Had you asked Lisa Kurek her opinion about the potential of growing biotech start-ups in Michigan late last year, she would have told you to ask her again in a month or two. Ask her today, and the managing partner of Biotechnology Business Consultants won't put off the question. She will exude confidence.
Kurek points out that the recent reauthorization of the federal
Small Business Innovation Research grants brought stability back to the bio-tech space. Add to that the state of Michigan recently reauthorizing spending up to $500,000 annually over three years for bio-tech business consulting, and the woman behind the Ann Arbor-based consultancy is feeling optimistic.
"All of my clients breathed a sigh of relief," Kurek says. "It allows us to really ramp up what we were doing. This is a really good time after a lot of upheaval."
Biotechnology Business Consultants specializes in helping bio-tech start-ups develop their technologies and grow their business, a process that often takes several years of work and millions of dollars in investment. The company recently added an independent contractor to its staff of five employees. Kurek plans to create two more full-time jobs in the next year as her 22-year-old firm works to build up its new clients.
"My goal is not to be a high-growth business but to be a high-impact business," Kurek says. "I want to focus on our new clients we just landed."
Source: Lisa Kurek, managing partner of Biotechnology Business Consultants
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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