During the past six months at BII, the bioindustrial start-up Enduro has developed the company to meet market needs. Enduro is a spin-out from the Technical University of Denmark and was founded by Peter Rugbjerg and Christian Munck in 2019.
Enduro is making bioproduction possible at any scale which solves one of the greatest challenges for bioindustrial companies that often struggle with going from test tubes to producing several tons.
“Many good ideas fail because it is too difficult and expensive to scale and commercialize them. It is a gap that has been under-explored and under-addressed, but we believe to have developed a platform technology that can change that”, says Peter Rugbjerg.
We sat down with Peter Rugbjerg, co-founder and CEO, to learn more about the entrepreneurial journey through BioInnovation Institute.
What attracted you to BII?
We were in contact with several international programs and decided to turn one offer down to go with BII due to a combination of several aspects. The BII package offers lab space, funding, business development and a long runway which in combination was the right match for us. We were also allowed to keep a higher degree of control over the company shares in the setup that BII offers.
What were your thoughts on developing your start-up in Denmark?
We have been following the entrepreneurial life science environment in Copenhagen for the past ten years, and it has become much more dynamic. New trends are arising, and the venture capital market is improving in Northern Europe. We want to be part of that journey.
How have you progressed since you joined BII?
A lot. It actually started in the application process because we were forced to nail many aspects of our company when applying for the program. We were then scrutinized in interviews and got feedback from commercial and technical experts that helped us understand where the industry was going and what was needed from us. With those inputs and help from the BII business development team, we have formed a sharp milestone plan that we are now unfolding.
What are you currently working on?
We are expanding our technology in industry-relevant organisms to show what we can do. We are also testing it in larger fermentation tanks through partners in California, and meeting with investors. BII has opened doors for us in that regard by exposing us to many venture capital companies. Being part of a larger group of success stories has unlocked many things for us.
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