BioNTech—the virtual company with a virtual moral compass

What do we know about BioNTech?

Forty years in the industry, and I only heard of BioNTech in 2018. Then, I noticed on LinkedIn (am since ejected) that a lawyer I had worked with in 2007 on client supply agreements, then at Morrison & Forrester (MoFo), had gone to work for them. I thought no more of it, other than to wonder why he would move to such a tiny company.

Anyway, I thought now to dig in a little deeper on their website.

Top of the collaborator list is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, saying:

“In September 2019, we entered into a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop HIV and tuberculosis programs based on our proprietary mRNA vaccine technology. The investment was the largest equity investment made by the Foundation’s Strategic Investment Fund to date.  The collaboration comprises identification and pre-clinical development of vaccines and immunotherapies for these infectious diseases and strives to provide affordable access to world-class medicines …