From PhD to Start-up CEO; Enantis (CZE) & Head of Startup Support; Innovation Agency JIC (CZE)

With Veronika Stepankova, PhD 

Veronika Stepankova is a biochemist who dedicated her entire academic path – from Bachelor’s through her PhD – to research in enzymology and structural biology at the Loschmidt Laboratories of Masaryk University. Her work focused on proteins with clear application potential, from decontamination of chemical warfare agents to use in regenerative medicine.

Her research career included international stays at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, and was closely connected with technology transfer. Loschmidt Laboratories gave rise in 2006 to Enantis, the first biotechnology spin-off of Masaryk University, and Veronika became involved in this entrepreneurial journey from the very beginning.

In 2013, upon completing her PhD, she joined Enantis as CEO, leading the company until 2019. During this time, she transformed the young spin-off into a biotech company with global reach and a team of nearly twenty people, gaining valuable entrepreneurial and leadership experience. After stepping down from her executive role to go on maternity leave, Veronika remained a co-owner of Enantis.

In 2020, she joined JIC, where she currently leads the startup support team. In this role, she draws on her own entrepreneurial experience to help startups and particularly spin-offs navigate their journey from research to market. Although she left academia after her PhD, her work at JIC allows her to stay in close contact with researchers and support the transformation of scientific discoveries into impactful businesses.