LifeSciences@Work

What LifeSciences@Work does

LifeSciences@Work (LS@W) is the national Dutch accelerator programme for high-potential life sciences startups, founded in 2008 and headquartered in The Hague. It operates not as an independent company but as a programme inside Health~Holland, the Dutch government's public-private vehicle for stimulating life sciences and health innovation, with the Venture Challenge co-organised via NWO and the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Its core 'product' is a portfolio of structured programs: a competitive 10-week Venture Challenge bootcamp delivered by GameChanger Challenge with 1-on-1 coaching, Expert Classes organised by Science Affairs covering legal, funding, regulatory and reimbursement topics, a Value Centre operated by Stichting MedtechPartners issuing Value Vouchers of up to €5,000, and Mentor Matching linking alumni to experienced industry mentors.

LS@W serves early-stage life sciences startups working in drug development, medical devices, diagnostics and enabling technologies, with a secondary audience of academic researchers and PhDs transitioning into entrepreneurship. It is free-of-charge for qualifying startup teams, with no conventional pricing model: the programme is funded by Health~Holland public funding plus contributions from main partners Loyens & Loeff, CMS and Pivot Park and program partners GameChanger Challenge, Iventus and Stichting MedtechPartners. Distribution is entirely domestic (Netherlands) and channel-driven through NWO, Dutch universities and HBOs, local incubators (Utrecht Inc, unlock_, PLNT), and an active event calendar across Pivot Park Oss, Brainport Eindhoven, BioPartner Leiden, Rotterdam Square and Utrecht.

By 2026, LS@W had reportedly supported 200+ startup teams since inception, with cumulative alumni having raised over €1 billion in follow-on funding and 1,500+ jobs created by alumni companies. Notable alumni outcomes include Sirius Medical (€25M+ raised, Pintuition system in 26+ countries), Ncardia (~$75M raised), and T-Cell Factory (acquired by Kite Pharma; led to a 19,000 m² facility with 900+ jobs). The programme has been recognised by the European Enterprise Promotion Award 2022 and ranked #24 in the Financial Times' Europe's Leading Startup Hubs 2024.

Name

LifeSciences@Work

Legal name

LifeSciences@Work

Website

https://lifesciencesatwork.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LifeSciences@Work (LS@W) is the Dutch national accelerator programme for high-potential life sciences startups in drug development, medical devices and diagnostics, founded in 2008 as part of Health~Holland. It offers free Venture Challenge bootcamps, Expert Classes, Value Vouchers and Mentor Matching, and has supported 200+ startup teams whose alumni have collectively raised over €1 billion.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Sciences Startup Accelerator

NAICS

Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Bootcamps & Accelerated Reskilling (Full-time/Part-time) (BPAEANAE)

Keywords

• Life sciences accelerator
• Biotech startup coaching
• Venture development program
• Healthcare incubation services
• Medtech mentoring programs

Headquarters

HQ city

The Hague

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government / public funding (Health Holland): LifeSciences@Work is part of Health Holland, a Dutch government-funded organization dedicated to stimulating innovation in life sciences and health. The Venture Challenge is one of the innovation instruments of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and runs twice per year through NWO. The program is funded through this public channel rather than charging startups.
2. Partner contributions (financial and content): LS@W is powered by Health Holland and supported by main partners Loyens & Loeff and Pivot Park, plus program partners (GameChanger Challenge, Iventus, MedtechPartners). Public-private collaboration is at the core of LS@W; partners contribute both financially and content-wise to strengthen and expand the program.
3. Value Vouchers (financial support to startups): Value Vouchers of up to €5,000 per voucher are issued to qualifying startups; 12 Value Vouchers were coordinated in 2024. The Venture Challenge winner receives €25,000 prize money. These are outflows/grants rather than revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LifeSciences@Work is the national Dutch accelerator for high-potential life sciences startups, providing structured 10-week bootcamp-style coaching (Venture Challenge), Expert Classes, Value Vouchers of up to €5,000 for growth support, and Mentor Matching. The program helps academic researchers and early-stage entrepreneurs translate scientific ideas into investor-ready business propositions in drug development, medical devices, and diagnostics.

