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2007 Start-up.
Now an international
healthcare group.

 WHO ARE WE?

My name is Clemens Fischer. I founded Futrue more than ten years ago together with Madlena Hohlefelder, a healthcare incubator which now includes more than 20 pharmaceutical companies around the world. Before that I was with Novartis, an international pharmaceutical group and Madlena was with BCG, a leading consultancy. During my time with Novartis, I learned how many unused opportunities in the pharmaceutical and healthcare field exist. Reasons why some very significant opportunities are not utilised include the fact that big groups rarely reward the taking of risks, and it's very unlikely that a good idea will survive the many committees, which are often politically motivated. An even more common reason, though, is that many opportunities are not even recognised as being opportunities. This often leads to many patients not getting (the best) treatment, and major opportunities not being utilised.

 

We founded Futrue on the basis of this realisation.

 WHAT IS YOUR VISION?

Our vision is to become the "Tesla of the pharmaceutical industry", in other words to surprise Big Pharma with what is possible if you bring together bravery, talent and entrepreneurship to make the numerous as yet unused opportunities a reality.

 WHAT EXACTLY DOES FUTRUE DO?

We make use of precisely those opportunities that big pharma either doesn't see or has no interest in. We focus solely on opportunities in niche markets with exponential growth. If we believe in an opportunity, we found a company and put in high quality managers.

 

And off we go!

 

Each company is self-sufficient, and Futrue only manages the areas accounting, legal and IT. To ensure that our ideas are implemented as quickly as possible and time is not wasted with politics and unnecessary discussions, we start all of our companies without any external investors.

 CAN YOU GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF THE FOUNDING OF A COMPANY LIKE THAT?

Several years ago, an article about a cannabis company that appeared in "Manager Magazin" encouraged us to look at that market more closely. We found that the market for leisure cannabis did not meet our requirements profile, among other things because of the unfavourable competitive environment and the minimal levels of differentiation. What our studies did show, however, was that some of the active substances contained within cannabis have a significant effect on the sensation of pain. Our market analyses also showed, that there was only one company in the whole world with the expertise to cultivate medical cannabis plants, manufacture a herbal medicine from them and develop these to authorised medicinal products. However, this company works in a completely different area on the treatment of epilepsy, and was therefore not an obstacle.

 

As a result, a few years ago we founded the biopharmaceutical company Vertanical, built the most modern GMP greenhouse in the world for cannabis in Denmark in record time, built from scratch a highly modern, GMP-certified production facility for manufacturing medicinal products containing cannabis, and have carried out more than 10 preclinical and clinical studies to date. Our lead product, Ver-01, is now in the final stage of clinical trials (phase III). We are confident, that we will receive authorisation for the first innovation in pain relief therapy in more than 30 years in the next 24 months, and that we will be able to launch our unique medicinal product worldwide. Our aim is to replace opioids, which have many side effects, and to give the more than 100 million chronic pain patients around the world a new life with our potential blockbuster, Ver-01.

 WHERE DOES THE MONEY TO FOUND YOUR COMPANIES COME FROM?

Our operational companies are currently making profits before taxation and expenses on R&D of around 50 million euros a year, and this trend is very much on the rise. In addition to this, we have the revenue from selling companies that makes a significant contribution to our cash pool. We currently have an investment volume in the high hundreds of millions. This enables us to realise even large and cost-intensive opportunities.

 WHICH COMPANIES HAVE YOU FOUNDED? CAN YOU GIVE US SOME EXAMPLES?

– a leading global probiotic company with the market leader Kijimea in the field of irritable bowel

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SYNformulas is a leading global probiotics company focusing on researching intelligent bacteria. SYNformulas has already managed to make a breakthrough in the field of treatment for irritable bowel diseases: in two independent studies, the strain of bacteria MIMBb75 showed significant efficacy in the common disease of irritable bowel syndrome. It is now the bacterial strain that is most commonly used for this indication across all of Europe. For future-oriented product development with clinically proven efficacy, SYNformulas creates a skilled research and development team and builds on collaboration with a wide network of internationally recognised researchers and universities.

