The Innovation Is There. The Funding Isn’t.

In nearly every major breakthrough in life sciences, whether it’s a novel therapy, diagnostic, or health tech platform, there’s a small business at the heart of it.

These small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the quiet powerhouses of health, biotech, and pharma innovation. They move faster than large institutions, take on risk, and bring fresh ideas to the table. They also serve as indispensable partners to universities, health systems, and global pharma companies.

Yet despite their contributions, many SMEs, particularly those led by women, struggle to break into capital markets, procurement pipelines, and high-value partnerships.

This isn’t just a funding gap. It’s a recognition gap. And it’s stalling progress across the entire health innovation ecosystem.

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What We’re Investigating at Gifftid AI

We’re launching a research initiative to expose and understand the structural barriers that keep high-potential health and biotech SMEs, especially those led by women, from being funded, partnered with, or scaled.

We’re asking:

• How many critical innovations in pharma and life sciences today actually come from SMEs?
• What proportion of women-led life sciences SMEs have raised over $1M or secured deals with pharma giants?
• What “credibility signals” are investors and corporate buyers really looking for, and why do traditional SMEs often get overlooked?

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What We Know So Far

The early data paints a clear picture:

• SMEs lack visibility and credibility signals, not innovation or impact.
• Founders, especially women and underrepresented groups, are routinely told they’re “too early,” “too niche,” or “too risky.”
• Regulatory readiness, scientific merit, and real-world impact are often eclipsed by polished pitch decks or insider networks.

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Why This Matters

In the UK, SMEs make up more than 90% of life sciences companies and contribute significantly to the development of new intellectual property. In the US, over 60% of new drug molecules come from SMEs and startups. Despite their critical role, women-led startups receive less than 2% of global venture capital across all sectors, including health and biotech.

This disparity is not only unjust, but it’s also highly inefficient. We are missing out on transformative innovations and, ultimately, life-saving breakthroughs that could significantly impact society.

Key Sources:

• McKinsey: Why biotech’s gender gap matters
• OECD SME and Entrepreneurship Outlook
• Nature: Startups behind biopharma innovation

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Call to Action: Join Our Collaborative Research

We’re inviting:

• SME founders, especially women and underrepresented entrepreneurs,
• Academics, researchers, and scientists working with or within SMEs,
• Investors, funders, and policy teams looking to back high-potential innovation.

To participate in evidence generation. 

Whether you’re building something revolutionary or backing those who are, we want to hear from you.

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What Gifftid AI Will Do With This

Your input will shape our platform and our advocacy work to:

• De-risk high-impact SMEs through standardized partner, impact, and readiness profiles
• Expose investable opportunities that are typically missed in mainstream pipelines
• Equip funders and buyers with better data to make smarter, more inclusive decisions

We believe risk should not be assumed. It should be understood, verified, and solved.

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Want to Get Involved?

We’re building a data-driven case for structural change, and we want you in it. Join the Research or Share Your Story →

Or reach out to our team directly: Caroline Culliere: [email protected] / Grace Castillo: [email protected] / Loredana Regep: [email protected] 

Let’s redesign the system so more brilliant ideas make it from lab to market.