Meet Armend Håti — Kosovo-born, Norway-raised bioengineer who turned an early patent into ClexBio.

We talk about being a “young” biotech founder, the US spark that flipped his mindset, why his first industry role was (surprise) in krill, paying patent bills out of pocket, fundraising nerves, and the big move from Oslo to Zurich to surround the science with the right talent. We finish with a compact masterclass for PhDs and first-time founders on validating ideas and actually asking for the money.

ClexBio in one line | Enabling cells as therapy — first with delivery systems for stem-cell assets, then toward engineered, vascularised tissues.

www.clexbio.com

Mentorship Minute | Validate the need with uncomfortable conversations, filter the feedback, refine or kill fast. And if you can, co-found with legal firepower.

Chapters
00:00 Meet Armend — origin & identity
02:10 From Kosovo to Norway — values & education
06:40 Nerd energy → bioengineering (dyslexia as edge)
10:50 US spark — Santa Barbara & Boston shift to building
24:55 Why krill? First industry role & learning to pitch
31:40 From IP to startup — buying the patent & fundraising
52:10 Landing in Zurich — talent, scale, next chapter
56:50 ClexBio in one line — enabling cells as therapy
1:02:50 Mentorship Minute — advice for PhDs & founders

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From Red Bull to Swiss MedTech — Adrian Hunn on leadership, curiosity, and building Swiss innovation.

From marketing energy drinks to leading the Swiss MedTech association — Adrian Hunn’s career proves that leadership lessons can come from anywhere.

In this episode of leadership lab, host Maurice Thornton dives into Adrian’s story — from his early love of team sports and military service, to a decade at Sonova, a CEO role in dental implants, and now shaping Switzerland’s medtech ecosystem.

You’ll hear:

• How teamwork and curiosity shaped his leadership style

• Lessons from Red Bull, Sonova, and the “Hear the World” campaign

• Why culture can make or break a career move

• Swiss MedTech’s mission: networking, knowledge & impact

• The realities behind the 39% US tariff and what it means for medtech

• His Mentorship Minute on goals, curiosity, and knowing yourself

Follow Leadership Lab for more stories of ambition, resilience, and leadership from across pharma, biotech, medtech & digital health.

#leadershiplab #medtech #careergrowth #headcountag

From law to biotech CEO — Franz-Werner Haas shares how vision shaped his career and leadership journey.

From rural Germany to biotech boardrooms — Franz-Werner Haas’s career is anything but linear. A law graduate who started out in the fishing industry, he went on to lead CureVac during COVID and today serves as CEO of LimmaTech Biologics.

In this Leadership Lab conversation with Maurice Thornton, Franz shares how vision shaped every step of his journey — and why titles matter far less than ambition, resilience, and timing.

You’ll hear:

• Why vision was his fuel from law school to biotech leadership

• The unexpected lessons from the fishing industry

• Leading through CureVac’s COVID-19 crisis

• Building teams and trust in biotech

• His mentorship advice on resilience, safe spaces & networking

Follow Leadership Lab for more real leadership stories from pharma, biotech, medtech & digital health.