Kim’s story on… inspiring homegrown biotech innovation

Entrepreneurial from a young age, Kim always had a dream of pursuing something of her own.  Graduating with a degree in computer science and qualifying as a chartered accountant, she began her professional journey in corporate finance. However her passion for innovation soon led her to venture out independently, advising startups and immersing herself in the entrepreneurial world. One of those early clients would spark an idea that would change the trajectory of her professional journey and shape her future in the most profound way.  This client sought assistance in launching a stem cell storage business in South Africa, utilising overseas providers.

“I have always had a love for science. I was fascinated by the promise of stem cells and the opportunity to offer newborn stem cell storage.  But I couldn’t understand why we were sending stem cells overseas for storage, when we could be doing this here in South Africa.”  

Kim recognised a promising opportunity in the local market and offered to acquire the start-up to realise its potential.  Being the hands-on person she is, she set off to investigate her global counterparts to test her assumptions and returned even more confident for the undertaking.  However, she knew entering the medical domain would need to be strategic.  Kim went on to successfully establish a partnership with Netcare, the largest hospital group  in South Africa.  This not only offered her a credible entry point into the market but was also a validation of her vision.  Two years later, Kim was able to buy back Netcare’s shares and grow the Next Biosciences business, together with Dr Yvonne Holt, her Medical Director.

“Almost to a fault, I am an early adopter of technology.  I love innovation and how technology can be used to make a positive difference in people's lives. When you are involved in pioneering high tech solutions, the challenge lies in education and adoption, otherwise you can be too early in the investment cycle. You also need to be agile as technology evolves rapidly and can be disruptive.” 

Kim’s passion and curiosity for innovation has been pivotal in shaping the journey of Next Biosciences. From stem cell processing, to cryogenic biobanking, genetic testing and the manufacturing of biological products, the business expanded as new opportunities emerged. What began as a simple stem cell storage business, has grown into a leading South African biotech company which combines medicine, science and technology to invest in innovative health technologies, from the proverbial bench to bedside, with the core focus of enabling people to positively impact their health with science. 

“I’ve given a lot of thought as to why South Africa has such entrepreneurial minded people and I believe it's because of our rich diversity of cultures and backgrounds, combined with the change we’ve navigated as a country. It’s within this mix of differences that creativity thrives.”  

Being a player in the innovation space makes it challenging to articulate a vision for the future as we can never predict where opportunity may present itself to really make a difference. As we learnt in Covid-19, the world can change very quickly and it is the ability to be agile and adapt that allows one to thrive. Kim explains how important it is for businesses to collaborate (instead of reinventing the proverbial wheel) and to invest in collective innovation.  Speaking from her experience, when a small startup partners with a corporate player, magic is possible when each can play to their strengths in tandem: leveraging big player credibility with small player creativity and agility.  

Kim’s energy has drawn in her very own combination and mix of humans behind the Next Biosciences business from the young, innovative and energetic with bold ideas to the more established experts who bring experience, wisdom and mentorship.   Kim strongly promotes a culture of investing in oneself and continual learning to grow. Importantly, she points out that we live in a world where access to information is at our fingertips, giving us access to broad, surface-level knowledge.  True expertise —and meaningful progress— now comes from focus and depth in a specific area, especially when considering diverse perspectives to arrive at solutions that no one individual would have come up with on their own.

“Investing in yourself means that you have something that no one can ever take away from you. I deeply appreciate diversity in ideas and expect to be challenged, to bring forward the very best solutions in realising Next Biosciences vision.” 

To cultivate biotech entrepreneurship, Next Biosciences hosts an annual week-long programme, giving 20 students exposure to the business world of biotech with hands-on lab experience and a chance to pitch their startup concepts. These scientists sharing their entrepreneurial dreams and showcasing their energy, intellect, hopes and creativity, leave her feeling deeply inspired. The irony is that while the students attend the programme to learn, Kim learns from them too!  Also serving on the Investment Committee of OneBio and the faculty of Singularity University, Kim gains exposure to cutting-edge local and global technology innovation, a constant source of mutual inspiration. It is quite clear that Kim was destined for the entrepreneurial path, one that would give her the freedom to continue to bring her ideas to life and to pursue her belief of “anything is possible” … “just not everything”. 

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