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Hugo Villanueva: From PhD Student to Business Development Director!

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In April 2020, LIDo Alumni Hugo Villanueva was appointed Innovation and Business Development Director for Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst (SBC), a leading location for development and commercialisation of cutting-edge therapeutics based in Hertfordshire.

Hugo joined SBC from Revena (formerly Revenant Bio), where he undertook a 3month placement (FTMA Internship scheme) following completion of his Thesis. The FTMA Internship scheme is a fully funded internship where candidates are able to research any area of science they choose to.

Following completion of his internship, Hugo built contacts and gained vital experience subsequently landing him his role with SBC. 

"The LIDo + FTMA programme gave me a fantastic opportunity to work with Revena, a consultancy that supports and accelerates early-stage science start-ups.

'In the 3 months that I was funded, I managed to work closely with 5 different early-stage startups, did technical due-diligence for a top UK accelerator and received £35,000 worth of funding to try out my own biotech idea and fundraise in the US."

Hugo had initially planned to work as an entrepreneur in Boston,USA but had to shuffle his plans due to the current pandemic. 

"Unfortunately, the lockdown happened as I was in the US so I had to put my biotech idea on hold.

'On the bright side, all this experience helped me land an executive position at the top cell and gene cluster in Europe where I can be both close to cutting-edge science and help it reach patients faster by commercialising it.

'I consider both the LIDo + FTMA and Revena to have given me the relevant commercial experience for my current role at the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst."

You can read more about Hugo's appointment here:

https://www.stevenagecatalyst.com/news/stevenage-bioscience-catalyst-announces-hugo-villa/