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Why, Who and When We Serve

Why We Serve

• General Business Life-Cycle Risks: In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations face unprecedented challenges that threaten their long-term viability and success. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a staggering 20% of startups fail within the first two years, while 65% fail within a decade. The Startup Genome Report reveals that 70% of startups face significant challenges due to premature scaling, highlighting the critical importance of effective growth management. Moreover, the Harvard Business Review and McKinsey & Company report that mergers and acquisitions witness a failure rate of 70% to 90%, underscoring the complexities of strategic partnerships and integrations.

• Industry-Specific Risks: The life sciences industry, in particular, faces immense challenges. The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development indicates that only 10% of drug development projects reach FDA approval, showcasing the high stakes and risks involved. Furthermore, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that merely 25% of businesses endure beyond 15 years, emphasizing the need for long-term resilience and adaptability.

• Growing VUCA Risks: The volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment has amplified the risks associated with business failure, as evidenced by the latest industry statistics. In light of these sobering statistics, boards, CEOs, and organizations must confront a myriad of challenges to maintain business success in a VUCA environment. Adaptability and agility have become paramount as companies must swiftly respond to rapidly evolving market conditions, technological advancements, and shifting customer preferences. Effective strategic planning and execution are critical, requiring boards and CEOs to develop robust plans that align with market opportunities, allocate resources judiciously, and ensure disciplined implementation across the organization.

Who We Serve

• Boards: In the fast-paced and innovation-driven sectors of life sciences, healthcare, and technology, boards play a crucial role in steering organizations toward success and sustainability. Avancer partners with boards to navigate this complex landscape, facilitating a process of deep inquiry into strategic direction and governance. We help boards ask the right questions—those that uncover the ethical implications of business decisions anticipate regulatory changes, and ensure that innovation is pursued responsibly and effectively. Our collaboration empowers boards to lead with a vision that is both ethical and aligned with future trends, setting a clear and confident course for the organization.

• CEOs: CEOs tasked with the monumental responsibility of guiding their organizations through the ever-changing terrains of healthcare and technology find a strategic partner in Avancer. Our role is to enhance the CEO's capacity for strategic questioning, enabling them to drill down to the core questions that define their strategic decisions and organizational direction. By helping CEOs frame answers that resonate with their mission, we ensure that their leadership fosters organizational resilience, drives innovation, and secures a competitive edge in the market. Our partnership is a catalyst for transformative leadership that propels organizations forward.

• Founders and Innovators: For the visionaries and pioneers at the forefront of healthcare and technology innovation, Avancer serves as a critical sounding board from conception through to commercialization. We engage in a dialogue that challenges assumptions, tests market needs, and refines the path to commercial success. Our approach is to foster a questioning mindset that leads to strategic clarity, ensuring that innovative ideas are not only visionary but also strategically viable and market-ready. This collaborative process is designed to maximize the impact and market success of groundbreaking innovations.

• Strategic Investors: Investors in the dynamic and potentially lucrative fields of life sciences and healthcare technology engage with Avancer to sharpen their strategic focus. We guide investors through a process of strategic questioning that uncovers the underlying risks and opportunities of investment prospects. Our expertise and insights enable investors to frame investment decisions that are informed, strategic, and aligned with the transformative trends shaping the future of healthcare. With Avancer, investors gain a competitive edge, investing with confidence and clarity.

• Corporate Law, Accounting, & Investment Banking Firms: Professionals within corporate law, accounting, and investment banking, specializing in the nuanced sectors of life sciences, healthcare, and technology, turn to Avancer for enhanced strategic advisory capabilities. We collaborate to formulate the critical questions that drive due diligence, compliance, and strategic advice, ensuring that professional advice is not only insightful and actionable but also tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities of the industry. Our partnership enriches the strategic advisory services provided to clients, making them more impactful and industry-specific.

When We Serve

• Idea and Business Formulation: At the very start of the innovation cycle, Avancer plays a pivotal role in sparking and nurturing the critical thought process that shapes nascent ideas into robust business models and actionable market entry strategies. We engage with our clients in a deep dive into the essential questions that probe the heart of viability, scalability, and market differentiation. Our guidance is designed to ensure that the foundational strategies not only envision success but are also pragmatically aligned with the realities of the market. This stage is crucial for setting a trajectory that is ambitious yet achievable and laying the solid groundwork for future scalability and impact.

• Scaling and Growth: As organizations transition from the startup phase to the growth phase, the challenges multiply, and the stakes become higher. Avancer stands as a beacon, illuminating the path through the complexities of scaling. We engage in strategic dialogues around operational expansion, market-entry, and the management of innovation, providing a scaffold for our clients to construct strategies that marry ambition with the practical realities of expanding in competitive landscapes. Our involvement ensures that growth is not just a goal but a sustainable reality, underpinned by solid operational frameworks and market strategies that are responsive to evolving industry dynamics.

• Mergers and Acquisitions: In the nuanced arena of mergers and acquisitions, Avancer's role transcends traditional advisory by focusing on the strategic essence of the endeavor. We guide our clients through a process of deep questioning aimed at uncovering the core strategic fit, the potential for genuine cultural integration, and the avenues for tangible value creation. Our approach is collaborative and insightful, ensuring that decisions are not just transactional but transformative, with a clear vision towards enhancing the strategic position and future resilience of the organization.

• Internal and External Disruptions: Disruption, whether stemming from within the industry or from global shifts, demands a response that is both immediate and visionary. Avancer equips organizations to confront and leverage these disruptions, turning potential threats into opportunities for innovation and competitive advantage. We facilitate a strategic review that questions the organization's readiness, adaptability, and capacity for innovation, guiding the framing of strategies that are proactive rather than reactive. This ensures that our clients are not just surviving disruptions but are positioned to emerge as leaders in a redefined landscape.

• Financial Distress and Turnarounds: In critical moments of financial distress, Avancer's role is both a guide and a catalyst for change. We initiate a process of rigorous questioning aimed at uncovering the root causes of distress, identifying levers for operational efficiency, and exploring options for strategic realignment and market repositioning. Our collaborative approach to framing turnaround strategies is designed to do more than just stabilize the present; it aims to reinvigorate the organization, setting it on a path to renewed growth and long-term stability. This phase is about transformation, leveraging the crisis as an opportunity for rebirth and strategic redirection.