– biopharmaceutical company focusing on giving chronic pain patients a new life

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Vertanical is a highly innovative biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development of cannabis-based active substances to treat patients with chronic pain. Vertanical has the most modern cultivation and production facility for medicinal cannabis in the world. Vertanical has now carried out more than 10 preclinical and clinical studies. The lead product, Ver-01, is currently in the final stage of clinical trials (phase III). We are confident that we will receive authorisation to bring the first innovation in pain relief therapy in more than 30 years to the market in the next 24 months. Our aim is to replace opioids, which have many side effects, and to give the more than 100 million chronic pain patients around the world a new life with our blockbuster, Ver-01.

– leading OTC company focusing on chemical-free medicinal products (listed in June 2020)

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A pharmaceutical company working across Europe, PharmaSGP is one of the fastest-growing medicinal product companies in Europe and specialises in the development and sale of non-prescription medicinal products. The company now works in two European countries and has been expanding both its market presence in Europe and its brand portfolio. PharmaSGP recently acquired a brand portfolio from the pharmaceutical giant GSK worth 85 million euros. The portfolio includes well-known brands such as Formigran, Spalt and Baldriparan, among others. Significant organic growth and the successful implementation of the M&A strategy led to further strong growth in turnover of almost 40% in the first six months. PharmaSGP has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Prime Standard) since June 2020.

 WHICH COMPANIES HAVE YOU ALREADY SOLD? CAN YOU GIVE US SOME EXAMPLES?

– PharmaSGP

(listed in June 2020)

– e-detailingplattform

(sold to Novartis)

Lactostop – the worldwide first lactase preparation in an applicator, used to treat lactose intolerance (sold to Dermapharm)

Yokebe – leading meal replacement (sold to Perrigo)

 WHAT TYPE OF PEOPLE ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

We are looking for people who really want to achieve and change something with their lives, along with a team of highly motivated and intelligent colleagues. A high level of commitment and very good analytical skills are other attributes that are important to us.

 WHICH ROLES ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN YOUR COMPANY? CAN YOU GIVE TWO EXAMPLES?

We currently have more than 130 vacancies at our Gräfelfing location alone.

 

Among other vacancies, we are looking for a Director of Sales and Performance Marketing for SYNformulas. SYNformulas is a leading global probiotics company focusing on researching intelligent bacteria to treat patients with allergies and gastrointestinal diseases. As Director of Sales and Performance Marketing, you will lead a team of around 50 employees and be responsible for a gross annual marketing budget of around 50 million euros. You will work with your team to create international online campaigns. You will also be responsible for taking our sales teams in Austria and Germany to new highs. You will work in Gräfelfing near Munich. The goal is for you to be part of the management team within 12-24 months of joining the company.

 

We are also looking for a Director of Clinical Operations for Vertanical. Vertanical specialises in the development of cannabis-based medicinal products. The lead product, Ver-01, is currently in the final stage of clinical trials (phase III), and we are confident that we will be able to launch the first innovation in the painkiller market for more than 30 years in the next two years. As the Director of Clinical Operations, you will lead a team that currently consists of around 30 people (target 2025: 100 employees), and you will coordinate the operational implementation of our studies around the world, so we can bring our medicinal products to the market faster than any other pharmaceutical company. Knowledge of pharmaceuticals is NOT necessary, but we do require the ability to think outside the box, develop processes and implement them rigorously. You should also be able to keep many balls in the air at the same time. You will work in Gräfelfing near Munich.

 DO I HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT PHARMACEUTICALS OR MEDICINE?

Definitely not. The vast majority of our employees had no experience of the pharmaceutical industry before they joined us. We are looking for colleagues who are ambitious in their work and learn quickly.

 

The rest comes on its own!

 DO YOU OFFER FLEXIBLE WORKING?

Yes, we offer flexible working. Our employees can work from home two days a week. We very much believe, though, that ideas and problems should be discussed face-to-face and on-site and that it is not optimal for teams to be managed by directors or managers who are not on-site with their teams. If you have ambitions of taking on a leadership role with us, you should be willing to spend most of your time in our offices. Of course you can still organise your working hours in a flexible way.

