Our guest today is Thierry Laugel, Managing Partner of Kurma & Chairman of Argobio. With a PharmD, PhD in pharmacology, and an INSEAD MBA, Thierry has spent more than two decades bridging cutting-edge science and commercial success—first in pharma R&D, then as co-founder of Kurma Partners, and now leading Argobio’s unique venture-builder model.

Since raising €50 million in 2021, Argobio has co-founded and accelerated several companies from top European academic labs. Three of them—Enodia, Laigo Bio, and Elkedonia—have already closed seed rounds totaling more than €43 million, advancing novel platforms in targeted protein degradation, precision membrane protein degraders, and non-hallucinogenic neuroplasticity enhancers for depression. 

Thierry shares how Argobio reduces execution risk, embeds operational expertise, and turns promising science into investable companies that can compete worldwide. 

• 04:02 Blending pharmacology expertise with business
• 07:50 Vision behind starting Kurma Partners
• 12:53 Launching Argobio to address gaps in European biotech 
• 17:40 What makes the Argobio operational venture builder model unique
• 25:02 Criteria for selecting academic scientific breakthroughs
• 27:34 Changing dynamics of commercializing European research
• 35:30 Europe vs US biotech investment climates
• 37:47 Role of venture studios in Europe’s biotech future

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• M Ventures: pharma CVC and biotech innovation in 2026
• Inside Flagship Pioneering's strategy: How this VC turns ideas into biotech giants
• Venture capital co-creation: The next big thing in biotech investment?