From researcher to CEO: the founding of EVE Biofactory

Antonella Bongiovanni was a Principal Investigator at the Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation of the Italian National Research Council when she took part in the EIC Women Leadership Programme. Close to the end of that coaching and mentoring trajectory in 2022 she founded EVE Biofactory, a Palermo-based deep-tech spin-off that commercialises extracellular vesicle-like nanoparticles derived from microalgae. The company positions these particles as a sustainable alternative to synthetic nanotechnologies for delivery of therapeutic molecules and as natural raw materials for dermo-cosmetic formulations.

Technology in focus: nanoalgosomes, algosomes and what they claim to do

From lab results to a spin-off company

The decision to spin out followed a sequence of research milestones at CNR. Bongiovanni and co-inventors secured a patent and coordinated translational EU-funded projects, named in company materials and interviews as VES4US and BOW, which helped explore applications. After positive translational results and patent protection she experimented with entrepreneurship. Support came from DayOne, an Italian start-up studio that became a shareholder and partner. EVE Biofactory was incorporated in September 2022.

Early commercial validation included a contract with a large cosmetics company secured in the first year. Antonella described that deal as a key confidence boost. She also noted that cosmetics have a faster regulatory pathway than therapeutics and represent a near-term route to revenue whilst the company develops its therapeutic pipeline.

How the EIC Women Leadership Programme shaped the transition

For Antonella the timing was decisive. She credits the programme with triggering a mindset shift that made entrepreneurship attractive and feasible. Mentoring from Claudio La Torre, a programme mentor, and business coaching helped her conduct effective conversations with corporate partners and close the first cosmetics deal. She described curiosity as central to both science and entrepreneurship and said the programme made her curious about commercial routes for her research.

Market opportunities and the twin tracks of cosmetics and therapeutics

EVE Biofactory pursues a dual commercial strategy. Cosmetics offers a faster, lower-investment route because regulatory requirements are generally lighter than for medicines. The company expects to finalise certification and cosmetic experimentation within a year and target market entry by the end of 2026 through co-development agreements and new investment.

Therapeutic applications are the longer term ambition because demonstrating safety, efficacy and manufacturing at pharmaceutical standards requires significantly higher funding, formal preclinical and clinical studies, and regulatory approvals. The company is awaiting results from two EIC proposals and hopes that follow-on EIC support can underpin the next stage. This is typical for deep-tech bio ventures that need staged public and private investment to bridge technical and regulatory milestones.

Challenges and a realistic assessment

Antonella is candid about the familiar early-stage hurdles. Seed or pre-seed funding is scarce in Italy and across much of Europe. Private investors often offer only small tickets and early-stage ventures can be seen as too risky. She described a funding gap that forced the team to rely on contract revenue and small investments. That situation is a structural issue across the continent for capital intensive life science and deep-tech companies.

Competition is already emerging. Antonella reported other groups working with similar microalgal-derived particles and some using the name coined by her team for these nanoparticles. Competition validates the idea but raises questions about branding and intellectual property enforcement. For potential partners and funders the crucial differentiators will be reproducible data, scale-up readiness and regulatory strategy rather than marketing language.

EIC and ecosystem context

The EIC and its Business Acceleration Services provide not only funding pathways but also coaching, corporate matchmaking and procurement support. The EIC BAS reports measurable outcomes across many activities including thousands of one-on-one meetings, hundreds of deals and hundreds of millions of euros raised through investor outreach since 2021. Programmes such as Women TechEU complement the Women Leadership Programme by providing targeted grants and mentoring to women-led deep-tech startups.

What to watch next

Key near-term indicators for EVE Biofactory are completion of cosmetic certification, the nature of co-development agreements with industry partners and whether the company secures the next round of financing. For the therapeutic programme, watch for publication of independent preclinical results and any decisions on EIC funding. For the broader field, the pace at which reproducible, independently validated data on microalgae-derived vesicles appears in peer-reviewed journals will determine how quickly this class of technologies moves from laboratory curiosity to regulated product.

Final note

Antonella frames her work around solving the drug delivery problem that causes many promising molecules to fail in vivo. Her path from academic lab to founder highlights the role of targeted leadership programmes in opening entrepreneurial routes for researchers. The scientific idea and early commercial traction are encouraging but turning a natural vesicle platform into a reliable, scalable and regulatory‑compliant product will be a multi-year effort requiring rigorous data, capital and strategic partnerships.

About the EIC Women Leadership Programme

Launched by the European Innovation Council in 2021 the EIC Women Leadership Programme provides training, mentoring and networking to female researchers and entrepreneurs in the EIC and EIT communities. It runs cohort-based activities including in-person bootcamps and online sessions, and offers mentorship and business coaching. The initiative is part of a broader EIC strategy to increase women’s participation in deep-tech innovation through complementary schemes such as Women TechEU and the European Prize for Women Innovators.

If you are interested in the programme or have questions the EIC Community platform and the EIC Business Acceleration Services provide details on open calls, alumni activities and related support services.