 WHAT IS THE APPLICATION PROCESS LIKE

We know that time is the most important resource for every applicant. We have therefore worked for years to develop a process that allows us to evaluate whether there is a good fit between you and us using as few questions as possible, particularly at the start of the process.

1/5
ONLINE-TEST

If we have contacted you directly on LinkedIn, for example, we already have your CV and have sent you a link to our homepage for the relevant role. You can learn more about us in detail here. If you like what we do, you are welcome to complete our short online test (it takes less than 10 minutes and is a good initial indicator of the fit between us).

 

If you apply directly via our careers page without being contacted by us in advance, we would ask you to send all of your application documents to us first (www.futrue.com/en/career/). If we like what we see, we will send you a link to our online test.

2/5
INITIAL INTRODUCTORY CONVERSATION

If the online test shows that the same things are important to us and that you have good analytical and logical thinking, we will invite you to a 30-minute initial introductory discussion on Teams. The interviewers for applicants for leadership positions are always members of our management team, while for roles without leadership responsibilities the introductory discussion is with an experienced member of our HR team, usually together with the team leader of the relevant department.

 

We usually divide the 30 minutes into two equal parts. In the first 15 minutes, we want to learn more about your CV and about you, while in the second 15 minutes we will answer all of your questions and give you an idea of what drives us each day and what it is exactly that we do.

3/5
CASE DISCUSSION

If, after the initial introductory discussion, both you and we decide that we could imagine a future working together, we will send you a case via email. Working through the case will require a certain time commitment from you, but most applicants genuinely enjoy it. You can decide how long you need and when you want to present your results (the case discussion is generally around 2-3 weeks after the initial introductory discussion). The case presentation takes around 20-30 minutes, and the entire case discussion around 60 minutes. Applicants for leadership roles will mostly be interviewed exclusively by the management team, while applicants for positions without leadership responsibilities will mostly be interviewed by team leads.

 

The main difference between the case interviews for applicants with and without leadership responsibilities is the complexity. For applicants for roles without any leadership responsibility, it is possible that the case will not be sent in advance and will instead be worked through with the team lead during the interview itself.

 

The backdrop for this 60-minute meeting is that we want to understand how you approach tasks, how detail-oriented you are and how you present your results. Of course we also want you to get to know us better and for you to be able to get answers to all of your questions about the role and about the group. If you impress us, we will send you a non-binding offer promptly (salary, annual leave, extras etc.), which we will be happy to discuss with you in detail on the phone.

4/5
FINAL DISCUSSION

For applicants for roles with leadership responsibilities, we always have a final, in-person discussion with around 4-6 members of our management team on site in Gräfelfing. The aim of this discussion is to answer any questions the applicant may still have, to provide a deeper insight into how we work and to give them the opportunity to get to know their future colleagues better.

 

There is often no third discussion for applicants for roles without leadership responsibilities.

5/5
CONTRACT

It's a match – you fit with us and we fit with you! We will be delighted to send your employment contract to you as soon as possible. We have standard contracts that don't tie you in and are written in a simple, uncomplicated way.

ONBOARDING

Welcome to the FUTRUE family! After an onboarding process with the HR team, your own team will welcome you and start the department-specific onboarding.

 WHAT IS YOUR STAFF STRUCTURE LIKE?

 WHAT DOES YOUR MANAGEMENT TEAM LOOK LIKE?

We have a very diverse team. We look for compelling CVs, drive and strong analytical skills in our managers and board members.

 

We aren't interested in whether someone has previously gained pharmaceutical experience.

 

Take a look for yourself, though, here are a couple of CVs from our leadership team:

Dr. Clemens Fischer

Founder and CEO FUTRUE

Madlena Hohlefelder

CSO FUTRUE

David Rietbrock

CEO SYNformulas
COO FUTRUE

Bastian Baasch

CEO FUTRUE Research & Science and Vertanical

Sebastian Hach

CCO/Managing Director of Vertanical

Natalie Weigand

Board PharmaSGP

Michael Rudolf

Board PharmaSGP

Dr. Max Dingler

Director of R&D and QA&RA

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