Our next interview from the Barcelona Congress is with another of our wonderful start-ups: GreyRigge Associates. Dr Lee Smith and Sam Dowse joined us in the start-up zone for the first time to connect with colleagues, new and old, and to present their business to the community. It was a pleasure to meet Dr Smith and Sam for a chat about what they do and why it’s important for the vaccine community, and we hope you enjoy hearing from them! If you are interested in joining us as a start-up at a future event, please get in touch with Isabella Aung (isabella.aung@terrapinn.com) for more information.
Introducing GreyRigge Associates
Dr Smith, as Principal Consultant, explains the recent history of GreyRigge Associates (GRA). He and Sam joined forces earlier this year, with a wealth of consultancy experience between them. GRA is a biotech consultancy that operates across a “network” of experienced associates. Sam reflects that they are “looking to expand”, particularly in America!
Expertise and expansion
We asked about the services, and who is behind them, and Sam kindly shares that the group of associates is about 20 strong, but with potential to grow!
“If you’re interested, let us know!”
These associates cover a “broad area of expertise” in biologics. At the moment, this mostly involves CMC, but the goal is to “expand into clinical and pre-clinical areas”. Dr Smith agrees, stating that the services offered are “really quite broad” from vaccines to antibodies.
“That’s working with companies that can be a start-up, in can be multi-nationals, it can be NGOs, so it’s really quite broad.”
Furthermore, the team is ready to support “any phase”, from “discovery through to licensure”. It’s interesting to learn how far-reaching GRA’s services are already, from Europe and America to Japan or India.
“And it’s quite good fun as well!”
Meeting a need
Our next question focuses on the reasons that clients and consultants might have for considering GRA; are they meeting an unmet need, setting themselves above the competition, or a bit of both? Dr Smith reflects that “there’s certainly a need for helping companies”.
“Often the phone rings, or the email will come in, when there’s a problem… I think probably what makes us different from some other consultants is really the breadth.”
The association of consultants cover “broad areas” and creates “capacity”. Sam considers the appeal for the consultants, which is the opportunity to work in a team.
“It works from both angles; the client gets the experience at the point where they need it, and the consultants get a sounding board and a review system.”
Referrals and relationships
How, then, does the team connect with new clients and keep consultants on board for long-lasting relationships? Sam reflects that many of the opportunities come from previous experience. Additionally, the associates often bring business back to the team.
“Our consultants often recommend, through themselves, rather than trying to take it on themselves, they’ll often propose to us ‘can we take on this client?'”
This is evidently a reflection of the strong relationships forged between GRA and its network of consultants. Most of the work comes through this referral system, as well as LinkedIn, but now the team is branching out and meeting clients at events like ours!
Why WVC?
As always, we conclude our interviews with a question about the reasons our guests are joining us! Dr Smith comments that the “exposure” is good, both in terms of clients and new opportunities as the team expands, but also with consultants. Not only does the event offer networking opportunities, but the chance to better understand the various CDMOs’ and the providers’ “capabilities and capacities” as these things change. Here, Sam interjects that their names are constantly changing too! She was looking forward to “meeting up with old colleagues” and hearing presentations.
“It’s been a great turnout.”
Last, but certainly not least, the sun was shining (not that you would know it from inside the conference centre)!
If you weren’t able to connect with the team during the event do head to their website to get in touch with them! We hope that you enjoyed hearing from another of our exciting start-ups and look forward to sharing more conversations with you soon. Make sure you never miss an interview by subscribing here.
