Leadership in biotech is often characterized by milestones, strategy, and scientific rigor. Yet for many leaders navigating a demanding, high-stakes industry, the most defining experience isn’t the technical work—it’s the isolation that comes with carrying responsibility alone.
The Termeer Institute’s cohort model was designed with that reality in mind, creating a trusted space where leaders can share openly, learn from one another, and grow through connection rather than competition.
For Fellows across classes and geographies, that sense of community is far more than an added benefit. It becomes a foundation for how they lead.
A Trusted Circle of Peers in Leadership
Biotech leaders running early-stage companies shoulder a rare combination of pressures. They balance scientific risk, investor expectations, employee relationships, and personal responsibility to patients, often without any confidantes or peers who fully grasp the complexity of their roles. The Termeer Fellowship brings together leaders to help each other navigate these pressures.
“Being part of the Termeer Fellowship reminded me that even in the most demanding seasons of entrepreneurship, we’re not alone — that there’s a community of leaders who understand the unique challenges of building in biotech,” says Afreen Allam, 2024 Termeer Fellow and Founder and CEO of SiNON Nano Sciences. “Connecting with my Termeer peers created a trusted circle of founders and leaders I could lean on for honest conversations, shared problem-solving, and perspective.”
Each year’s cohort of fellows brings together leaders from different backgrounds, cultures, and stages of growth to help fill this void. Within the cohort, they create a safe space where they can openly share insights and feedback with one another.
“Leadership can be isolating, mostly because you can’t always show the doubts that keep you up at night,” says Cinzia Silvestri, 2023 Termeer Fellow and Founder & former CEO of Bi/ond. “Seeing how other leaders navigate tough calls helped me expand my mental ‘toolbox’ for decision-making and discover new leadership styles I could integrate into my own.”
A Network That Carries the Weight With You
Leadership in biotech often feels like standing alone at the base of a structure, holding more pressure than others can see.
“Being a responsible leader in biotech means bearing the weight of those around you, as if you were the load-bearing column at the base of a dynamic building. No matter how things sway or seem to be on the edge of collapse, you must stay strong,” says Carla Spina, 2024 Termeer Fellow and CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Noa Therapeutics.
Through the Fellowship, she said, that load becomes shared. “The Termeer Fellows and the Mentors have been through this too, and authentically want to support you. Your building might collapse a few times, but the wisdom of others can accelerate your learning, strengthening the base you’ve built more than you ever thought possible.”
Lasting Connections and Leadership That Multiplies
After the year-long fellowship program, each cohort of fellows continues to connect through alumni gatherings, mentoring roles, and informal check-ins that keep the network alive. Many go on to collaborate on new ventures, share resources, or mentor the next generation of leaders entering the Termeer community.
The Termeer Institute’s cohort model reflects a simple belief: leadership is more sustainable and effective when leaders have each other. It offers space for honesty, curiosity, shared wisdom, and community. And as Fellows carry those lessons back into their organizations, they build cultures where others can grow as well.
In a demanding field where innovation and uncertainty sit side-by-side, these relationships help leaders stay grounded in what matters: the people they serve, the teams they build, and the patients who depend on their work.