With this recognition, the XXIV University-Society Awards of the Social Council of the University of Valencia wanted to highlight "the business excellence" of a former student "with a proven track record that demonstrates an exemplary and particularly relevant contribution to the development and progress of our society"
Graduated in Biological Sciences in 1996, her clear market vision of genomic medicine allowed her to found her first biotechnology company at the early age of 23, in 1998. She is currently involved in up to eight business initiatives, focused on genetics and genomics. Among them is the Genomic Medicine Laboratory (IMEGEN), a company located at the University of Valencia Science Park, which has become an international benchmark in human genetic diagnosis. She is the CEO and chairwoman of the board of directors of this biotechnology company, which analyzes more than 22,000 samples annually and invests more than one million euros in R&D projects. She is also the president of the Association of Biotechnology, Biomedicine and Bioeconomy Companies and Entities (BIOVAL).
For this successful business career has received today the Alumni Plus Award from the hands of the Councilor for Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society, Carolina Pascual. After that, the founder and CEO of IMEGEN, wanted to tell "a brief story that began no less than 25 years", in which she has put up the support of "local forces" for "entrepreneurship and social progress".
Pérez recalled that "when I was doing my thesis in the Department of Genetics at the University of Valencia, I had the opportunity to found the first company: IMEGEN. We were a group of scientists who had worked on European genome sequencing projects, something that at that time was very complicated, and when that project ended after 5 years, we realized that except for a few more scientific publications, all that knowledge and experience was going to stay within the University of Valencia, preventing society from moving forward. That is why we decided to undertake and found the first company dedicated to genetic diagnosis in Spain".
"But learning in 1998 is learning in capital letters," he clarified. "At that time we were lucky enough to meet Jesús Casanova, at the head of CEEI Valencia, which at that time was the only entity that hosted technology-based companies. He helped us unconditionally and taught us everything he and his team knew to keep this company afloat. Not to mention venture capital funds, absolutely nonexistent and even more so to finance seed stage projects. Not that we have much now, but at that time we had even less. What we did have was the Institute of Small and Medium Valencian Industry (IMPIVA), which financed our first laboratory equipment".
The support of "local forces
Ángela Pérez has confessed that the company's success was not instantaneous. "We did not manage to sell those genetic diagnosis services with which we set up the company, but we redirected the company and went up to wait 6 years working on analysis of transgenic material and other services that were not projected but that also used that DNA analysis, that knowledge that we had acquired at the Universitat de València". "And our first client was Dacsa Maicerías Españolas," he remarked.
"With all this I would like to emphasize that local forces are absolutely essential for the development of our society. And that many times we are dazzled by what we see from outside and we acquire that kind of misunderstood complex that we Spaniards have, especially when we go down to the regions, which we must eradicate", he emphasized. His business project today is a company that employs between 90 and 100 employees, has a turnover of 20 million euros and is present in 25 countries.
A pole of development in genomics and genetics
The current president of BIOVAL has stressed that "at this moment as IMEGEN we are 6 companies in the Valencian Community, 5 in the province of Valencia and one in Alicante. Between us we develop between 35 and 40% of all the genetic diagnosis that is developed in Spain. Therefore, in this community we have a pole of development in genomics and genetics that is worth pushing and supporting".
"I did not manage to finish my doctoral thesis and yet I have employed dozens of doctors, physicians, biotechnologists, bioinformaticians. And, therefore, I feel absolutely proud of that difficult decision and of what has been its social profitability", she concluded.
For the rector of the University of Valencia, M.ª Vicenta Mestre, Ángela Pérez is "an example of the combination of the entrepreneurial spirit and the scientific profile, which our university has sought so much with a boost from the Social Council" through ADEIT and the Fundació Parc Científic Universitat de València (University of Valencia Science Park Foundation).
Presentation of the XXIV Awards of the Social Council of the Universitat de València
Social recognition
In this edition, the Social Council Awards have also recognized Ford España in the category of Corporate Patronage, for more than two decades collaborating with the University of Valencia through various programs. In the Social Impact category and, specifically, in the section aimed at recognizing R&D actions or projects of groups or teams of the University of Valencia that generate social benefit, the Social Council has recognized the work of the InAdvance Project of the Polibienestar Institute of the University of Valencia.
The Fundación Colegio Imperial Niños Huérfanos de San Vicente Ferrer has been the entity recognized in the category of Humanitarian Actions, which aims to recognize those social organizations, foundations and non-profit organizations in which people from the university community of the University participate, and that are especially distinguished in humanitarian or solidarity work. Finally, the awards for Teaching Excellence went to Ana Zorio, professor of the Department of Accounting, and Cristóbal Zaragoza, associate professor of the Department of Surgery.