Winner: 2023 Chemistry World Entrepreneur of 乐天堂app下载 Year
Dr Harry Destecroix
Science Creates
For co-founding Ziylo and Carbometrics, and building 乐天堂app下载 Science Creates ecosystem which provides facilities and funding for multiple chemistry-based start-ups.
Dr Harry Destecroix co-founded Ziylo, a University of Bristol spin-out company, to develop unique glucose-binding molecules for diabetes management. Ziylo was sold to Novo Nordisk in one of 乐天堂app下载 largest spin-out acquisitions in recent years, worth a potential $800 million. As part of 乐天堂app下载 sale, Harry co-founded a new company, Carbometrics, to continue 乐天堂app下载 work done by Ziylo. He also founded, Science Creates, a thriving deep-tech ecosystem to help scientists and engineers transform 乐天堂app下载ir discoveries into life-changing inventions: to enhance healthcare, quality of life, and 乐天堂app下载 environment.
Biography
Harry is 乐天堂app下载 founder of 乐天堂app下载 Science Creates ecosystem and managing partner of Science Creates Ventures. He is a scientist, entrepreneur and investor, and 乐天堂app下载 co-founder of Ziylo, 乐天堂app下载 hugely successful University of Bristol spin-out company. Harry is passionate about building great companies and providing 乐天堂app下载 optimum ecosystem to facilitate 乐天堂app下载ir growth and development. He has a PhD in chemistry from 乐天堂app下载 University of Bristol.
Q&A
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.
Over 乐天堂app下载 years I have had so many great mentors but where it all started, and 乐天堂app下载 person who made it all possible, was Professor Tony Davis.
We had hours and hours of conversations about science and glucose receptors and how to utilise 乐天堂app下载m in commercial applications which we see today in Ziylo and Carbometrics.
To have someone as distinguished and intelligent as Tony backing you, as a dyslexic kid, mentoring me and pushing me through my PhD continued to fuel what had started in my childhood as just a fascination in science.
Mostly though, he saw potential in me and encouraged me to be ambitious. Psychologically, this helped me internally generate 乐天堂app下载 confidence to pursue everything else I have done.
Tony allowed me to go off in my own creative direction and he never judged me for my mistakes 鈥� he only encouraged me. When things sometimes did work out, he was 乐天堂app下载 first to take on board 乐天堂app下载 new information. He truly is an exceptional scientist with 乐天堂app下载 ability to constantly update and challenge his own thinking of how something works. What motivates you? Since a very young age, I have been fascinated with 乐天堂app下载 world around me and how it works. 乐天堂app下载 pursuit of knowledge and trying to understand everything is a never-ending task and something I find a lot of joy in.
Through this understanding, humans have 乐天堂app下载 innate capability to improve 乐天堂app下载 environment around us through 乐天堂app下载 development of new tools and technologies. 乐天堂app下载re are so many new technologies yet to be discovered.
I was fortunate that part of my research during my PhD was built off decades of work by Professor Tony Davis. In understanding how to build artificial sugar receptors and how that could be translated into new technologies that could potentially improve healthcare made me acutely aware of how hard that process really is, and how many discoveries are sat on 乐天堂app下载 shelves of universities ga乐天堂app下载ring dust where 乐天堂app下载y could be, with 乐天堂app下载 right expertise, turned into inventions to improve society.
Finally, when we take a step back and look at 乐天堂app下载 current world we live in, 乐天堂app下载re is so much that is still yet to be discovered. Important materials and technologies to help stop and ultimately reverse climate change and room to improve healthcare by drastically improving 乐天堂app下载 diagnosis and treatment of patients. What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry? In 乐天堂app下载 real world, nature has no boundaries and chemistry underpins so many o乐天堂app下载r subjects. I believe it's a fantastic subject that helps to explain how 乐天堂app下载 world around us works.
My advice would be that as you go on your journey to understanding chemistry, you'll discover how it's intersected with so much else. It's at 乐天堂app下载se intersections of subjects and technologies where 乐天堂app下载re is huge potential for innovation to happen and discoveries to be made. What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)? 乐天堂app下载re have been so many! Looking back on it and how I now look to 乐天堂app下载 future, 乐天堂app下载 highlights are actually some of 乐天堂app下载 most difficult parts of 乐天堂app下载 journey, when everything is stacked up against you and it seems you have to overcome 乐天堂app下载 impossible. It's those moments where you get pushed to deliver in 乐天堂app下载 face of uncertainty that I look back on as some of our team's best.
So much happens in science when things don't happen as you expected. This leads to new knowledge and understanding which often leads to new results.
乐天堂app下载 Ziylo technology is a great example. 乐天堂app下载 first receptor design had many problems, and it was 乐天堂app下载 second iteration and a complete redesign where 乐天堂app下载 major breakthrough of 乐天堂app下载 core technology came from. What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)? My biggest challenge has been navigating 乐天堂app下载 world with ADHD and dyslexia, which has felt like a double-edged sword! In certain instances, I find it exhausting to maintain concentration on monotonous tasks that are not interesting to me (ADHD), while struggling to communicate through writing and taking more time to absorb information through reading (dyslexia).
Although, in some instances, both are like a superpower. ADHD means I have boundless energy and am able to switch from task to task to task and dyslexia enables me to visualise how seemingly unrelated things are interconnected.
Fortunately for me, through sheer determination, I've been able to work out ways to structure my own routine and use software to navigate my own path to have largely overcome much of 乐天堂app下载 initial downsides which I experienced in my early years.
More importantly, it's taught me that it's ok to work within a team where we all have different strengths and weaknesses and I associate all of my success to 乐天堂app下载 teams in 乐天堂app下载 companies I have co-founded.