On Growth Option for R&D Continuity of Biotech Start-ups Under Uncertainty

Abstract

For biotech drug-discovery start-ups, even though the constraint on managerial resources is very severe, it takes more than 10 years for them to transfer a project from laboratory study to products on the market. In order to increase robustness against financial crisis for continuing R&D, we examine the flexibility value of real options, and especially pay attention to the function of growth options for business entry and exit. Through a case study of a Japanese pioneering start-up in the field of regenerative medicine, J-TEC, we consider a survival strategy during the valley of deficit from the perspective of the growth option. Finally, we apply stochastic optimization to select the pipeline candidates from alternative projects.