• The finalists distinguished themselves through strong entrepreneurial skills and the potential to translate scientific concepts into real-world applications.
• The winner(s) will be revealed on July 3, 2025, and will be awarded a cash prize of EUR 100,000.

Munich, Germany, May 27, 2025 – The selection committee has announced the finalists for this year’s award. The chosen companies and their founders represent the exceptional and globally successful leaders emerging from the thriving life science environment in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH region). The award, now in its second year, recognizes founders who are not only pioneering scientific breakthroughs but also demonstrating the determination and resilience to convert innovation into tangible therapeutic benefits.

The award is named in honor of Andreas Strüngmann, M.D., and Thomas Strüngmann, Ph.D. Their entrepreneurial success as founders of Hexal, followed by their impactful roles as investors, inspired the creation of this award. It celebrates the next generation of leaders who are transforming innovative ideas into reality.

“We firmly believe in the talent within the DACH life science ecosystem and are dedicated to acknowledging and promoting innovative ideas and their successful implementation through this award. This year’s finalists highlight the depth of scientific and entrepreneurial excellence in the DACH region. They represent a diverse range of scientific areas, including targeted cancer therapies, regenerative neuroscience, and drug resistance. It’s inspiring to see how different approaches can lead to significant innovation that improves patient outcomes,” stated Andreas and Thomas Strüngmann.

The award committee has selected the following visionary entrepreneurs for their innovative thinking and ability to translate biomedical research into therapeutic solutions:

Dragan Grabulovski | Philipp Spycher | Isabella Attinger-Toller – Araris Biotech

The founding team of Araris Biotech, consisting of CEO Dragan Grabulovski, Ph.D., CSO Philipp Spycher, Ph.D., and CTO Isabella Attinger-Toller, Ph.D., has developed one of Switzerland’s most successful biotech companies in recent years. Originating from the Paul Scherrer Institute (part of the ETH domain), the team created AraLinQ^TM, a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) linker-payload technology that allows for the direct attachment of payloads to readily available antibodies without requiring prior antibody engineering. Their collaborative leadership and scientific expertise led Araris to secure over CHF 40 million in funding, establish strategic partnerships with Chugai (Roche) and Johnson & Johnson, and achieve a significant acquisition by Taiho Pharmaceutical in March 2025 for up to USD 1.14 billion.

Araris Biotech is pioneering a new class of ADCs with the goal of transforming the targeted cancer therapy landscape and beyond.

Martin E. Schwab | Stefan Moese – NovaGo Therapeutics

Prof. Martin E. Schwab, Ph.D., CSO and co-founder of NovaGo Therapeutics, is a globally recognized neuroscientist whose groundbreaking research on nerve growth inhibition has revolutionized the field of neuroregeneration. He discovered the protein Nogo-A, a crucial inhibitor of nerve repair in the central nervous system, and translated this discovery into the development of regenerative antibody therapies. Building upon decades of research at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, he established NovaGo in 2015 to advance clinical candidates for patients with spinal cord injury and related conditions.

Since joining as CEO in 2023, Stefan Moese, Ph.D., has contributed extensive expertise in biologics and translational drug development. Together, he and Martin E. Schwab are leading the company’s efforts to translate cutting-edge science into regenerative therapies, with the first candidate entering clinical trials in acute spinal cord injured patients in 2024.

NovaGo Therapeutics is a Swiss biotech company focused on developing antibody-based therapies to stimulate nerve and blood vessel regeneration, with a primary program targeting acute spinal cord injury.

Stefanie Flückiger-Mangual – TOLREMO therapeutics

Stefanie Flückiger-Mangual, Ph.D., founder and CEO of TOLREMO therapeutics, has established a company that is changing the approach to drug resistance in cancer treatment. Based on her academic research at ETH Zurich, she discovered that resistance is often caused by transcriptional changes, even before oncogenic mutations occur. This understanding led to the development of a unique screening platform, resulting in the identification of CBP/p300 as an epigenetic master regulator of non-oncogene resistance. Under Stefanie’s leadership, the company has raised over CHF 34 million and advanced its lead program TT125-802, a novel, highly selective CBP/p300 inhibitor, into clinical trials. In this ongoing clinical trial, TT125-802 has demonstrated a best-in-class safety profile and significant monotherapy activity in solid tumors.

TOLREMO therapeutics is pioneering a comprehensive new strategy to combat cancer drug resistance by targeting transcriptional resistance pathways that operate independently of the primary oncogene signaling axis. This represents a unique approach to addressing a significant challenge in cancer treatment, offering substantial therapeutic potential both as a monotherapy and in combination with targeted therapies.

As the next step in the selection process, a jury of leading entrepreneurial figures and biotechnology investors will choose the winner(s). The winner will be formally announced on July 3, 2025, and will receive a cash prize of EUR 100,000.

For more information about the award and to stay updated on the latest news, please visit our website: .

About the Strüngmann Award
The award was founded in 2024 to recognize exceptional entrepreneurs bringing revolutionary ideas to life in the DACH life science sector. The aim is to reward outstanding achievements with a prestigious prize and to support the advancement of the next generation of leaders in this field. The award is named after twin brothers Andreas Strüngmann, M.D., and Thomas Strüngmann, Ph.D., who are prominent entrepreneurs, visionaries, and investors in the life science industry. As the founders of Hexal, they achieved remarkable entrepreneurial success, and as investors, they have continued to replicate that success for over 20 years by building and developing leading companies across the industry, including Mainz-based BioNTech. Learn more at .

Media Contact

Trophic Communications
Stephanie May, Ph.D. and Anja Heuer
Phone: +49 (0) 171 185 56 82
Email:

“`