Meet Our Accelerators
Alexandra Hoegberg, Member at Ventures Accelerated
“Good communication is less about what you want to say and more about what the other person is interested in and what they’re receptive to hear.”
- Alexandra Hoegberg
With roots in journalism at Reuters News in Hong Kong and a career spanning global health, biotech, and nonprofit advocacy, Alexandra Hoegberg is a master of message and mission. Her strategic communications work has influenced policy, built reputations, and connected stakeholders across borders and sectors. She is now a fierce entrepreneur and consultant – and recently joined the Ventures Accelerated team.
Founder Helena Strigård interviews her on the driving force behind that sharp pen of hers!
Joining Ventures Accelerated marks the second time that I have had the pleasure of recruiting you. To me, this makes perfect sense as I believe we share the same passion to tell the stories of groundbreaking science and innovation. Where does this storytelling passion come from, in your case?
I’ve always been insatiably curious and had a fascination for stories, writing, and language ever since I learned my ABCs. It’s no wonder that I packed up and moved to China at the age of 20, every so eager to find out what that part of the world was like and to dig into Chinese language studies. I ended up living abroad as a student and young professional for ten years – mostly in China and Hong Kong, but I did a stint in Germany too, somewhere in the middle.
I was dead set on carving out a career as a writer, and did a masters in journalism at The University of Hong Kong before landing a job at Reuters News’ bureau there. It was a fantastic place to cut my teeth as a journalist – every story, no matter how big or small, was held to the same high editorial standards and rigorous accuracy. The insights I gained into the nitty-gritty of journalistic work is also invaluable to me today when I manage PR and media relations for clients.
When I moved back to Sweden more than a decade ago I stumbled into life science communications almost by accident. I stayed in the industry because it satisfies that same curiosity that drove me to traverse the globe throughout my twenties. There’s never a dull day in life science – the scientific knowledge bank grows on the daily, innovation is fast paced, and people really care deeply about their vocation. The days when a new product hits the market with a splash and impacts real-world patients in a major way make me feel proud to be a small cog in an industry that improves people’s health and lives.
What is the most challenging aspect of translating a life science company's journey and ambitions into a narrative that captures the interest of investors and strategic partners?
Life science is a complex area with tremendously long and costly lead times and high financial risks and rewards. It makes it imperative to not only explain what you’re actually doing, but also make sure that your stakeholders understand the game. As with any communications or PR initiative, it’s a matter of tailoring your message to the right audience – the way you speak to an industry peer isn’t the same as the way you have to explain what you do to someone outside the industry.
Regardless of your audience’s level of scientific understanding, you benefit from creating a narrative that shows what the real-world need for your product is and why it will be commercially successful. What’s its competitive edge over other products that are currently on the market or may launch while you’re still refining yours? When you ask someone to put money on the table and invest in your venture, show them that you have a tight grasp and vision for the entire journey – from R&D all the way to commercialisation. You want to paint a clear picture of why your product will be well-received by patients, since this sets the stage for showing the medical need, your unique selling point, and the commercial potential of your product.
With JP Morgan coming up, the greatest finance-oriented event there is for our industry, numerous start-ups and growth companies are getting ready to condense their business into just a few slides, ready to pitch on the spot if needed. What is the secret to keeping it brief and captivating?
It’s key to prepare a simplified and snappy pitch for your innovation – avoid getting tangled up in lengthy explanations about molecules or mechanisms of action. Let them know what you’re working on and how this will take the market by storm due to the medical need it meets and how it is uniquely positioned to meet that need. Be prepared to outline what you need to reach your next milestone, whether it is investment, scientific or commercial advice, or networking support. If you’re in an impromptu one-on-one conversation, take a moment to let the other person talk, gauge their business interests and scientific knowledge level, and adjust your pitch to match.
When it comes to slides specifically, I really can’t emphasize enough that your graphics have to be crisp. Yes, the science is the most important thing about your product, but a solid communications package is what will grab and hold attention. A sharp slide deck with just the right amount of information and supporting images will make it easier for your audience to understand what you do, and good graphics signal that you’re operating on a professional level and not just tinkering at home in your garage.
You have extensive international experience notably from Asian cultures, Hong Kong in particular, although you reside in Sweden since many years. How has this informed how you manage communication and storytelling?
Again, tailoring your message to the audience is key – good communciation is less about what you want to say and more about what the other person is interested in and what they’re receptive to hear. In an international setting, hitting the right spot requires a certain level of cultural understanding.
The Nordic and East Asian business climates operate on opposite ends of a cultural spectrum. I think most of us are at least a bit familiar with the constrasting workplace paradigms – whereby Nordic culture favours flat hierarchies while tall organisational structures are the norm in East Asia. Moreover, Hong Kong’s business climate is more focused on bottom-line commercial success, while in the Nordics it’s becoming increasingly important to also tick sustainability boxes for environmental, societal and governance goals due to changing EU regulations.
What both regions have in common is that it’s considered prudent to be more humble – the assertive confidence that you’d typically display to attract interest in the US doesn’t land well here. A major difference is the level of formality – at a workplace or business meeting in Hong Kong you would dress more formally and speak with a level of politeness that reflects the relative seniority of the other people in the room. Failing to do so is both insulting to the other person and embarrassing for you.
These kind of differences shape the communications efforts in major ways – and really it starts with the most basic form of communication, which is face-to-face communication or pitch presentations. In these interactions, you need to strike the right level of formality and adjust your style of speaking, as well as tweak your story to match the priorities of the recipient.
Having operated in these starkly different cultural settings has awarded me a solid sense of cross-cultural communications, which is tremendously helpful when working internationally.