Product overview

LifeSciences@Work (LS@W) is the national accelerator for high-potential life sciences startups in the Netherlands, offering a portfolio of programs and events rather than a single unified software product. The core offering is the Venture Challenge, a competitive 10-week program for business development, which is complemented by Expert Classes for specialized training, the Value Centre (Value Vouchers) for financial support, and Mentor Matching for connecting startups with experienced industry mentors. In addition, LS@W runs ecosystem-building events such as the MedTech Partner Meeting and Digital Health Meeting, and communicates with the community via the LS@W newsletter. Together these programs form a comprehensive support ecosystem for life sciences entrepreneurship in the Netherlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Venture Challenge: Competitive 10-week programme providing one-on-one coaching to develop life sciences research ideas into solid business cases and investor-ready pitches; organised via NWO and Health~Holland and executed by GameChanger Challenge.
• Expert Classes
• Value Centre
• Mentor Matching

Products and services

• Venture Challenge A competitive 10-week accelerator program providing 1-on-1 coaching to develop life sciences research ideas into a solid business case and prepare teams for investor funding. Organised by NWO in collaboration with Health Holland and executed by GameChanger Challenge.
• Expert Classes Workshops covering legal, funding, regulatory, reimbursement, IP, and negotiation topics relevant to life sciences startups. Organised by Science Affairs in collaboration with Health-Holland; participation is free-of-charge for startup teams.
• Value Centre (Value Vouchers) Financial support program providing Value Vouchers of up to €5,000 per voucher to help startups prepare for growth and accelerate successful market introduction. 12 Value Vouchers were coordinated in 2024.
• Mentor Matching A program connecting alumni of the LS@W Venture Challenge with experienced industry mentors who provide guidance on business and technology challenges.
• MedTech Partner Meeting An industry event series connecting MedTech startups with industry partners, investors, and other stakeholders in the medical technology ecosystem.
• Digital Health Meeting An industry event series bringing together startups, partners, and stakeholders in the Dutch digital health ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• Venture Challenge alumni collectively raised over €1 billion in funding
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / parent organisation, core program partner, main partner, program partner, ecosystem partner, media partner, venue / ecosystem partner and jury partner (one-off).

