(interview from 2022)

Dagmar Möbius

Nadine Schmieder-Galfe is a household name in the entrepreneurial world. Both in the region and beyond. The energetic 38-year-old has already achieved more than many people do in their entire careers. The expert in Biotechnology and Economic Law sat down with “Kontakt-online” to talk about how she manages two companies, why she offers courses at the summer school and the motivation behind setting up a floating office.

There’s just one thing that Nadine Schmieder-Galfe doesn’t like to talk about in public. Her reason for pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biotechnology at TUD was a very personal one. Upon finishing high school, the Dresden native devoted her attention to cancer research. “I had a lot of deaths to mourn in my youth. I will work in this field for as long as it takes if it means fewer people will lose their loved ones – that is what drives me,” she explains. “My father, an electrician by occupation, would have liked me to pursue a Diplom in Dentistry – a safe bet, in his eyes. We talked about it a lot. Upon later reading an article in the newspaper about my chosen subject, he was finally convinced that I had made the right decision.”

Good at unearthing trends

At 18, Nadine Schmieder-Galfe set out to “make biotechnology big in Saxony.” The Bachelor’s degree program in Molecular Biotechnology at TU Dresden was brand new back in 2002 and it excited her, even though she “didn’t have a clue what that meant.” After completing her studies, she worked in the laboratory under the direction of Dr. Johannes Siemens. The plant physiologist taught her how to open her mind. “Sometimes, he drove me crazy, but I’m now very grateful to him and set up my courses today just like he used to,” she laughs. Even his breakfast tendencies left their mark. “I still like to incorporate food into my meetings,” she grins. With the goal of better understanding human biology, Nadine Schmieder-Galfe earned her Master’s in Molecular Bioengineering – also at TUD – in 2008, and she is still proud to have studied under the “forefather” of biotechnology, Professor Kai Simons. “He asked us what we would change and what we were interested in instead of just lecturing. His teaching was very interactive.”

Personal mission: Establish a research transfer interface

This biotechnology expert was not ready to resign herself to the fact that, after publication, many research findings either get lost to the annals of time, without being developed into medications, treatments or diagnostic medical devices to be reintroduced to society. So, she decided to occupy this interface herself. Instead of pursuing a doctorate, she started the DIU Master’s degree program in Economics and Law in 2009 alongside her work, with the goal of acquiring the fundamental knowledge necessary. Her day job involved working full-time in research management at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD). “The MBA was really intended for lawyers and economists, not for scientists. But I wanted to learn what was important to know in founding a company. To do that required more than knowledge of the technology. I also needed a legal and commercial foundation. Two professors left a lasting impression on her – commercial law specialist Prof. Hans-Eric Rasmussen-Bonne and negotiations techniques expert Dr. Remigiusz Smolinski. Known for having a knack for numbers, Nadine Schmieder-Galfe wrote her final thesis at Germany’s largest early-stage investment company, the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) in Bonn.

A steep learning curve and tons of technical vocab

It’s now 2021, and despite the three academic degrees under her belt and a plethora of practical experience in different fields, Nadine Schmieder-Galfe is still far from hanging up her schoolbag. “Everything I learned was essential,” she summarizes, adding, “Without my specialist knowledge of biotechnology, I wouldn’t understand the business ideas that researchers bring to me, as they tend to be purely technical. I had to learn their language first. The life sciences are conducted pretty much exclusively in English with tons of technical vocabulary! Only then could I use the vocabulary of economics and law to help science gain traction in the area of knowledge and technology transfer. It was a steep learning curve.”

"Just do it!"

Nadine Schmieder-Galfe still loves working with researchers today. Her motto? “Just do it!” For three years, she coordinated an international EU project at TU Dresden’s Faculty of Business and Economics, which afforded her the opportunity to learn from partners such as Imperial College how successful technology transfer works. For a change of surroundings and to gain more experience, she also spent a year at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and worked at the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research in Bremen, just to name a few stops on her journey. For ten years now, she has been holding lectures and workshops at TU Dresden on technology transfer, patents and entrepreneurship. In 2015, during her time as a member of the Bone Metastases research group at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden working under the direction of Prof. Lorenz Hofbauer, she joined forces with four biophysicists to found her own company –  ZELLMECHANIK DRESDEN GmbH. The TUD spin-off produces and sells a research device to the global market that explores and detects the mechanical properties of biological cells in real time – for instance their softness. This procedure enables scientists to determine within minutes whether certain medications are effective. For her work, Nadine Schmieder-Galfe was awarded the Free State of Saxony’s Sächsische Gründerinnenpreis (Saxon Prize for Women Entrepreneurs) in 2017. Since 2020, she has supported a second TUD spin-off full time. At DyNAbind GmbH, she was initially responsible for marketing before assuming the position of Director Operations. She explains, “DyNAbind helps pharmaceutical companies to develop new medications more quickly and efficiently.” Both companies located in Dresden-Johannstadt employ almost exclusively TUD alumni.

“Founding a company is not any riskier than life itself”

Nadine Schmieder-Galfe founded her own company for the first time as part of a summer school and has since brought many start-ups to life. Without acquiring any shares. “For me, it’s about the motivation and the impact a new company could make,” she says. “I just want the best for these companies. They should be founded competently, quickly and with a degree of certainty. If I am involved, I will bear responsibility for my entire life.” But this requires a lot of energy – sometimes too much. She is grateful for the efforts of her teams, which enable her to take care of all her obligations. And she doesn’t differentiate between work and free time. “I am highly motivated in everything I do and put all of my ideas into practice.” In her personal life, she is a passionate motorcyclist and enjoys traveling to Eastern Asia, but she is careful to ensure that she gets enough sleep and does enough exercise when she’s at home. Recently, she purchased a boat that she would like to convert into a floating office to combine business with pleasure. And vice versa.

At the moment, she is excited to be able to take part in “her” Summer School at TU Dresden’s Faculty of Medicine after a two-year gap. “Of course founding companies and working freelance bear great risk,” she acknowledges. “But entrepreneurship is awesome! Life itself is risky – building an enterprise is no riskier than just living.” She takes joy in connecting early-career researchers and young entrepreneurs with important contacts.

Contact:
Nadine Schmieder-Galfe
Director Operations
DyNAbind GmbH (HRB 36586, AG Dresden)
Tatzberg 47
01307 Dresden

Website

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