SPARK Europe Webinar Series 2025 - Innovator Cafe

“Scientists Turned Entrepreneurs - From LAB to… BUSINESS!”

3 December 2025 | 4 – 5 pm (CEST) | Webinar

In this online panel session, our guests — all scientists who have successfully transitioned into entrepreneurship — will share their real-life journeys, highlighting the insights, challenges, and turning points they encountered along the way. Come learn from their experiences, gain fresh perspectives, and bring all your questions to this interactive discussion.

Meet the Panelists:

• Dr Sergey Turtaev, CEO & R&D at DeepEn

DeepEn is a research-transfer start-up from the Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technologies developing hair-thin, single-fiber microendoscopes for fast, high-resolution bioimaging in medicine, neuroscience, and industry.

Sergey brings deep expertise in fibre photonic technologies and advanced the hair-thin endoscope technology during his PhD dissertation. He has been instrumental in translating cutting-edge imaging research into practical clinical tools.

• Marek Atanasčev, CEO at Enantis, and Dr Jan Vilim, CSO at Enantis

Enantis is a biotech company specializing in protein engineering, particularly within the fibroblast growth factor family, enhancing protein stability for use as therapeutic and cosmetic agents, stem-cell culture reagents, and cultured-meat media additives.

Marek brings extensive international experience in business development — gained, among others, as the head of the CzechTrade office in Italy — and now leads Enantis as it scales globally and commercializes its innovative protein-engineering technologies.

Jan is a passionate biochemist with expertise in biocatalysis, protein engineering, and structural biology. He completed his PhD at the University of Amsterdam, followed by postdoctoral research in Catalonia, and now leads new product development and protein manufacturing at Enantis.

• Dr Felix Lorenz, CEO at Captain T Cell

Captain T Cell is a spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center developing next-generation TCR-T cell therapies for solid tumors.

Felix is a dedicated immunologist and biotech entrepreneur who, building on his PhD dissertation and subsequent research at the Max Delbrück Center, now leads Captain T Cell.

Online via MS Teams. Please register here.