Allegria Therapeutics: The Venture Leader Biotech modulating mast cell activity

Meet Maria van Dongen, CEO of Allegria Therapeutics and Venture Leaders Biotech's team co-captain. The Biotech startup is building a differentiated portfolio of therapeutic approaches around biological targets that modulate mast cells as drivers of allergy and inflammatory disease. In two weeks, Maria will join nine other Biotech innovators on a business development and investor roadshow in Boston.

Name: Maria van Dongen
Location: Basel, Switzerland
Nationality: Dutch
Education: Radboud University Nijmegen, Ph.D., 2002
Job title: CEO & Co-founder
Number of employees: 2
Money raised: USD 3.5M
First touchpoint with Venturelab: 2024

Can you tell us who your product or solution helps and how?
Chronic urticaria, mast-cell-driven syndrome, and food allergy are challenging to treat. Current therapies target Immunoglobulin E (IgE) and histamine but often fail. Allegria Therapeutics is developing innovative treatments to selectively modulate mast cells in allergy and inflammatory diseases. We aim for clinical proof of concept to advance partnerships for full development and market access.

What market are you addressing, and what is the potential of your startup in that market?
Allegria Therapeutics focuses on treating mast-cell-driven diseases like chronic urticaria and mast-cell-associated syndrome. It targets pharmaceutical companies for clinical development and global market access. The market for such conditions, exemplified by Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria, is projected to grow rapidly due to rising awareness and demand for better treatments.

How did you come up with the idea for your startup?
Recent advancements in mast cell biology have led to a better understanding of their role in human immune responses and various pathologies. Allegria Therapeutics aims to capitalize on these insights by developing targeted therapies to modulate mast cells, addressing allergy and inflammatory diseases.

How do you think the Venture Leaders roadshow will help you achieve your vision?
It’s a privilege to be part of a long-running program with so many successful alumni and to have the opportunity to learn from other participants, program leaders, and their network. Allegria Therapeutics is currently raising a seed extension round for which it will be critical to have visibility with the investor community across Europe and the USA. Practicing and refining the pitch is a key step to success which is where the huge added value of the Venture Leaders roadshow comes into its own.

What are your team’s key achievements to date?
Allegria Therapeutics was founded in Basel in December 2023 and has so far raised USD 3.5 million in seed funding. We have initiated our R&D efforts with a discovery portfolio of 3 programs.

Is there a key principle or value that guides you as you build your company?
We are committed to building our portfolio in line with the sustainable growth of Allegria Therapeutics which is furthermore supported by a high standard in business ethics and compliance, an inclusive culture of people and community engagements, and a healthy and sustainable global environment.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
It is well-documented that clear communication is an essential skill for a CEO to be successful. For a CEO of a biotechnology startup, having a clear and compelling story that attracts and retains employees, collaborators, and investors is possibly even more important. Crafting that story requires time and dedication.

Tell us something people don't know about you.
Having spent most of my career in R&D at pharma and biotech organizations, I recently started an executive master’s education in business valuation. The newly gained financial skills and value-based management insights are now proving to add a useful, complementary perspective to what I’d known before on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Any podcasts or books you want to share with us?
In case you want to learn more about the basics of mast cells, check out this animated science video.