• Health Holland (Health~Holland)flagship / parent organisationStrategic or Co-development PartnerLS@W is powered by Health Holland, a Dutch government-funded organization dedicated to stimulating innovation in the life sciences and health. Health Holland is part of LS@W's valorisation strategy. The Venture Challenge is organised by NWO in collaboration with Health Holland. LS@W staff (Chrétien Herben, Simone Hermans, Laura Gähler, Lynn van der Zwan) all use @health-holland.com email addresses.
• NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research)core program partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerNWO organises the Venture Challenge in collaboration with Health Holland. The Venture Challenge runs twice per year through NWO. The Spring 2026 call opens on 5 May and closes on 2 July 2026; applications are submitted via NWO.
• GameChanger Challengecore program partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGameChanger Challenge executes the Venture Challenge on behalf of NWO and Health Holland. Math Kohnen (reachable at [email protected]) gives lectures and coaches participating startups at the Venture Challenge.
• Pivot Parkmain partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPivot Park is a main partner of LifeSciences@Work. The 15 years of LS@W anniversary event on 27 June 2023 was held at Pivot Park in Oss.
• Loyens & Loeffmain partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLoyens & Loeff is a main partner of LS@W (featured in the partners carousel on the homepage and on the partners page). Loyens & Loeff is a Dutch law firm and tax adviser that supports the program.
• CMS (Law-Tax-Future)main partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMS is displayed as a main partner on both the homepage and the partners page (cms.law/nl/nld/).
• Science Affairscore program partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerScience Affairs organises the Expert Classes with the help of many contributing partners.
• Stichting MedtechPartnerscore program partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStichting MedtechPartners organises the Value Centre of LS@W. It also runs the MedtechPartner Meetings and Digital Health Meetings series. Miranda de Regt (Iventus) organises Expert Classes in collaboration with Health-Holland.
• Iventusprogram partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerIventus is a program partner of LS@W. Miranda de Regt ([email protected]) is responsible for organizing the Expert Classes; she also organises the Dutch Life Sciences Conference in collaboration with Health-Holland.
• Termeer Foundationecosystem partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerThe advisory board is explicitly tasked to 'connect with other initiatives like the Termeer Foundation and Biotech Booster.' The Termeer Foundation and Health-Holland jointly run the Henri Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award.
• Biotech Boosterecosystem partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe advisory board connects with other Dutch initiatives like Biotech Booster to ensure the programs support each other instead of duplicating or competing.
• BNR Beter (podcast)media partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBNR Beter (a Dutch podcast) featured the Venture Challenge journey from academic research to entrepreneurship. Chrétien Herben (LS@W Program Director) and Bram Schermers (Sirius Medical CEO, Venture Challenge alumnus 2014) were guests; the episode also featured Syntric Medical.
• PLNT (Leiden)venue / ecosystem partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPLNT is the venue / ecosystem partner for the 'Show Me The Money' investor events. The 'Show Me The Money – Hard Money' event on 30 June 2026 is held at the unlock_ hub at BioPartner 3, Leiden.
• Brainport Eindhovenecosystem partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBrainport Eindhoven hosts the Digital Health Meeting (25 June 2026) at High Tech Campus 37, Eindhoven. Brainport region is described as 'the beating heart of MedTech innovation in the Netherlands' with 350+ MedTech companies and 90% of Dutch patents in this sector. CUREON at HTC 11 is powered by BOM, Brainport Eindhoven, SBMC, Province of North Brabant, and High Tech Campus Eindhoven.
• Axon Lawyersjury partner (one-off)OthersCarine Van Den Brink from Axon Lawyers sat on the jury of the MedTech Venture Challenge Winter 2025/2026.
• Demcon life sciences & healthjury partner (one-off)Strategic or Co-development PartnerRaymond Beijen from Demcon life sciences & health sat on the jury of the MedTech Venture Challenge Winter 2025/2026.
• ROM InWestecosystem partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerROM InWest co-organises the LSH Capital Match event together with Amsterdam Economic Board, with Health~Holland as a partner. The event is part of the 'Healthy Region' theme by the coalition De Slapende Reus / Amsterdam Metropolitan Area Innovation District.
• Amsterdam Economic Boardecosystem partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmsterdam Economic Board co-organises the LSH Capital Match event with ROM InWest and Health~Holland.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• JLABS (Johnson & Johnson Innovation): J&J's global network of life sciences incubators offering no-strings-attached lab space, mentorship, and programming. Comparable in offering non-dilutive support to early-stage life sciences startups at scale, though corporately funded rather than government-backed.
• Techleap.nl: Dutch government-backed program to accelerate tech startups at scale, explicitly listed as an LS@W ecosystem partner. Broader in scope (not life-sciences focused) but comparable in public funding model and national mission.

Regional players

• YES!Delft: One of the Netherlands' leading tech accelerators, with a life sciences / medtech vertical and explicit partnerships in the Dutch startup ecosystem. Comparable in scale, regional scope, and mission to translate research into commercial ventures.
• PLNT Leiden: Life sciences and biotech innovation hub in Leiden that hosts LS@W's Show Me The Money investor events. Operates an accelerator/incubator with similar target audience (Dutch life sciences startups) and is a co-venue ecosystem peer.
• Utrecht Inc: Utrecht University's startup hub for science-based and life sciences ventures. It is referenced as a local incubator feeding into LS@W's national pipeline, and is a direct regional peer in the Dutch life sciences acceleration ecosystem.

Direct peers

• BioGenerator: St. Louis-based life sciences startup generator, with intensive founder coaching, milestone-based grants, and direct programming analogous to LS@W's Venture Challenge. Direct international peer in mission and accelerator structure.
• IndieBio: Global life sciences accelerator (Bayer- and independent-backed) running intensive bootcamps for biology-based startups. Closest international analogue to LS@W's Venture Challenge in duration, intensity, and coach-led translational model.
• Biotech Booster: Dutch national initiative explicitly named as an LS@W ecosystem partner. It serves a complementary function in the Dutch biotech value chain (later-stage academic concepts), making it a close functional peer within the same national cluster.
• BioInnovation Institute (BII): Copenhagen-based, Novo Nordisk Foundation–backed life sciences accelerator running a Venture Lab, Creation House, and Bio Studio programs. BII is the closest geographic and structural peer to LS@W: a publicly funded, non-dilutive life sciences startup accelerator focused on translational research.
• Crick Translate (Francis Crick Institute): UK-based life sciences translational program supporting academic founders in moving research toward commercialization. Direct international peer in mission (bridging academic research to investable ventures) and program structure (coaching + mentoring + investor introduction).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LSatW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lifesciences-work

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 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 LifeSciences@Work