BIOCAPTIVA appoints new chair

University of Edinburgh spin-out BIOCAPTIVA has appointed experienced life sciences executive Stephane Argivier as chair as it targets its next phase of international growth.

Stephane brings 30 years’ experience, including 15 years at board level, across life science tools, diagnostics and critical raw materials.

His career has included leading private and growth-stage businesses through fundraising, commercial scale-up, strategic change and acquisitions.

He has previously served as chief executive of MIP Discovery and Logical Biological, as well as managing director of SCIPAC, where he oversaw its expansion into high-value diagnostics markets and subsequent acquisition by BBI Group.

Stephane said: “BIOCAPTIVA has developed a highly differentiated and scalable technology to improve liquid biopsy workflows and sequencing data quality through enhanced pre-analytics.

“I am delighted to join as chair and look forward to working with the board and management team to accelerate commercial adoption and expand the technology’s impact across cfDNA sequencing applications.”

Stephane succeeds Frank Armstrong, who has chaired BIOCAPTIVA since its inception.

His appointment follows a series of milestones for the company, including a £1.5 million funding round, ISO 13485 certification and the commercial launch of its cancer liquid biopsy technology platform, initially targeting the US market.

Jeremy Wheeler, chief executive at BIOCAPTIVA, said: “Every stage of a company’s journey requires different strengths. 

“Frank’s leadership helped transform BIOCAPTIVA from an innovative technology company into a commercially ready business, and we are extremely grateful for everything he has contributed. 

“As we now focus on scaling internationally and delivering the commercial potential of our platform, Stephane’s experience and reputation across the global diagnostics industry will be invaluable. 

“His appointment marks another important milestone in BIOCAPTIVA’s evolution."

Sarah Hardy, director and head of new investment at Archangels, added: “BIOCAPTIVA is going from strength to strength and is poised to accelerate towards its commercial potential under Stephane’s strategic leadership. 

“The appointment of Stephane is the natural progression for the next phase of BIOCAPTIVA’s growth, as it aims to accelerate commercial adoption, deepen strategic partnerships, support OEM opportunities. 

“Archangels is proud to support BIOCAPTIVA and its vision for faster, better and deeper iteration and research on cancer, leading to better outcomes for potentially millions of people globally.”

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