S3, E4: ReproNovo’s strategic trash-to-treasure bet on fertility and reproductive health - with CEO Jean Marie Duval

In this episode, we dive into ReproNovo’s “trash to treasure” biotech story. Founded in Switzerland in 2021, the company is reimagining reproductive medicine, one of the most underserved areas in biotech, by reviving overlooked and discarded assets. Earlier this year, ReproNovo raised a $65M Series A from a syndicate of esteemed European investors to advance programs in male infertility, embryo implantation, and adenomyosis.

CEO Jean Marie Duval reflects on her unconventional path from patent attorney to biotech CEO, why she and her co-founders put their own capital on the line, and how they convinced investors to back them without fresh data. We also talk about the unique hurdles of drug development in fertility, the challenge of designing and powering clinical trials, and why the next two years will be pivotal for ReproNovo to prove its vision of revival and hopes for a successful exit.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction

02:00 – Jean Marie’s elevator pitch on ReproNovo

03:00 – Pipeline overview: RPN-001 and RPN-002, from Novartis/Mereo and ObsEva

06:00 – Jean Marie’s career journey: from biomedical engineer to patent attorney to pharma exec and biotech CEO

07:30 – Founding story: bootstrapping, co-founders, and the first in-license

10:00 – The 18-month grind: capital risk, grit, and courage

12:00 – Bringing in M Ventures and building the Series A syndicate

15:00 – Convincing investors in an under-served field

19:00 – Asset history: male infertility data signals, IVF trial failures, and fresh strategies

21:30 – Embryo implantation and adenomyosis: unmet need and opportunity

22:00 – Clinical trial plans: Phase II timelines, endpoints, and design challenges

26:30 – Safety vs efficacy: the importance of balancing risk in women’s health trials

28:30 – Trial recruitment and patient motivation

30:00 – Looking ahead: pivotal studies, Series B or big pharma exit

For any comments, questions or feedback you can connect directly with ⁠⁠Surani Fernando⁠⁠ on LinkedIn or email: raisingbiotech@gmail.com

Title music composed by: Yrii Semchyshyn (Coma Media)