How Deep-Tech Investors Decide: Live with Joško Bobanović of Sofinnova Partners

Europe has no shortage of science. What it still struggles with is turning science into companies that scale, sell, and survive in the physical world. In this livestream, Joško Bobanović of Sofinnova Partners joins Christian Soschner for a calm, high-signal conversation on how experienced deep-tech investors think when time horizons are long, uncertainty is real, and the product cannot simply be shipped as software. At the center of the discussion is one uncomfortable truth: Great science is not enough. A company still has to find customers. A team still has to evolve. A board still has to work. And technology still has to become a real product and a real business. We explore what scientists often misunderstand about venture capital, why investors are partners rather than adversaries, why communication and sales matter earlier than many founders think, and why deep-tech companies need different teams at different stages. We also widen the lens to Europe: Why does Europe still struggle to scale more deep-tech winners? Why are acquisitions still too rare in sustainability and industrial innovation? And why do so many strong technologies fail to find the right commercial path? This conversation is for founders, investors, scientists, operators, and younger builders who want to understand what it really takes to go from science to company, and from company to real-world impact. One practical question sits at the heart of the episode: Is this becoming a real company — or is it still just a very intelligent piece of science?