Interview: Patrícia Henriques & GOTECH Antimicrobial

The Interview with Patrícia Henriques, co-founder of ⁠GOTECH Antimicrobial⁠ from Portugal.

GOTECH Antimicrobial⁠ is fighting medical device infections, developing cutting-edge antimicrobial technologies, advancing healthcare outcomes.

You can listen to the episode of the EmpoWomen Podcast on Spotify:

Or read the interview.

Pitching GOTECH Antimicrobial

Imagine being one of the 3.2 million patients who rely on hemodialysis because your kidneys have failed. You’ll likely need to use a catheter inserted in your neck for the rest of your life, which unfortunately comes with a 15 percent chance of dying from an associated infection. Even if you survive, the constant pain and frequent hospitalizations can significantly diminish your quality of life.

Instead of using standard plastic caps that merely act as physical barriers with no antimicrobial properties, we introduce the GoCap. This innovative graphene light-activated disinfection cap is inserted into the catheter after dialysis and actively kills bacteria that manage to enter.

With GoCap, we aim to reduce catheter-related infections and hospitalization time, drastically improving the quality of life for these patients — without contributing to the growing public health threat of antibiotic resistance.

Story Behind GOTECH Antimicrobial

GOTECH Antimicrobial was founded in December 2021 by Ines and me. That year, I had just finished my PhD under Ines’ supervision, during which we developed the technology behind the GoCap. As I was completing my PhD, we had the usual discussion: “What should we do next?” We both agreed that the technology had enormous potential for clinical application.

We began exploring how best to leverage the technology and realized that adapting it into a catheter cap could truly impact clinical settings and improve patients’ lives. It was an incredible opportunity we couldn’t pass up, and since we didn’t have any concrete plans at the time, I decided to take a leap of faith and dive into entrepreneurship. With no salary and just a vision, we set out to see if we could make it work.

We started applying for competitive grants, targeting those with a tech transfer component like the Cache Research Validated Grant from the La Cache Foundation and the Innovator Award from the Wellcome Trust. Fortunately, we secured those grants, which allowed us to begin the technological development of the GoCap.

With the idea of turning our innovation into a business and bringing the product to market still burning inside us, we also started applying to acceleration programs. In 2021, we entered the EIT Jumpstarter from EIT Health. After winning second prize in the health category, we decided it was time to officially create the startup, recognizing that it would help us attract more investment.

By the end of 2021, GOTECH Antimicrobial was born. Since then, we’ve been moving forward with our mission. We maintain our partnership with the research institution where the technology was originally developed, continuing our work there, but now we also have the startup to focus on business interactions with investors. This way, once the technology is fully developed, we’ll be ready to take it to market.

GOTECH Team

We are two co-founders, and I am fully dedicated to the startup and bringing our product to market. We’re also supported by the scientific team at i3S, the largest health research institute in Portugal. This is where we developed our technology and are currently conducting the efficacy validation and safety studies for the GoCap.

Additionally, we collaborate with another research institute, INESC TEC, which specializes in optics and electronics. Their expertise is invaluable in advancing the development of the GoCap.

While these two collaborations have been instrumental, we’re eager to expand the GoTech team. We’re looking to attract more passionate individuals to help us accelerate the journey to market.

Secret Sauce of GOTECH Antimicrobial

Our “secret sauce” is subtly hinted at in our startup’s name. The “Go” in GoTech stands for graphene oxide, which is the core of our innovation. The true power of our technology lies in the graphene oxide’s ability to be activated by light. When exposed to light, graphene oxide triggers photodynamic and photothermal effects.

These effects make it challenging for bacteria to develop resistance because they operate through multiple pathways of action. Additionally, this irradiation doesn’t just kill bacteria on the surface — it also targets bacteria in the surrounding areas, which is crucial for eliminating all bacteria inside and around the catheter.

While this might not be the most secretive of sauces, it’s what makes our technology special. It’s incredibly versatile. While we’re currently integrating it into a catheter cap to create a disinfection cap, our technology — and the patent protecting it — can be easily adapted to other disinfection systems. We see enormous potential here.

