Neighborhood accompanies biotech & medtech startups. We provide personalized mentoring, the expertise of VCLS, and a broad network to:
- unlock your global regulatory strategy,
- derisk your product development, and
- build your community.
We have a proven track-record of making projects more financeable, thanks to our unique expertise built through close collaboration with regulators and our expansive network of industry actors.
Neighborhood boosts startups bringing innovative products to patients.
What can Neighborhood
do for you?
Mentoring
MENTORS IN RESIDENCE
We have extensive regulatory science expertise available just next door. Our experts in medical devices, digital health, biotech and pharmaceuticals are ready to support you with regulatory strategy, technical development (including manufacturing and scale up), non-clinical and clinical development, and much more.
Strategic Resources
TALENTED CONSULTANTS
We have a comprehensive network of speakers of excellence in the areas of IP strategy, IT strategy, fundraising, and investor interaction management. These professionals visit regularly to share their knowledge with the Neighborhood community.
Global Community
EXPERTS/KOLS
We provide access to key stakeholders in the health tech ecosystem including clinicians, regulators, big pharma contacts and medical device developers.
Office Space
DYNAMIC WORKSPACES
Neighborhood offers dynamic workspaces for entrepreneurs that meet your day-to-day operational needs, located on two sites in Europe (Paris and Lausanne) and one in the US (Cambridge, Massachusetts).
Why join us?
GLOBAL COMMUNITY
Neighborhood is a global community of startups, partner organizations and industry professionals who share knowledge to accelerate growth.
MENTORS-IN-RESIDENCE
As part of Voisin Consulting Life Sciences, Neighborhood allows startups to consult with top-tier experts in all aspects of health tech product development.
INNOVATION
We think differently and turn challenges into advantages.
Functional Expertise
Science is the driving force of regulatory, which paves the way from early development to market. Integrating earlier regulatory elements in your development plan will give you a competitive advantage. With Neighborhood, you can benefit from the regulatory expertise of VCLS to help you stay ahead of the competition.
Meet Our Team
Our team members include entrepreneurs, regulatory experts, consultants and key opinion leaders that strive to help health technology startups reach their next valuation milestone.
Business Development Director
Sebastien has been with Neighborhood since its inception, where he is Business Development Director. He has a unique insight into the challenges faced by startup companies, from setting up his own medical device company in 2007, which he successfully ran for 7 years, and raised more than €4m. More recently, Sebastien broadened his entrepreneurial experience by getting involved in several biotech startups. This experience has further enhanced his understanding of the specific challenges and how they can be overcome. As part of this approach, Sebastien firmly believes that experience sharing and continuous networking are essential elements to the success of any venture; two characteristics of Neighborhood, which he intends to help further develop on behalf of client companies. Sebastien is fascinated by Entrepreneurship, Life Sciences and Education. Sebastien has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. Outside of work, when not playing squash, Sebastien likes to teach his three children to surf. Based in Paris, he enjoys working within the multi-cultural environment.
Program Manager
As Program Manager at Neighborhood, Soraya is responsible for coordinating the healthtech startups’ acceleration programs (i.e., the year-long incubation and stand-alone mentoring sessions). She is involved in the management of partnerships with French government agencies, and national/international institutes, incubators, and accelerators. Soraya’s expertise is in Drug Development. Soraya brings more than 12 years of experience in the life sciences, including research, innovation, and valorization, all leading to a deep knowledge of the French scientific ecosystem and expertise in scouting and partnering. Soraya has first-hand experience, with academics and startups, of how challenging it can be to meet regulatory requirements when developing a product. She has seen how dedicated external support can offer a huge boost. Before joining VCLS, Soraya worked at the Technology Transfer Office of Inserm (Inserm Transfert), as Business Development Manager. She was responsible for the patent portfolio in infectious diseases and immunology, for licensing agreements with pharmaceutical companies and startups. She previously worked as Senior Scientist at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, leader in rare diseases, where she was responsible for a drug candidate research project in the context of a private-public partnership with Imagine Institute. Doctorate in Cell and Molecular Biology (Curie Institute), Soraya is a graduate of Université Paris-Cité. Through her various experiences, she grew passionate about multiple therapeutic areas such as oncology, infectiology and rare diseases. She is a fan of mountain climbing, skiing, Nordic countries, and interior design for children’s rooms. Based in the Paris office, she enjoys being immersed in the most innovative technologies and working alongside ambitious startups.
Program Manager
Christophe is a biomedical engineer with more than 25 years’ experience in regulatory science with breakthrough and game-changing innovation for patients, healthcare providers and researchers. He is presently Head of Digital & Medical Device Regulatory Services at VCLS and Program Manager within Neighborhood. Previously, he was Clinical Operations Manager for the pain management & pelvic health division of a worldwide market-leading neuromodulation firm and Clinical Field Engineer for auditory implantable prosthesis at a cutting-edge international cochlear implant company. Christophe is deeply experienced in dealing with disruptive medtech/digital technology developers, EU/US regulatory bodies and life science investors thanks to a multidisciplinary, transversal and international background. Christophe has specific expertise in anticipating the regulatory and practical challenges frequently associated with innovative systems such as breakthrough digital technologies. This expertise encompasses e-health/m-health products, drug-device combinations, and in vitro diagnostics. He is also responsible for the review and submission of regulatory applications in Europe and the US, including dossiers to support CE marking, 510(k)/DeNovo/PMA and pre-market approval, and in leading interactions with multiple regulatory bodies (e.g., notified bodies and national health competent authorities). Christophe has worked at both SMEs and large international firms, such as Boston Scientific. During this time, he gained significant experience in the active medical device industry, particularly in next-generation implantable stimulators for neurological diseases (pelvic nerve stimulation for incontinence and spinal nerve stimulation for chronic headache). He was also responsible for the management of international proof of concept clinical trials across Europe for a wide range of innovative therapeutic indications and advanced neuroprosthetic devices in the areas of pain management and pelvic health. Christophe began his career in 1998 at Advanced Bionics in its auditory division, working as a clinical specialist. While there, he acquired an in-depth knowledge of auditory nerve stimulation to treat profound deafness. In particular, he was responsible for assisting operating theatre staff during surgical procedures and providing expertise on related products to practitioners to support post-operative programming visits with patients. Christophe earned his Master of Science in biomedical engineering from the University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC), France, and he holds a Bachelors degree in biomedical science from the University of Toulouse, France.
Community & Communications Manager
As Community & Communications Manager for Neighborhood, the innovation center at the heart of VCLS, Olivia is responsible for managing this group of startups, partners and industry professionals, building and maintaining strong relationships with our Neighbors through strategic engagement and content creation. Olivia brings to VCLS and Neighborhood a decade of experience in corporate communications for companies in the financial services and biotech sectors, including seven years in global communications at specialty vaccine company Valneva. Her expertise is in online media, as she has managed an array of digital projects throughout her career – from content creation for social networks and community management to the design and implementation of new communications channels. A writer at heart, Olivia has also consistently leveraged her language skills to produce press releases, presentations, quarterly/annual reports, award applications and web content, both in English and French. Olivia holds a master's degree from the University of Nantes in information and communication, specializing in digital media. She previously graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University with a bachelor's degree in English literature (minors in French and sociology). Olivia is based in the Boulogne (Paris) office.We'd love to get to know you
Join us, we offer you an extraordinary chance to learn, develop and be part of an exciting experience, supported by a knowledgeable team.
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