Strategic hiring for scaling success

25 April 2025

Growth in the life sciences sector across Europe and North America remains strong, driven by increased venture funding and a surge of innovation within biotech. Over the last five years, there’s been a notable rise in the number of life sciences start-ups, with Europe witnessing a 13.5% growth rate. Key regions like the UK, Switzerland, Germany, and hubs in Boston, San Francisco, and Toronto are at the forefront of this expansion.

In 2024, global venture capital investment in healthcare and life sciences hit $48.4 billion, with AI-focused biotech companies leading the charge. While securing funding is a monumental achievement, it’s only the starting point. The real challenge lies in scaling effectively – and hiring the right talent is at the core of this process.

How does funding reshape hiring priorities?

For companies in the early to mid-stages of growth, securing new investment is often a transformative moment. With fresh capital comes the need to rethink team structures, prioritise critical skill sets, and build a foundation for sustainable growth. Strategic hiring becomes the linchpin for scaling success.

Hiring with a growth mindset

Scaling isn’t just about filling roles, it’s about building teams that drive long-term success. A thoughtful hiring strategy ensures that the value of investment is fully realised. Here’s how:

Aligning talent to growth milestones: Beyond technical expertise, businesses need strong commercial leadership, operational efficiency, and a clear strategic vision.
Flexible hiring approaches: Whether permanent or contract-based, choosing the right mix depends on the company’s growth phase and project demands.
Embedding culture into recruitment: High-performing teams thrive on shared values. Agility, collaboration, and innovation should be front and centre in hiring decisions.

Permanent vs. contract: What suits your stage?

The type of roles you prioritise should reflect your organisation’s immediate and long-term objectives:

Contract professionals are ideal for addressing short-term needs, such as regulatory submissions, clinical trial execution, or targeted R&D projects. They provide the agility to meet critical deadlines.
Permanent hires build the foundation for sustainable growth. These roles—such as scientific leaders, commercial executives, and strategic advisors—create the stability and leadership needed for long-term success.

Scaling with precision: A case in point

We recently partnered with a European TechBio company that had successfully closed its Series A funding round. Their platform, which integrates AI and machine learning with traditional biotech techniques, promised to revolutionise drug discovery and biological data analysis. Their challenge? Transitioning from an innovation-focused R&D phase to a scalable, commercially driven organisation.

We began by collaborating with their leadership team to refine their hiring strategy. The focus was on building both technical and commercial capabilities while maintaining a strong cultural identity. Together, we developed a phased recruitment plan targeting ten critical hires across key areas such as data science, computational biology, platform engineering, business development, and regulatory strategy.

This engagement stood out due to the complexity of the profiles required. Candidates needed to excel at the intersection of biotech and AI, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and bring a blend of adaptability, technical depth, and strong communication skills.

Through a structured, phased hiring process, we helped the company establish team cohesion while scaling quickly. We also introduced a post-hire integration framework to ensure alignment and retention during the critical first year of growth.

The result? Not just a successful recruitment campaign, but a transformative step in positioning the company as a global leader in TechBio innovation.

Why Aspire Life Sciences? A network that delivers.

Scaling isn’t about adding headcount for the sake of it—it’s about connecting with the right talent at the right time. In fast-evolving sectors like biotech and TechBio, your network can make or break your hiring strategy.

At Aspire Life Sciences, we’ve built a deeply specialised network. Our niche expertise means we don’t just reach out to the right people, the right people come to us. This creates a dynamic, self-sustaining ecosystem of top-tier talent in areas like AI, machine learning, computational biology, regulatory affairs, and biotech operations.

Here’s what sets us apart:

Relevance: You’ll engage with candidates who are already immersed in your field.
Quality: We prioritise cultural fit, expertise, and alignment with your growth vision.
Efficiency: With a live, engaged network, we deliver results quickly.

We combine:

Cultural alignment: Finding talent that resonates with your values and ways of working.
Sector expertise: A deep understanding of biotech, AI-led innovation, and growth strategies.
Scalable solutions: Building teams that evolve as your business grows.
Network precision: Our reputation attracts the top talent you need.

If scaling is on your agenda, we’re here to help you build a team that matches your ambitions. Get in touch with our team today.