Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Frankel
Hi Victoria, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
While getting my master’s degree in biochemistry, I was struck by how enthusiastic scientists were by their research but how difficult it was for them to communicate and share it with non-technical minds. This opened a new pathway for me in the field of science communications. I felt called to help scientists become better leaders in the business world and help get innovations and therapeutics out to the people that need them most. Many scientists believe that credible research is enough to get a product out to market. Unfortunately, great science rarely speaks for itself. So, I have dedicated my career to helping scientists and life science organizations overcome the common gaps in miscommunication that occur throughout their entire journey to market: from helping them define the financial impact to potential investors, to sharing the impact on the world with the general public. This became even more prevalent during the pandemic. At the time, I was working for an integrative health platform in New York City as a marketing manager. helping patients feel empowered with more knowledge about their health. But as COVID-19 became more pressing in the city, I more or less fled back to my hometown in Knoxville to be close to family. Consequently, the pandemic changed many things about life for many people, including me. I had been doing consulting on the side for a few years already as science writer and decided it was time to break out on my own and commit. Thus, Validity Science Communications was born, and I have had the privilege to work with many companies and many startups ranging from pharmaceuticals, biotech, healthtech, to medical device and more. Now, I spend my time supporting clients nationwide and internationally build up their commercialization strategies for their innovative products (while upholding the integrity of their science), and supporting local startups in Knoxville through mentorship and advisorship roles.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t believe any entrepreneur who says running your own business is easy, or smooth. The reality is, obstacles and challenges can really help you define who you are and how you can best help others. Also, it helps to understand that the world is constantly changing, and economic stress can impact people and companies in different ways. But this can also open up opportunities. When I first launched in 2020, fundraising was easy in the life science space. COVID-19 forced the world to become more innovative and provide the public with improved scientific breakthroughs, including empowering the public to take control over their health. At this time, services like mine focused directly on marketing efforts for companies, helping them bridge the gap between their clinical teams and their marketing channels and making sure everyone was on the same page. But as the economy changed, the pressures on companies evolved. These days, fundraising is more important as companies are feeling stress to keep their budgets and spending low, while looking for new investment opportunities. Consequently, the services my clients have needed from me have changed. It is vital to evolve to meet your customers where they are. And sometimes this means throwing your entire game plan and business model out the window and investing in skilling-up to provide them with the advice and support they need to be successful. After all, their success is my success.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Validity Science Communications?
Validity Science Communications is Tennessee’s first Female-led Science Communications firm. I help STEM organizations translate ‘science’ into ‘finance’. Many companies come to me stating they have invested $30k-$50k in marketing with multiple agencies with no return on investment, and usually that tells me a few things. Most prominently: They don’t have a marketing issue; they have a messaging issue. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for life science organizations to skip the process of mapping out who they are and what issues they are really solving. Often, who they think their audience is, isn’t accurate, and when they provide their hard-to-understand scientific product to a marketing agency, marketing specialists are forced to do their own research and there is often a significant language barrier. Instead, I start from the beginning. I work with executives to understand their mission and goals, where they are on their regulatory path, and help them conduct the right market research to identify their audience and their most important pain points. From there, I work with marketing and clinical teams to reconnect and establish clear channels of communication to ensure that everything from basic website language, marketing materials, to fundraising efforts all have a consistent and clear message that resonates with each individual audience. And finally, I help them make the connections they need to expand their network, whether that’s with scientific minds and thought leaders, investors, or new talent. My network becomes their network because we’re all on the same team and committed to the same goal: making the world a healthier, and better place to live.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Knoxville is a city of micro-cities. One of my favorite things about it is that every region has it’s own personality and unique charm – not to mention some of the best food in the nation (take my word for it!). Living in NYC was a wonderful experience, but I remember every flight home how I felt when I saw the Smoky Mountains. This is my home. That, and as a remote entrepreneur, the sheer number of coffee shops has made most work days significantly more wonderful. Over the last several years I have also been invited into all aspects of the local entrepreneurial space. I have been so lucky to be invited to mentor and support so many small business leaders and aspiring women entrepreneurs. especially in KEC events like ‘What’s the Big Idea?’ and the Let Her Lead initiative. I have been invited to coach students and speak at the University of Tennessee’s Haslam Business School and share my experiences as a science communicator, and help drive in the importance of storytelling in STEM to young, college minds. That is one of the most impressive parts about Knoxville; it’s a true community, and we can all make an impact.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.validityscience.com
