Senior Business Advisor with Focus on Medtech and AI Innovation

Karolinska Institutet Innovation is an independent organization wholly owned by Karolinska Institutet, with a mission to transform world-leading research into real business ventures and societal impact. They have their office in the heart of Hagastaden on Campus Solna, one of Europe's fastest-growing Life Science clusters, with close connections to Karolinska University Hospital, SciLifeLab, and a broad network of investors and industry partners. They work across the entire innovation chain: from identifying and validating early-stage ideas in their Innovation Lab, to building and strengthening companies in their Incubator, to connecting startups with capital and the right partners. About the Role As Senior Business Advisor, you will be one of the most important people in a researcher's or founder's journey from development to market. You will primarily work in the later stages of innovation development when a company is formed and there is a clear commitment to take steps toward commercial development. You bring strategic depth and operational presence and will support researchers and entrepreneurs in company formation. Your role involves guiding them, pointing out risks, and ensuring clear ownership. In practice, you are responsible for 8 to 10 projects in different phases in parallel. Some are just beginning and need help understanding whether there's even a market for them. Others are further along and are forming companies, structuring their IP, or preparing for their first investors. You adapt to what each company needs right now and help them focus on the right things in the right order. Your responsibilities: Coach and provide strategic and operational advice to researchers and Life Science startups from needs validation and business modeling to go-to-market and investor readiness. Evaluate commercial potential in research projects and early-stage companies. Monitor and continuously evaluate progress in projects and companies - identify challenges early and act on them. Build and maintain relationships with relevant stakeholders: clinics, industry partners, investors, and the international innovation ecosystem. Lead workshops and training sessions in business development and entrepreneurship. About Your Profile We are looking for someone with solid experience from the private Life Science sector, ideally with your own background as a founder or in a leadership role at a Medtech or Healthtech company. You have seen what it takes to build companies from an early stage, preferably learned from some setbacks along the way. You know how to navigate the journey from idea to market, understand the regulatory landscape, business modeling, and investor readiness. You can keep multiple balls in the air and help companies focus on the right things when everything feels equally important. Rolling up your sleeves when needed is a given. But what is absolutely most important is that you have a proactive work approach where you take ownership and drive things to completion. You have colleagues to discuss things with and a manager who is always available, but you won't be micromanaged and you are expected to find your way forward even when obstacles arise. Qualifications: Senior experience in the private Life Science sector with focus on Medtech and/or Healthtech. Practical experience founding or running a medtech company with responsibility for commercial development and regulatory considerations. You recognize the overwhelming feeling of having to manage operations while also ensuring strategic development. Strong business development expertise: needs validation, business modeling, go-to-market, pricing, customer dialogue, pitching, investor readiness, and strategic decisions. Deep understanding of the Medtech journey from idea to market: clinical benefit, care pathways, regulatory requirements, reimbursement logic, quality systems, evidence generation, and product/market adaptation. Ability to coach researchers and entrepreneurs by challenging them, supporting their prioritization, and identifying key business risks and next concrete steps. Fluent Swedish and English in both speech and writing. Merits: Experience as CEO or founder in a Medtech or Healthtech company. Knowledge of and experience with intellectual property, patents, and the patent system. Established network within healthcare, industry, investors, and innovation systems with the ability to open doors to clinical environments, test beds, commercial partners, capital, and international contacts. Academic degree at doctoral level (PhD) in Life Science. Expertise in AI and data-driven solutions related to digital health, medical device software, and clinical decision support. Why Karolinska Institutet Innovation? Here you will meet one of the world's strongest research environments and be part of putting it into practice. The organization is flat with short decision-making paths and a high degree of independence. Each business advisor works with their own portfolio responsibility but collaborates closely with colleagues and shares tools, frameworks, and experiences. The culture at KI Innovation is open and down-to-earth. People help each other here and it's completely okay not to have all the answers. At the same time, the pace is high and people are genuinely engaged in what they do. It is an unusual combination of deep academic knowledge and practical business experience, and you can feel that mix in your everyday work. Here you really make a difference, one company at a time. Application Does this role sound like you? Send in your CV and a brief description of why you are interested in this opportunity. Interviews will be conducted in August. For questions about the role or the process, please contact Sandra Bydell Sveder, Sr Recruitment Consultant, SallyQ ([email protected] or +46 763 199 96 88).

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