Should medical assistance be available to everyone? LianBio thinks so, yes!

Over 290 million people in China struggle with cardiovascular diseases, and more than 100 million people struggle with chronic diseases. We’re talking about human beings, not just numbers, and that’s what’s alarming; those are people who cannot get treatment due to a lack of medication.

Konstantin Poukalov proved to be one of the bravest who decided to address this issue and act on it. Although it’s a huge undertaking, his plan was to create a pipeline that leads to these people and helps them with health issues.

LianBio is a company whose motive is to bring medical supplies to China, and other Asian markets. It supports biotech companies that want to contribute to bettering the medical conditions in China.

But, only facing the issues wasn't enough - more action was needed. Konstantin’s LianBio was the first-responder that changed the lives of many.

Continue reading about perseverance, determination, and skills, all wrapped into one - LianBio.

Fluorescent Adolencence

Konstantin Poukalov is a Russian-turned-American, born in 1983, on September 28th in Moscow. As a child, he always singled among his peers for his eclectic mind. He simply thought differently and took studying seriously. Konstantin was raised to believe that education is the only force that can bring the world together as one.

Konstantin’s greatest forte was numbers and logic. He mixed those two seamlessly in every field he daybed into, be it physics, math, IT, you name it - he used to be a true logician among his peers.

But, when the time to choose a college got closer, he thought of something else, too - business. Konstantin wanted to own his company and be his own boss. He thought of incorporating his love of chemistry, math, and physics, looking for a school that offered exactly that.

The Academic Days

Life in the 20s - just an ordinary labyrinth of finding a place under the sky.

Once the time to depart for college ticked, Konstantin had to make a choice, it was now or never. It was now, and it was engineering; Konstantin enrolled at Stony Brook University.

College years passed like a breeze, and after four years, Konstantin became a Bachelor of Engineering.

Soon after he completed his studies, reality kicked in - Konstantin had to find a job and make a living for himself. It wasn’t long before he landed his first job as an investment banker in the health care business.

The Choice

Konstantin switched several companies, but he was an investment banker for more than a decade, and a skilled one, as well. His job was demanding, but that’s how he became a professional operating the strategies for some of the most popular companies in the US, like Perceptive Advisors.

However, once you mingle with lots of people, and try yourself out in different job positions, you’ll come out as experienced and versatile as Konstantin did. Sometimes the things you'll learn will be concerning, demanding, calling you to action, however, the most important thing you’ll learn is to make a choice. Making a choice is a chain reaction, impacting many things along the way, just as Konstantin did when he chose to found LianBio.

Being in the health care business for a long time, Konstantin came across serious findings. China counts more than 290 million deaths from cardiovascular disease. 100 million people suffer from chronic kidney disease. We better not start with stats on cancer patients.

When Konstantin realized these facts, it didn't take him long to understand the root of this problem - China's pharmaceutical market was poorly equipped. There was a solution to this problem, but the question was: Can you really fix this issue, and create a medical pipeline to China?

Konstantin didn’t expect he would have to make such choices in his life. Yet, the facts were there; people in China and Asia died because there was a lack of medicine on the market.

Konstantin thought of an answer long and hard, because undertaking this responsibility was much more than a startup; it would be a startup that’ll make a shift in the quality and availability of medical care.

Overcoming Adversities

The first thing Konstantin did to set the foundation was to form a team. He gathered experts in every field - from business to medicine. His team enlarged with professionals willing to make a change in the world, just as Konstantin did.

However, creating a startup like this wasn't a small deal - it took them two years to finally make it through a launch. But, let's rewind a little bit.

Since Konstantin was in New Jersey, he wanted to create a pipeline that will connect two continents, and supply the medical markets in China and Asia. The hardest stone they had to push was to get approval from both sides - China and the US - and then reel in investors.

After going from one meeting to another, Konstantin and his team finally got the approval, and the next thing was landing investors. That was the most difficult barrier on their way. In fact, it was a determinant for their business, since, without help, the entire idea would be useless.

Konstantin had to hold his breath for 2 years before he presented his project. But, over time, he and his team developed a plan to only address potential investors.

Reshaping the Plans

The idea to create a pipeline between two continents that will supply Chinese people in need differs in the business model.

Konstantin gathered the team together and they discussed the plan. LianBio should be a platform with active investors, not passive ones. Konstantin didn't need the investors to back him up on the launch, but he needed big companies to supply the market.

Therefore, Konstantin and his team sat down and made a concise list of big pharmaceutical companies that can fund LianBio, and expand their production on Chinese and Asian markets. It was a concise plan, and this time it worked.

LianBio landed two anchors - MyoKardia and BridgeBio. Two large pharmaceutical companies backed up LianBio and lent a helping hand in China and Asia.

The Big Day Is Finally Here

Headquartered in New Jersey, LianBio saw the light of day in August 2019. It was a successful beginning, garnering positive feedback from the audience.

Only after 3 months, the company managed to gather $310 million by subscribing to a crossover financial plan. A few weeks later, LianBio got a partnership proposal from Pfizer. During the COVID-19 crisis, Pfizer also joined the platform and helped many people in China.

Even with all the success it gained, LianBio's story is far from over. After gaining attention, Konstantin’s company decided to use their 5 minutes of glory, and go public. Konstantin was happy to announce that on November 1st, his company debuted on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol LIAN. The company offered 20,312,500 American depositary shares, priced at $16 per share, earning almost $325 million, a sum not at all shabby.

Standing Tall

LianBio has Dragonfly and BerGenBio breathing down its neck as major competitors. Both biotech companies are reputable and familiar names on the market.

But, the idea behind LianBio is supported by a total of 15 investors, which is a rock-solid backup. Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners and RA Capital Management are among the most prominent ones.

Today, LianBio counts over 100 employees. Consequently, Konstatin’s company managed to raise $310 million over the first round in series A funding.

In something over a month, LianBio managed to raise $325M from its stocks. This business strategy will help it gain more funds to make LianBio a robust platform securing China and Asia with the medicine they need.

In the course of the last few months, LianBio had managed to garner substantial success in terms of furthering its medicinal achievements - Konstantin’s company had initiated its first clinical trial.

As for the future, LianBio has set its eyes on the prize, further bettering and elongating the pipeline of groundbreaking medicines, as well as instigating 4 meaningful studies regarding regulatory clearance in the countries of operation.

Before China and Asia had been comforted with the medical presence of LianBio, the market there had been lacking significant medical aids and treatment, but no more - LianBio made sure everyone got what they needed,medicine-wise.