Challenges for the Company

The biggest challenge has been getting the pilot-scale production off the ground. Since we’re developing a medical device, we have specific requirements that must be met. We need production companies with scalable technologies, ISO certification for medical device production, and access to medical-grade materials.

Finding companies that meet these criteria isn’t easy. The GoCap is a complex product, so it’s difficult to find companies with all the necessary expertise to produce it. At the same time, we don’t want to hand over all our IP and knowledge to a single company. This makes it challenging to align the expertise and timelines of different companies.

Budget constraints are another significant challenge. Moving forward with limited funds requires careful planning, and securing funding is always a hurdle.

On a personal level, managing all these aspects is tough. With just two of us as co-founders, and me being the only one fully dedicated, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Prioritizing tasks is especially difficult because everything seems both urgent and important. The biggest challenge is staying organized and deciding each day where to focus, even when there are countless other things that also need attention.

Business Environment in Portugal

The business environment in Portugal is evolving positively, with more opportunities emerging for women-led companies. There’s a growing and heightened focus on achieving gender balance within companies and ensuring that women have the same opportunities to succeed as men.

While it’s an ongoing process, Portugal is an open country that is actively working to minimize the differences between female and male founders. This issue is gaining more attention, and the environment is becoming increasingly supportive. I’m glad to be here, as I believe Portugal offers the support needed to foster this growth.

Power of Mentorship & EmpoWomen

Mentorship is crucial in tech transfer programs and accelerators. It’s always a strong component, and I’m glad it is because, as a small startup, it’s sometimes difficult to afford access to experienced professionals and their advice. While you can always send an email or ask for a brief call, it’s not the same as having dedicated mentorship time.

These programs provide invaluable hours of mentorship with industry and business experts, which has been incredibly important for us. This is also one of the key benefits of EmpoWomen — it gives you access to a vast network of mentors. For us, mentorship has been especially valuable in the business aspect, as we’re primarily focused on scientific development. Even though participating in these programs has expanded our business knowledge, it’s still not the same. Having the ability to ask specific questions to mentors with expertise in areas like business strategy or patents is crucial, especially for small startups.

I strongly recommend applying to EmpoWomen. It’s a competitive call, but the benefits are well worth the effort. The mentorship is just as important as the grant associated with the program, which helps move your company forward. The community you build with other female co-founders is another significant benefit. It’s a space where you can share experiences, vent about a tough day, and get the pep talk you need—something that can be hard to do with family or friends who aren’t in the same environment.

The program integrates everything you need: access to business mentors like Startup Wise Guys and Business Angels Europe, skill acquisition, networking, community with other female co-founders, and even pitch competitions. The events you’ll attend as part of the program are invaluable. I strongly recommend applying.

Insights from the EmpoWomen Programme

Recently, during one of our mentorship discussions, we explored the concept of the product life cycle. It might seem like a distant consideration — how the product will be disposed of or how to make our processes more sustainable. However, it became clear that we need to start addressing these issues now rather than deferring them to the future.

If we delay considering these aspects, we might miss opportunities to enhance the product’s sustainability. While it’s tempting to focus solely on rapid development and getting to market, integrating these considerations early can lead to a better, more sustainable product. For instance, taking a moment during quieter periods, like summer when things slow down, to reflect and integrate these elements into the development process can make a significant difference.

Our lead coach highlighted this point, emphasizing that having someone from outside the company to provide such insights is invaluable. They can offer perspectives on aspects we might overlook, helping us refine our product and strategy continually.

Mentorship is crucial for these reasons — it brings in external perspectives that challenge us to think beyond our immediate focus, leading to more polished and thoughtful product and strategy development.

Next Steps

Our major milestone for the coming year is to achieve results from our clinical study. We plan to start the clinical study by the end of this year, which will take approximately 10 months to complete. Achieving this is our primary goal for 2025.

The aim is to validate that the GoCap is effective in reducing infections and improving the quality of life for hemodialysis patients. The results from this study will be crucial for regulatory approval, demonstrating that our product is both safe and effective, and positioning it as a significant addition to the market.

Additionally, securing our first round of investment is another key milestone for 2025. This funding will be vital for advancing our development and bringing the GoCap to market.