EBD Group

What EBD Group does

EBD Group is a privately held Swiss-headquartered (Zug) life sciences partnering and investor events company that operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Informa plc via Informa Connect Limited (registered in England & Wales). Founded in 1993 by Carola Schropp and acquired by Informa in 2013, EBD runs six flagship annual conferences — BIO-Europe, BIO-Europe Spring, Biotech Showcase (co-organized with Demy-Colton), ChinaBio Partnering Forum, Asia Bio Partnering Forum, and BioEquity Europe — held across biopharma hubs in Europe, North America, and Asia. Across these events the company facilitates more than 64,000 one-to-one partnering meetings annually for approximately 15,000 attendees from 80+ countries, supported by a 170,000+ qualified digital audience of life science professionals and a network of 20+ international biotech association delegation partners.

The core technology underlying EBD's events is the proprietary partneringONE platform (created in 2006), which powers one-to-one meeting scheduling, company profile search, and meeting agenda management for delegates. partneringONEplus extends this with expanded B2B networking and business prospect identification functionality, while Streamly provides video streaming for event content. In 2023 EBD launched partneringONE as a standalone business to license the platform to third-party event organizers. EBD also operates EBD Academy, delivering in-person and online professional development courses covering biopharma business development, licensing, negotiation, product valuation, and due diligence.

EBD's revenue model combines delegate registration fees for its six events, multi-tier sponsorship packages (Silver/Gold/Platinum) plus digital and year-round sponsorship (webinars, content syndication, lead generation), delegation programs sold to biotech associations and economic development agencies, and EBD Academy training course fees. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; payment terms require fees 48 hours before events with limited cancellation refunds. The customer base spans large pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer, Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, Bayer), major biotechs (BioNTech, Moderna, Genentech, BeiGene, Evotec), AI-driven drug discovery firms (Exscientia), and a long tail of early-stage biotech companies, life sciences investors, and regional biotech clusters. The company maintains offices in London, Munich, San Francisco, and Singapore, with Anna Chrisman as President of Life Sciences at Informa Connect and Tina Elder as Global General Manager of EBD Group.

Name

EBD Group

Legal name

Informa Connect Limited

Website

https://ebdgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

EBD Group is a life sciences partnering and investor events company that operates six global conferences — including BIO-Europe, Biotech Showcase, and ChinaBio Partnering Forum — powered by its proprietary partneringONE platform. It serves biotechs, pharmaceutical companies, and life sciences investors by facilitating over 64,000 one-to-one dealmaking meetings annually across 80+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharma Partnering Events and Investment Conferences

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

akta.pro primary industry

Life Sciences & Biotechnology Congresses (THAHAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK), Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology (EDABALAU)

Keywords

• Biopharma partnering events
• Life science conferences
• Partnering software platform
• Biotech investor conferences
• Licensing deal facilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Zug

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Conference and Event Delegate Fees: Revenue generated from attendees registering for EBD Group's six global partnering events including BIO-Europe, BIO-Europe Spring, Biotech Showcase, ChinaBio Partnering Forum, BioEquity Europe, and Asia Bio Partnering Forum.
2. Event Sponsorship Packages: Sponsorship opportunities including Silver, Gold, and Platinum packages along with on-site sponsorship opportunities, exhibit packages, digital opportunities, and year-round sponsorship through webinars, video interviews, lead generation, and content syndication. The company reports 6 global events and a qualified digital audience of more than 170,000 life science professionals.
3. EBD Academy Training Courses: Professional development courses covering business development skills, pharmaceutical and biotech licensing, negotiation, product valuation, and due diligence. Offered through in-person and online formats throughout the year.
4. Delegation Programs: Participation packages for biotech associations, clusters, economic development agencies, and investment promotion agencies to host delegations from their countries and regions at EBD events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

EBD Group organizes and operates six global biopharma partnering conferences (BIO-Europe, BIO-Europe Spring, Biotech Showcase, ChinaBio Partnering Forum, Asia Bio Partnering Forum, and BioEquity Europe) where biotech companies, pharmaceutical firms, and investors meet for one-to-one deal-making, licensing, and strategic collaboration. Its proprietary partneringONE software powers these events and is licensed to other event organizers, while EBD Academy delivers professional training in biopharma business development.

Product overview

EBD Group operates as a life sciences partnering and investor events company, offering a portfolio of six global conferences (BIO-Europe, BIO-Europe Spring, Biotech Showcase, ChinaBio Partnering Forum, Asia Bio Partnering Forum, and BioEquity Europe) powered by its proprietary partneringONE and partneringONEplus technology platforms. The company also provides EBD Academy professional training courses and Streamly video streaming services. Events generate over 64,000 one-to-one meetings annually, connecting early-stage startups to large pharmaceutical companies for deal-making, licensing, and strategic collaboration. The company is an Informa company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• partneringONE: State-of-the-art partnering software platform that enables delegates to efficiently identify and engage with new opportunities via one-to-one meetings. Created in 2006, it has been developed through years of experience and expertise and now supports more events than any other partnering platform.
• EBD Academy

