Starting a biotech expert network

Hello everyone, first post here.

I am a pharma/biotech R&D consultant. I have no experience with any investment funds or any other financial institution, just with scientific consulting firms.

I am passionate about investing in biotech stocks (I am just a retail investor) and since it's my field of expertise, I absolutely enjoy the scientific due diligence process that I do on my own.

I've been reading a lot about the concept of expert networks and how they're used in the finance world to help investors better understand companies and industries.

Long story short, I've been toying with the idea of starting a "boutique" biotech/life sciences expert network of professors from my personal network to provide scientific assessments in terms of technology, preclinical, and clinical areas to investors.

How often do financial institutions actually rely on input from expert networks? What are the criteria to choose an expert network? How hard will it be to gain enough credibility to get investors to use my consulting services? Is this a good business idea?

Sorry for the long post and thank you all!

9 Comments
 

Much more scrutiny on expert networks following SAC and SAC-era scandals.

Massive compliance oversight required - that's probably a big fixed cost hurdle

Funds are disincentivized from using start-up/boutique expert networks because they don't want to bear any potential compliance risk or perceived risks - easier to go with the big guys like GLG et al.

Just sign up for an existing one and get some hourly payments. 

 

this seems like an overly pessimistic take that ignores relatively new, successful services like stream mosaic/tegus 

also, i know a number of funds in 1-10 billion AUM range that hire former glg/alphasights ppl as research assistants to source experts for them in house 

 

Yes it’s a good idea. SVB Leerink has this. The barrier to understanding is too great. That’s also why PhDs are at biotech VCs. I would also love to connect.

path less traveled
 

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