Yes, but as a rule of thumb, only non-dilutive funding is accepted. A small investment from friends and family is fine, but professional investments and certain types of loans may exclude your company from applying. Please be aware of the BII eligibility criteria for company ownership, which can be found in the Application Guidelines.

Yes, but professional investments and certain types of loans may exclude your company from applying for the Creation House program if you wish to do so after Venture Lab. We encourage companies to seek non-dilutive funding from, e.g., Danish governmental programs or EU programs.

It is mandatory for at least one empowered representative of the start-up (founder/management) to be present at the bootcamp, monthly crunches, and Demo Day. Furthermore, the Founders must be able to participate in monthly sessions with our Leadership Coach. It is highly recommended that the entire team is present for key events. In general, we recommend that you build and run your company at BII.

You are not required to have generated or filed IP but must have an idea of what could be created from your development plan. If your company will be based on already generated IP, ideally, the IPR is already owned by or licensed to your company. Alternatively, we ask that you have a draft Term Sheet from the IP owner (e.g., university tech transfer office) stating your willingness to enter into an exclusive license agreement on market terms.

Each company will get a dedicated BII anchor who will follow your progress and support you through the program. You will have monthly anchor meetings and continuous coaching with our program content providers.

There is no specific number of companies that are accepted in each call.

No, as long as you are willing to establish a Danish company if your application is approved. If the Danish company will be a subsidiary, your current company must fulfill the eligibility criteria for companies.

Yes! However, if you are not an EU citizen, you will need a work permit if you wish to relocate to Copenhagen. Please reach out to our friends at Copenhagen Capacity to clarify your options.

Not at all. You can apply without a company but you need to establish a Danish company if you are accepted into to program.

The off-site bootcamp is the official kickoff for the program. The goal is to prepare you for the time at BII and introduce you to the other teams and the program content providers.

The loan includes no personal guarantees of repayment from the founders. In case of liquidation (company closure), the unrepaid balance of the loan will be into a grant from BII.

12 months

The goal is to accelerate the scientific maturity of the innovation to attract further funding and develop a solid business plan and entrepreneurial skills for your team. When you finish the program, you will be ready to execute your business plan and have the opportunity to attain follow-up funding through BII’s Venture House program or other types of funding.

BII provides a founder-friendly convertible loan of DKK 4M. See the loan terms in the Applicant Guidelines.

Companies within the fields of therapeutics, bioindustrials, and health tech. The companies must have strong commercial aspirations and novel ideas that can benefit human health and/or planetary health.

Besides the other program participants, you will collaborate with world-class coaches, the BII staff, experienced entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts.