Genialis

How a team of scientists and data experts from Ljubljana and the United States used artificial intelligence to build computational models of biology that are changing the way drugs are developed and decision-making in oncology.

Genialis is a global company with headquarters in Ljubljana and Boston and approximately 30 employees on both continents.

At the company, they build computer models of biology based on artificial intelligence. They can, for example, simulate or predict the outcomes of cancer treatment with various drugs. Thus, they support the development of diagnostic and prognostic tests and new drugs in oncology with a clear goal: to bring effective therapies to the right patients faster.

ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THE BEGINNINGS

Genialis was created as a spin-off of the Bioinformatics Laboratory at the Faculty of Computer Science and Informatics, led by Prof. Blaž Zupan. With this, knowledge and experience from the university environment were transferred to the company and directed to solve concrete problems in biomedicine.

In the early years, they solved fundamental challenges at the intersection of bioinformatics and computer science, mainly in genome and gene expression analysis, and the development of cloud infrastructure for the analysis, storage, retrieval and annotation of molecular data. Artificial intelligence has been at the core of the company since the beginning, with data scientists already present among the founders.

The turning point came around 2019, as their technology matured, and at the same time they sensed the need for advanced models of cancer biology in the market. At that time, they focused on the development of computer models of cancer and acquired the first major projects in which they participated in the development of new drugs. This was the moment when the idea finally grew into a company with a clear direction and concrete impact in oncology.

If we looked back, we would otherwise solve primarily the issue of focus and product. Initially, they wanted to cover a too wide range of needs, so they invested part of their time in things that were technically interesting, but did not bring clear value to the user quickly enough. Today, we would rather set clear priorities and cut more decisively everything that does not contribute to a measurable result.

“Technology is important, and the breakthrough happened only when we linked it to a very concrete problem and to customers who were willing to pay for it.”

TODAY'S TIMES AND CHALLENGES

Nowadays, in their opinion, the biggest obstacle is the general cooling of the global biotechnology and biopharmaceutical market, where most of their customers come from. Due to declining investment and increased uncertainty in the industry, many companies have fewer resources for research and development, and additional dynamics are often complicated by regulatory changes (e.g. in the US at the FDA). However, despite the precarious financial situation, they organized several days of strategic planning for the entire international team. They connected, took the time to plan and strengthened the common direction, which is quite in line with their commitment “People first”and is one of the main reasons they do it and that they do it well.

PEOPLE, CULTURE, TEAM

They told us that they had a really valuableteam, consisting of top expertsand, more importantly, good people. They care for each other, support personal growth and encourage everyone to find their passion and become the best version of themselves. They respect individuals and their lives outside of work, appreciate all roles and every contribution. But most of all, what characterizes them is how they stick together in difficult moments - they help each other, they also step outside their roles, because they do not care about each other or the company as a whole.

When looking for new colleagues, they Their most important values, which are not just a letter on paper, but a guide to how they work and how they act in difficult situations. Of course, they are looking for competent individuals who master the field of their work and are professionally the most suitable candidates and candidates for the requirements of the position. However, they invite to the team only those who, in addition to professionalism, also prove that they will always put people first in their work. Individuals who trust them to be honest even when it is not easy, who will think again and again in their work what they could have done differently and better. People who they believe will take responsibility for their work and for the company as a whole and will be constructive in their work.

They search for new colleagues through a wide variety of channels, from LinkedIn, personal networks of their colleagues, to career fairs and recruiters. Many candidates contact them outside the call and contact them when a relevant opportunity opens up for them.

“The best motivation for a team is a stimulating work environment where each individual knows that they are respected and that they want to develop their full potential.”

An environment where there is no looking under the fingers, but based on trust and results. They do not command the place and time of work, everyone can work where they feel best and at the hours that suit them best. People are drawn to work in offices with a good atmosphere and with attentions such as breakfasts, massages and guided workouts, rather than a mandated mandatory presence. Of course, this way of working requires more attention from managers, so teams should not be too large, and each manager meets weekly with each member of his team to work out together how he can best support him in his work.

