Building a Canadian CDMO from grad school

I really, REALLY enjoyed this conversation with Lisa. Partly because she is local to me in Toronto. Partly because she has built a proper Canadian CDMO story. But mainly because her entrepreneurial journey felt very real.

Lisa did not come across as someone who had the whole thing mapped out from day one. What she did have was drive, curiosity and a clear love of problem solving. Coming out of grad school, she did not see an obvious place where she could fit neatly into the industry, so she helped create one. That takes courage.

And you can hear that same courage throughout her story. Going to Germany to do her PhD. Immersing herself in a different culture. Recognising she did not yet have the network, so focusing instead on becoming excellent at the core skill set. That really resonated with me.

There is a lovely line in the conversation where she talks about “figuring everything out every day.” That is founder life. Not always glamorous. Not always structured. Often just showing up, making calls, buying a bit more equipment, going to another conference, building the website, solving the next problem and moving the business forward one day at a time.

What I also liked was the positioning of GL CHEMTEC as innovation experts. In a fragmented and competitive CRO and CDMO market, especially one competing with lower cost global providers, differentiation really matters. Lisa and her cofounder built around chemistry expertise, problem solving, complex APIs and tailored biopolymers. Not trying to be everything to everyone, but building around where they could genuinely move the needle.

Her honesty around the private equity journey also stood out. The business was growing, COVID created unexpected demand, the pilot plant came online at the right time, and opportunity found them. Good on her for closing her deal when she did.

But she was open about the learning curve that came with PE, the market misbehaving in recent years, and the weirdness of moving from founder operator to board member and ambassador. I appreciated that vulnerability and honesty. Because anyone who has built something and then stepped back from it knows that transition is not simple. It can be exciting, but it is also strange. You are no longer fully on the field every day, but you are still deeply emotionally connected to the business. That part really resonated with me.

What came through most was Lisa’s energy. Smart, warm, honest and quietly determined. Someone who clearly loves the company she built, but also cares about helping the next generation of entrepreneurs and scientists find their own path.

A courageous chemist. And a brilliant Canadian CDMO story.

🎧 Hear the full episode here: Apple | Spotify

As always, thank you to our sponsors Bora Pharmaceuticals and Lead Candidate for supporting Molecule to Market