. This launch strengthens our ‘One Logical’ offering and demonstrates our ambition to be the partner of choice, delivering at scale for diagnostics leaders.”

Hannah McIntosh, Managing Director of Logical Antigen, commented: “Logical Antigen was born from the urgent need for faster and more flexible development of antigens and biologicals. We’ve assembled a brilliant team with complementary expertise, working from state-of-the-art facilities at Discovery Park. By combining our specialist protein purification knowledge with Logical Biological’s industry-leading expertise, we are entering a new era of protein engineering, supporting faster and more accurate detection of diseases.”

Based alongside Logical Biological at Discovery Park in Kent, Logical Antigen is now operating out of a new, purpose built laboratory space. Structured as ‘One Logical’ family of companies, Logical Antigen’s commercial and business support functions will be delivered by the existing team at Logical Biological.

Logical Antigen’s customisation capabilities are based on refined extraction, isolation, and purification techniques, from native biological sources, to preserve structural conformation, post-translational modifications, and biological activity. The expert team will also offer recombinant antigen development services to support diverse project requirements and achieve superior performance through novel downstream purification protocols. The team is able to rapidly scale up production to meet growing demand without compromising on quality or delivery timelines.

Alongside their antigen focus, Logical Antigen will also support Logical Biological by increasing customisation options, including delivering processed biospecimen, bulk serum and plasma. Logical Antigen’s scientific expertise, combined with Logical Biological’s in-depth knowledge of IVD applications, will enable the development of products precisely aligned to customer needs.

The launch marks the latest phase in Logical Biological’s strategic expansion, supported by strong financial performance with EBITDA figures up nearly 30% on FY24. Building on initial capabilities in biospecimens and bulk disease state plasma, the company continues to invest into customisation capabilities to deliver critical components for IVD controls and calibrators, with further capability expansion planned for the future.