Vivian Chan: Adventures in deep tech

Dr Vivian Chan has spent a career navigating deep technology – tech that utilises substantial scientific or engineering discoveries – from biotech and AI to space and agritech. Now based in London, Vivian is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Techstars London, where she supports early-stage deep tech startups, helping them scale through strategic advisory and commercialisation.

Her career began with a Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours) at The University of Queensland, where she first encountered the Australian biotech network. “Back then, Queensland’s biotech scene was small, but the close-knit community was invaluable,” she recalls. It was through this network that she met Peter Devine, who connected her to Uniseed, Australia’s longest-running venture fund. “That was where I truly began to understand deep tech investment and commercialisation.”

Her time at Uniseed exposed her to university spinouts, where she observed firsthand the challenges faced by brilliant technical minds lacking business acumen. “Professors had incredible ideas, but commercialisation was uncharted territory for many of them,” she says.

Encouraged by mentors, Vivian pursued a PhD in biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, supported by a Commonwealth Scholarship. She was passionate about structural biology, inspired by a course in x-ray crystallography at UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience. However, her time at Cambridge reshaped her ambitions. “I realised that academic research wasn’t my true calling – it was the commercialisation of scientific innovation that fascinated me.”

Bridging the gap between science and business

Vivian’s pivot toward entrepreneurship was cemented when she joined Cambridge University’s Enterprise and Technology Club (CUTEC), eventually becoming its president. “Leading a team of 50 PhDs and postdocs, securing sponsorships, and organising one of the world’s largest student-led tech conferences – it was like running a startup,” she says. “That experience taught me leadership, fundraising, and how to inspire and motivate people.”

Her work with CUTEC led her to launch her first business, Silicon Fen Concepts, a consultancy that connected multidisciplinary PhDs with industry. “The real challenge for scientists is communication,” she explains. “They’re trained to be technically precise, but when it comes to commercialisation, clarity is key. If investors and stakeholders don’t understand the problem you’re solving, they won’t buy in.”

Silicon Fen Concepts gave Vivian her first taste of building a company, but she wanted to think bigger. Around the same time, the UK government was recruiting top graduates to make London the next Silicon Valley. Vivian was one of 30 selected and the only female PhD in the cohort. This experience led to the launch of her second company, Sparrow, which leveraged AI to summarise cutting-edge research into digestible insights. “Before AI tools like ChatGPT, we were training AI models to curate and summarise scientific research, making complex ideas accessible.”

A playbook for deep tech success

Through her work in deep tech, Vivian has identified recurring patterns in the challenges faced by founders. “Deep tech founders are incredibly smart, but they often focus too much on the ‘how’ rather than the ‘what’ and ‘why,’” she explains.

“Investors and customers care about the problem you’re solving, not just the science behind it.”

To address this, she developed a playbook for deep tech commercialisation, which she now shares with startups through her newsletter and advisory roles. “I can’t scale myself, so I figured I’d write it all down,” she says.

Her focus now is on helping early-stage companies bridge the gap between groundbreaking science and scalable businesses. “Entrepreneurship is a skill set, and many deep tech founders have a gap in that area. My role is to help them build networks, find investment, and refine their business strategies.”

Vivian now sits on the boards of tech companies, supporting deep tech and biotech founders in building visionary businesses using the playbook she’s developed from her experience as an investor and serial entrepreneur.

The future of biotech: AI, space, and beyond

Vivian believes that AI is the most transformative development in biotech over the last 25 years.

“The explosion of accessible data has paved the way for AI-driven biotech breakthroughs. From drug discovery to personalised medicine, AI will accelerate the pace of innovation like never before.”

She also sees space biotech as a growing frontier. “There’s increasing interest in conducting pharmaceutical and health research in zero gravity,” she notes. “It’s not just about humans living in space – it’s about testing how fundamental biological processes change in that environment and applying those insights back on Earth.”

Another area of importance for Vivian is improving ethnic diversity in clinical trials. “Shockingly, only in 2024 was it mandated for pharmaceutical companies to include ethnic minority data in clinical trials. Before that, many drugs were developed based on Eurocentric data, leading to inefficacy and severe side effects for non-white populations.”

One example she cites is that 41 per cent of breast cancer drugs don’t work on Black women. “It’s astonishing that this hasn’t been addressed sooner,” she says. “Now that we have the data, we can create more inclusive, effective treatments.”

Reflections on UQ and advice for future biotech leaders

Vivian looks back fondly on her time at UQ, recalling ‘refect’ lunches, Honours lab work with a diagnostics company, and an early entrepreneurial venture – designing UV-sensitive wristbands to measure sun exposure. “We didn’t end up commercialising it as a cancer prevention tool, but we sold them to UQ colleges for their parties,” she laughs. “That was my first taste of making an idea commercially viable.”

Her biggest piece of advice for biotech students? Start building your network early. “Biotech is about more than just the science – it’s about connections. My first job at Uniseed wasn’t from a job ad; it came through networking. The earlier you start, the better.”

She encourages students to leverage LinkedIn, reach out to professionals, and not be afraid of rejection. “The worst thing that can happen is they ignore your message. But the best thing? You make a connection that could shape your career.”

With a young daughter now, Vivian and her husband – both originally from Brisbane – are considering moving back to Australia. “We both loved growing up there, and we think it would be a great place for our daughter,” she says.

From venture capital to biotech startups, AI, and space research, Vivian’s career has spanned continents and disciplines. But at its core, her work is about one thing: making deep tech innovation accessible, scalable, and impactful. “The future of biotech isn’t just about breakthroughs – it’s about ensuring those breakthroughs reach the people who need them.”