4 Regardless of intention, successfully breaking into the biotechnology and life sciences industry can be an incredibly daunting task. Navigating the labyrinth of strict regulations, funding obstacles, and scientific validation seems like an impossible journey for many emerging entities and often leaves them doubting that their product will ever reach the market. Enter Almaral – a leading venture capital firm that specialises in funding and advising early-stage companies in the biotechnology and life sciences sector. We heard more from CEO and Founder Dr Maria Severina below, as the company is named in the Biotechnology and Life Sciences Awards 2025. Dr Maria Severina founded Almaral after the successful sale of her biotechnology company HyTest, which she had owned and operated as its CEO since 1994. Following her extensive time leading HyTest to success, she was perfectly positioned to leverage her wealth of knowledge to help others. In 2022, Dr Severina co-founded Almaral with her husband Alex Michine to share this expertise, forming a family-owned venture capital firm dedicated to investing in earlystage biotechnology and life sciences start-ups. A special advisory and investment firm focused on life sciences, biotechnology, digital health, and medtech, Almaral works closely with innovative start-ups, growth-stage companies, and investors, providing strategic guidance and support to accelerate business growth. Alongside Dr Severina’s vast industry knowledge, the firm leverages a combination of in-depth market analysis and a strong network of experts to identify and support the most promising innovations in the field. It is this combination that gives Almaral its distinct competitive edge; the company’s industry expertise, hands-on advisory approach, and extensive network within the life sciences and biotech sector position it as a frontrunning firm in the industry. “We are more than just investors – we are active partners,” stated Dr Severina, “guiding companies through complex markets and helping them scale successfully. In fact, Almaral has been recently recognised for its excellence by Life Science Review, named the Life Sciences Consulting Company of the Year in Europe 2024. This award is a notable achievement and a direct demonstration of Almaral’s domination of the biotechnology and life sciences sector, underlining the firm’s commitment to delivering nothing short but excellence across its operations. Almaral aims to leverage this success to propel itself forward in the market, continuing to revolutionise the industry through innovation and expertise. Working above and beyond the scope of a traditional venture capital company, Almaral not only offers investments and funding but also business and marketing consulting and legal services to innovative and growth-oriented companies in the industry. The firm creates value for its clients by addressing the strategic and operational enquiries and challenges that a start-up company may face in its initial stages. With a distinct lack of angel investor capital in the industry, Almaral serves its clients as the one-stop-shop for growth minded companies by offering unparalleled funding, legal, and marketing consulting services alongside a network of partners to provide operational support. This comprehensive service offering is rare in the complex world of biotechnology and life sciences and provides invaluable support to countless companies and start-ups emerging throughout the sector. Of course, Almaral has an exceptional industry reputation, earned partly due to its meticulous investment criteria. To qualify for Best Early-Stage BioTech Investment Start-Up 2025 – Europe
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