Addiction is a different kind of prison and drug addiction is not only about heroin, cocaine, or other illegal drugs. You can also get addicted to prescribed narcotic pain medications, also known as opioids, which are now a major crisis in most countries, accounting for 0.5 million deaths related to opioids. Tim Peara is the Finance Director and President of Bridge Therapeutics, which is a company that is well-positioned to provide a safer chronic pain alternative to combat and help curb this current opioid crisis.

‘BizTalk with Massimiliano Sulpizi’ is an innovative arena to pitch your venture idea. It was designed and is conducted by EquityMatch.co for its community who are seeking the opportunity for fundraising for startups. This initiative was launched to provide an opportunity to all the founders in search of seed investment for their startups and share details about their venture with the founder of EquityMatch.co via a video conference.

Bridge Therapeutics have been working with a drug called buprenorphine, which is both safe and effective for both pain and addiction. This greatly reduces the time cost and risk of FDA approval. Buprenorphine is as strong as fentanyl, which is the strongest opioid for pain relief. Fentanyl is about 35 or 30 times stronger than morphine and has an overdose risk of about 50 times worse than morphine. Even though buprenorphine is like fentanyl, the risk of overdose is zero. Since, buprenorphine is generic, it requires barriers to entry to protect the products. This is achieved through several methods, which include a delivery system called Zydis, marketing exclusivity, patented products, and improved versions. Although Bridge Therapeutics does not have the patent for this delivery system that they use, it is well-known, well-used and significant. Hence, it has become the first and the basis for building an economic barrier around what they do. When it comes to the accomplishments, Bridge Therapeutics designed a delivery method two years ago and filed their first file with the FDA, known as an Investigational New Drug (IND), last year. Thereby, Bridge Therapeutics is working in the field of pharmaceuticals to separate pain from addiction and resolve the opioid crisis.

EquityMatch.co is founded by Massimiliano Sulpizi, an avid entrepreneur, venture capitalist, merchant banker, and executive. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of HSMI-Corporate Advisory, where he has advised clients in the infrastructure, fashion, real estate, and tech, totaling transactions for over €100M, and fundraising over €50M. He currently serves as an advisor and a board member to numerous EU/HK healthcare and technology startups and growth-stage companies.

EquityMatch.co helps founders to find their ideal match for startup funding. It is a platform that encourages startup investing. It also provides an opportunity to search for the right investor by creating a profile with their information and by broadcasting their innovative thoughts via video streaming. It is designed to serve entrepreneurs seeking seed-stage funding through to the pre-IPO stage, without the hassle of recreating a company profile at every stage of the funding process.