From breakthrough to bedside: Richard Williams on spinouts, manufacturing, and specialist backing

Richard Williams, founder and CEO of Healome Therapeutics, discusses what it takes to turn deep scientific research into a business with real-world clinical potential.

Drawing on his experience, he explains the long path from science to product, and the strategic, manufacturing, and regulatory decisions that have to be made well before a company is fully established.

A central theme of the conversation is the need for more specialist support around early-stage life sciences growth. Richard highlights the difficulty of finding investors who truly understand deep tech and biotech timelines, as well as the practical challenge of securing small-scale manufacturing capacity for early trials. He also points to the strengths of the UK ecosystem, especially clustering, communication, and focused public support, while stressing the need to retain more capability, talent, and capital within the UK as businesses scale.