In addition to the regular working monthly meeting of the whole team, where the word is spread about work, projects, challenges and achievements, they also meet once a month with the aim of connecting. Highlights event is dedicated to presentations of topics,that have significantly affected the lives of team members in the past month. The colleagues share with them everything from trips to weddings, relocations, sporting achievements and research, in short, everything that made an important impression on them. They are also in regular contact as people, not just as colleagues.

Teambuilding are an opportunity for the team to connect, which is extremely important for them, since they work in different parts of the world and see each other live with some colleagues only twice a year. They want to provide the team with an authentic experience and therefore do not resort to generic activities of outsiders, but, as a rule, organize themselves gatherings to suit different tastes - from those adventurous for adrenaline seekers, to relaxed moments in nature for those who are happy with a beautiful view or an interesting board game. Most of their team-building activities are part of semi-annual retreats, during which they paddled along the canals of Venice and the Poreč Bay, skied in the Austrian Alps, climbed numerous Slovenian mountains, tasted olive oil and wine in Istria, crossed Kvarner and went all the way from Velika Planina, Jezersko, Krnica to Poznan. Horja.

SOCIAL ROLE AND PUBLIC IMAGE

Genialis builds its presence in the public through various communication channels to strengthen its visibility and professional credibility. They communicate regularly on LinkedIn, where they share professional content and company news, and send out a monthly newsletter with selected highlights for their community.

They are also founding member of the initiative Alliance for AI in Healthcare, an international coalition of technology companies, the pharmaceutical industry and research organizations, which strives for the responsible and ethical development and regulatory appropriate use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

They are especially proud of the house. Talking Precision Medicine podcast, which reached the milestone of 50 episodes this year. In the podcast, CEO Rafael Rosengarten hosts experts in the field of artificial intelligence and big data analytics. The talks focus on the promises, practice, challenges and myths of artificial intelligence in the development of targeted drugs. The number of listeners is growing every year, which allows them to host more and more high-profile interlocutors, also from the leadership positions of companies such as Tempus AI, Google Cloud, QIAGEN and Recursion Pharmaceuticals, for example.

At Genialis, social responsibility is a real commitment.

They implement it through active involvement in the community, supporting educational and social initiatives, and creating an inclusive work environment. They promote well-being, diversity and inclusion, and provide opportunities for employees to develop and support mental health. For example, they have repeatedly hosted R - ladies meetings, sponsored a bioinformatics summer school and school programming competitions.

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND FUTURE

At Genialis, they assess that our business environment is extremely rigid.

“There are too many laws and regulations that regulate companies and although most come from the good intentions of protecting workers, which we basically welcome, for smaller companies this can be a big challenge. We would also like entrepreneurial success to be more desirable and positively accepted in society and that the salaries of highly qualified employees would be less burdened.”

Genialis is an American company with a branch in Slovenia, so they witness the differences on a daily basis. Operational management of a company in Slovenia requires several times more time and people, there is much less flexibility even when you want to offer more to your team members (for example, payment of salary before the end of the current month). In the US, everything is moving faster, from working with customers, to investors and banks, which is of paramount importance for a growing company.Risk is commonplace there, the self-esteem of all stakeholders is extremely high. There are great differences in culture, it is very common for employees to change jobs every year, two, and thus take care of the constant growth of their wages, but on the other hand, employers also terminate contracts from today to tomorrow, since most jobs are “at will” without any rights for the worker. Long workdays are expected, work on weekends and during holidays, there is little leave, and sick and maternity leave are not paid.

If we had a magic wand, we would change the taxation of options in the corporate environment.

‍A startup with big dreams, a dedicated and ambitious team cannot afford high salaries at the beginning of its journey. However, it can motivate colleagues by granting options and thus the company becomes a little too theirs and the success of the company also means their success. The current method of taxation taxes the results of hard work over many years or even decades as if it were a salary paid in a year. This means that the payout always falls into the highest income tax class. When added to this, unlimited contributions and capital gains tax, this way of tax treatment reduces the likelihood that young people will choose a risky path in a startup instead of a secure job in a large company.

“In 5 years, Genialis will be an established global partner to pharmaceutical and biotech companies in drug development, where our models will become an integral part of decision making in the early and clinical stages of development. Our technology will be routinely used to select the right therapies for the right patients and to better understand the biology of disease.

