It is our pride and joy: the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge. During this challenge, we guide researchers in converting a scientific breakthrough into a solid business case, with which they can conquer the market. The goal: better, animal-free science for animals and humans.
This year we celebrate an anniversary, because we are already organizing our 5th Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge! Curious about the bright minds that make this possible? Then read on.
Developing a scientific innovation is one thing, but ensuring that it is widely applied in practice is a completely different challenge. It requires an entrepreneurial mindset, the right contacts and knowledge of funding and brand strategy – skills that many researchers unfortunately lack.
As a result, animal-free models are unfortunately left behind in the Valley of Death, the infamous gap between development and implementation. That is why we offer them a boost!
The start of the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge
For over 15 years, GameChanger Challenge has been helping Life Sciences startups build their businesses through Venture Challenges. “We found that incredibly interesting, which is why we had been talking to Math and Chretien for some time,” says Debby Weijers, our director.
“At first, we didn’t dare to organize a separate Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge because we were afraid there wouldn’t be enough interest. That’s why we first supported Robert Passier’s team in the regular Venture Challenge. We liked it so much that we decided to take the plunge the following year.”
No sooner said than done: in 2021, we launched the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge to help researchers and entrepreneurs bring their animal testing free innovations from the lab to the market. Because the faster these techniques become available, the faster we can make the transition to animal testing free science together.
The experts behind the scenes: Math & Chretien
With our challenge we build bridges between science, entrepreneurship and industry. But of course we don’t do this alone: we work closely with GameChanger Challenge. With their expertise and our network we can ensure that promising innovations do not remain on the shelf, but actually contribute to better science for humans and animals.
Chretien Herben is responsible for most of the organizational work of the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge. With more than 20 years of experience in the commercialization of scientific research results, he is the perfect person for this. Together with colleague Math, he provides the training, bootcamps and coaching sessions.
Math and Chretien (both on top) with the winning team of the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge 2024
He sees how challenging it is to change the current system within science: “I think everyone agrees that animal testing is something you would rather avoid. At the same time, everyone also realizes that you can’t just apply a new medicine to people. Researchers have to come up with hard evidence that their innovation is really reliable.”
That makes startups so valuable according to Chretien, because established companies are often less inclined to change their existing processes and startups in particular have the drive and flexibility to provide that evidence and make a difference.
In his years of experience, Chretien has seen many teams come and go, but the teams that really make an impact are the ones that know how to present their innovation crystal clear. “I do five Venture Challenges a year with 4-6 teams each. It’s difficult to remember them all, but the teams that can convey their story most clearly, stick with you the most. And those are often the ones that become the most successful.”
Because in the end, it’s not just about the innovation itself, but also about being able to convince investors, scientists and policymakers. According to Chretien, strong communication is crucial: “Many teams make it too complex and then run the risk that their target group misses the message and drops out. That is why we train them to convey their story clearly and convincingly.”
“The Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge is the starting point to learn how to successfully implement an animal testing free innovation. If you want your innovation to be truly applied and truly replace animal testing, this is the place to discover how to best approach that.” – Chretien Herben
Since 2022, the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge has also been made possible by Stichting Universitas, a foundation that focuses on providing financial support to initiatives in the medical and social fields, for both people and animals.
“Our foundation strives for a better world for everyone. We work together with organizations to increase the impact on scientific research, humanitarian aid and animal welfare,” says Peter-Hans van der Nat, director of Stichting Universitas. “We are so happy and proud to fund the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge for the 5th year in a row. Participation in this project is the chance to give the world a bright future!”
We’re only going UP!
On April 24, 2025, World Laboratory Animal Day, we will organize the Proefdiervrij Event: Unlocking Potential in CORPUS. Here, companies, scientists and investors will come together to not only talk about animal testing free innovation, but to actually put it into practice.
What can you expect?
- Final of the Proefdiervrij Venture Challenge 2025: four promising startups will present their business case and compete for the main prize of €25,000.
- Inspiring keynotes: experts will share their vision on the future of animal testing free research.
- Networking opportunities & expert sessions: meet the people who make change possible.
Are you ready to be part of the movement that makes animal testing redundant? Claim your free ticket now and take the next step towards an animal testing free future with us!