🧬 Derek Hennecke - Kincell Bio - Part 4 | Building & Scaling Xcelience | Buy-Side vs. Sell-Side of M&A | The Importance of Continuous Learning | Transition into Investing & Board Member Work

The Biotech Startups Podcast

Part 4 of 4.

My guest for this week’s episode is Derek Hennecke, a veteran biotech entrepreneur and board member with over 30 years of experience in the CDMO industry, whose mission is to support the biotech revolution and create value for patients, customers, and investors.

In addition to his Board work, Derek previously held leadership positions at DSM and was the Founder and CEO of Xcelience, a Florida-based CDMO specializing in preformulation, micronization, analytical services, formulation development, cGMP manufacturing, and more. Derek eventually sold Xcelience to Capsugel (now Lonza) in 2016.

His extensive pharma and cell therapy expertise makes for an insightful conversation that founders can learn from.

Join us this week and hear about:

• The process of building and scaling Xcelience, from leveraging innovative technology to disrupt the market to navigating the impact of the 2008 Recession
• Derek’s experience with strategic buy-side and sell-side transactions
• His commitment to continuous learning
• His transition into investing and work as a board member

Please enjoy my conversation with Derek Hennecke.

Find Our Guest, Derek Hennecke, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hennecke/

https://kincellbio.com/

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee

https://www.excedr.com

Social & Website

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr

Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/

Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:

Xcelience: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xcelience-llc/

MicroSize: https://www.microsize.com/

Capsugel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsugel

Lonza (Capsugel’s Parent Company): https://www.lonza.com/

Austin Px: https://www.austinpx.com/

Micronization: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronization

Biotech Partnerships: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research

M&A Strategies in Biotech: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/life-sciences-m-and-a-shows-new-signs-of-life

Biotech Funding Options: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-startup-funding-options

Marketing and Sales Strategies in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/blog/marketing-sales-strategies-for-biotechs

How To Run an Efficient Board Meeting: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-run-an-effective-board-meeting

Elephant Slides: https://rapport.bio/all-stories/elephant-in-boardroom

Timestamps:

00:28 Intro

01:48 Disrupting the market with Xcelience

03:34 Derek’s M&A experience and acquisition strategy on the buy-side

04:36 Financing Xcelience’s acquisition of another micronization company

06:32 Derek’s sell-side experience with Capsugel

12:03 Challenges of work and life post-acquisition; Working with Lonza

14:32 Going back to school, starting as an investor, and transitioning to board work

17:35 Bringing confidence and decision-making skills to board member roles

20:21 Running effective board meetings and finding CEO mentorship

26:53 Final reflections and Derek’s advice for founders

30:11 Outro

The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.