The long-term vision, however, is even broader: to build fundamental computational models of biology that will link molecular data, clinical outcomes, and therapies and enable faster, more accurate, and more predictable drug development. In this way, we want to make a lasting contribution to ensuring that effective therapies reach the patients who need them most more quickly.”

The future of the industry is manifested in individual-oriented medicine(precision medicine), which is based on molecular indicators and will be increasingly driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning. This means that predictive models for diagnostics, treatment selection and prognosis will be built from genetic and other molecular data, while at the same time, concepts such as digital twins will enter clinical trials for better study design and more accurate patient stratification. The same approaches will also accelerate the discovery of new targets and drugs, as models will help identify relevant biological mechanisms and reduce the risk of developmental failure.

They are preparing for the upcoming technological, regulatory and social changes in a holistic manner. They actively monitor trends and participate in professional organisations and advisory bodies such as the Alliance for AI and Healthcare (AAIH), while also engaging in dialogues with regulators and ministries. They monitor legislation and regulatory requirements and adjust their approaches in advance. The company's software, processes and culture are designed with data security and privacy in mind, following established standards.In this way, they ensure that their solutions are technologically advanced, regulatory compliant and trustworthy.

They are thinking about expanding the company mainly within medicine, where they see natural further steps beyond oncology. Their findings and models are also directly relevant to fields such as immunology and neurology, where diseases are complex, biologically heterogeneous, and highly dependent on molecular mechanisms.

“Our key competitive advantage in the future will be the combination of a deep understanding of biology, cutting-edge data science and years of experience with real-world data from drug development. We don't just build models, but robust, explainable, and clinically relevant systems that operate even outside of ideal conditions. This, together with a strong focus on reproducibility, regulatory readiness and close collaboration with customers, allows us to create solutions that are actually useful in practice.”

One of the biggest growth opportunities for the industry over the next decade will be the shift to value-based healthcare, where healthcare payers will increasingly demand evidence of the actual effectiveness of therapies. This will accelerate the uptake of individual-centred medicine, as these approaches will be key to demonstrating that the right treatment reaches the right patient at the right time and with measurable clinical impact.

FUN RUBRIC

If Genialis were a musical group, would play Discovery techno: It sounds complex and serious, yet accessible enough to hold energy and connect people on the dance floor. It is a genre for those who value order and good feeling in the same piece, but at the same time want the music to gradually take them to new levels of unexpected and as yet undiscovered cognitions.

The most frequently opened applications on the work phone: daily Slack and calendar, and during retreats, the Genialis retreat app, where they find all the information about what is happening at the retreat.

“In the eyes of the general population, probably even our company is a bit geeky, and we are proud of that. Knowledge is a virtue, and scientists are cool.”

In addition to science, they also take coffee very seriously- the first purchase after Seed investment was a serious coffee machine, which today is in good company with a coffee grinder, scales and a bunch of other gadgets, the names of which we do not know how to list. In addition to coffee lovers, the team has extreme athletes, two pilots, a huge number of scouts, a tai chi teacher, singers, chefs, bmxars, hockey players, artists, passionate readers and many others.

Emojis that best describe a company?🤖🌪️🧠🎢🧬❤️

An internal joke or a phrase that everyone in the company knows?

Act normal.

CONCLUSION

We want to tell young people who are considering a career in technology, entrepreneurship, that they should first gain knowledge and experience in the industry, where they learn how things work in practice, how a product is built and how it works with customers. When the idea matures, however, they take advantage of the opportunities offered by various tenders, business accelerators and support programs. In such environments, you can learn a lot faster, with mentors and with less risk than if you discovered everything yourself and on your own skin. This is an excellent basis on which you then build your entrepreneurial path much easier and more confidently.

“We want to contribute to individual-oriented medicine becoming the standard faster, so that the right treatment gets to the right patient as soon as possible. Within the company, however, we want Genialis colleagues to remember their journey together with joy, because of the good relationships, the culture of cooperation and the working conditions in which everyone can do their best work.”

Do not be afraid of risks.

You learn a lot in every endeavor and thus gain valuable experience for the next venture. Just start and keep going. If the first project succeeds, great, and if not, you will go to the second armed with new knowledge and experience.