building the company on your science.
“Great science is necessary, but never sufficient. It’s the people who turn discoveries into medicines.”
– Bruce Booth, Atlas Venture
Academic founders bring years of focused research, deep expertise, and often a breakthrough that could change how a disease is treated. Their science is rigorous, novel, and compelling—but it is not yet a company. At Willuhn Consulting, we step in as the “people” who help turn that discovery into a credible, fundable biotech. That includes access to a vast network of experts and introductions to the right partners when needed.
The business case needs to be built: evaluate the market, size the opportunity, and map competitors. A Target Product Profile (TPP) is developed to define a clear value proposition for patients and payers. We help founders become investor-ready: structuring data and narratives for pitch decks and due diligence, and explaining opportunities and risks clearly without hype. We bring industry know-how and insight into how pharma and biotech actually operate.
What does a Target Product Profile (TPP) look like?
A TPP is a concise, forward-looking document that defines the desired characteristics of a drug at approval. It typically includes the indication, target patient population, dosing regimen, efficacy and safety endpoints, route of administration, and key differentiators versus existing therapies. The TPP serves as a north star for development, aligning internal teams, investors, and regulators around what success looks like.
Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls (CMC) strategy is built in from day one, not added as an afterthought. We design a pragmatic roadmap that fits a lean start-up: what must be done now versus later, where to invest, where to defer, and how modality-specific challenges shape timelines, cost, and risk. We provide hands-on, fractional leadership: an experienced technical leader integrated into the founding team, without the cost of a full-time hire. Someone who can write strategies, plan clinical supply, talk to contract manufacturers, and prepare board and investor updates.
Above all, we focus on de-risking, not just optimism: honest, evidence-based assessments of what will be hard, expensive, or slow—and concrete plans to mitigate those risks. In short, Willuhn Consulting is the partner who helps turn great science into an executable biotech.