Products and services

• BIO-Europe EBD Group's flagship annual partnering conference held each November in Europe. It is Europe's largest biopharma partnering event and a global strategy forum where CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CMOs, and CSOs from biotech and pharma meet to build partnerships and conduct licensing and investment deals.
• BIO-Europe Spring

Quantifiable outcome

• 64,000+ one-to-one meetings generated annually across 6 events
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Informa (Informa Connect)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBD Group joined the Informa family of brands 10 years ago (as of 2023/2024), with Informa being the largest publicly owned organizer of exhibitions, conferences, and training in the world. This partnership has fueled investment in people, systems and business intelligence pivotal to EBD Group's success. Informa Connect Limited is registered in England & Wales (number 01835199).
• Demy-ColtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizers of Biotech Showcase event alongside J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Demy-Colton and EBD Group work together to deliver what is positioned as the largest investor conference for private, micro-cap, and mid-cap biotechnology companies.
• LSX EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIO-Europe Spring 2026 will run back-to-back with LSX Europe as part of the Life Sciences Spring Innovation Week, marking a new collaborative format combining two major life sciences partnering events.
• Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIO-Europe is produced by EBD Group with the support of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the major industry association for biotechnology companies.
• Stockholm Business RegionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHost partner for BIO-Europe 2024 (30th anniversary) in Stockholm, Sweden. Provided support for the event as part of promoting Stockholm as a life sciences hub.
• AseBiominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpanish biotech association that organizes delegations to EBD events, representing the Spanish biotechnology ecosystem.
• AssobiotecminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorItalian biotech association (part of Federchimica) that organizes delegations to EBD events.
• BIO DeutschlandminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman biotechnology association organizing delegations to EBD events.
• BIOTECanadaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian biotechnology industry association organizing delegations to EBD events.
• BioIndustry Association (BIA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK biotech industry association organizing delegations to EBD events.
• SwedenBIOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwedish biotech industry association organizing delegations to EBD events.
• Swiss BiotechminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss biotech industry association organizing delegations to EBD events.
• Japan Bioindustry AssociationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJapanese biotech association organizing delegations to EBD events.
• Business FinlandminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFinnish government business development agency organizing delegations to EBD events.
• Business FranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench government agency for international business development organizing delegations to EBD events.
• Copenhagen CapacityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDanish investment promotion agency for Copenhagen region organizing delegations to EBD events.
• Life Science NordminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman life sciences cluster in northern Germany organizing delegations to EBD events.
• Oslo Cancer ClusterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian cancer research and biotech cluster organizing delegations to EBD events.
• Taiwan Bio Industry OrganizationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTaiwanese biotech industry association organizing delegations to EBD events.
• flanders.biominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBelgian (Flanders) biotech industry association organizing delegations to EBD events.
• Atlanpole BiotherapiesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench biotherapy cluster organizing delegations to EBD events.
• HollandBIOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDutch biotech industry association organizing delegations to EBD events.
• One NucleusminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK life sciences cluster for Cambridge and London regions organizing delegations to EBD events.
• JETROminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJapan External Trade Organization organizing delegations to EBD events.
• KHIDIminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKorea Health Industry Development Institute organizing delegations to EBD events.
• Council of European Bioregions (CEBR)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean network of biotech regions organizing delegations to EBD events.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Informa Connect: Parent division of EBD Group within Informa plc. Operates a broader portfolio of life sciences and other vertical events, providing shared infrastructure and customer cross-sell.
• J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference: The flagship annual investor conference for healthcare and life sciences; Biotech Showcase is co-located with it. Indirect peer in life sciences investor events with broader financial-services scope.

Direct peers

• Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI): Organizes major life sciences conferences including Bio-IT World and PepTalk. Direct peer in the biopharma events ecosystem with similar attendee profile.
• BIO (Biotechnology Innovation Organization): Industry trade association that runs the BIO International Convention, the largest US biotech partnering event, and partners with EBD on BIO-Europe. Direct peer in biopharma partnering conferences.
• Hanson Wade: Specialist organizer of life sciences conferences across therapeutic areas (oncology, neuroscience, etc.). Direct peer in the life sciences conference vertical with similar BD-driven attendee model.
• Sachs Associates: Long-running organizer of European Life Sciences CEO Forum and other life sciences partnering/investor events. Direct peer serving pharma, biotech, and investor dealmaking audiences.
• Demy-Colton: Co-organizer of EBD's Biotech Showcase alongside the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Week. Direct peer in life sciences investor and partnering conferences for private and small-cap biotechs.
• LSX (Life Sciences Xchange): Runs LSX Europe and other partnering forums for life sciences executives. Direct peer now co-located with EBD at BIO-Europe Spring; competes for the same BD executive audience.

Others

• BioCentury: Long-established biotech intelligence publisher and conference organizer (e.g., Bio€quity, now co-branded with EBD's BioEquity Europe). Thematic peer serving the same biotech BD/investor community.
• Citeline: Sister Informa company providing pharma intelligence and clinical trial data. Ecosystem peer, not a direct competitor, but adjacent in serving life sciences BD and licensing teams.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ebdgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/ebdgrouppartnering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ebd-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EBD Group