Innovation Ecosystems: Greg Simon on better ways to fund pharmaceutical research

By: Eleonore Pauwels and Kunj Bhatt

As Greg Simon was named on Friday March 18, 2016, Executive Director of the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force, this interview and post is an opportunity to play tribute to the inspiring work he pursued at Poliwogg.

Numerous times we see companies with potential to make a lasting difference in the biomedical field, not being able to succeed due to lack of funding. This is still a major issue in the field of genomics, cutting-edge biology and healthcare.

Greg Simon decided to address this issue with a simple answer: increase the diversity of investment opportunities. As CEO of Poliwogg, Greg Simon aimed to democratize access to health research investment, opening funding opportunities for non-corporate stakeholders. Poliwogg's website contains and organizes information on small biotechnology and medical companies which are open for non-accredited investors and venture capitalists to invest in. With this information at everyone’s disposal, individuals have the opportunity to put money into certain companies or research projects that look for new cures, drugs, and treatment options that have a personal meaning or connection to them. Why shouldn’t companies have the benefit of receiving investments in smaller increments that are faster to obtain?

“Passion Capital,” what Simon calls it, allows more individuals to have power over their own investment decisions. As the millennium generation grows older, they will be looking for investments that they are passionate about. Poliwogg helps to assist the new generation of investors to spend money on companies and products that will have a lasting impact and will solve some of society’s multifaceted challenges.