Hot topic: Midsummer is here – winter is coming

Midsummer is here and it is glorious!  

The daylight seems eternal, and it seems these endless days will last forever too. 

London is a city of light, with the sun bouncing off ten thousand windows. Is it even the same place as the London of six months ago? 

The further north you go, the more radical the contrast between summer and winter – a fact our Nordic cousins know so well.  It’s no coincidence the Scandinavians are the most enthusiastic celebrators of midsummer in the world.  

But there’s a saying often uttered in Sweden on Midsummer’s Eve: “We are heading for darker times.” 

It’s a reminder of the need to prepare for the future. 

The solstice is a wonderful time, but it is also tinged with the knowledge of summer’s fleeting nature. The Earth is now at full tilt; nothing will stop it rolling back. Imperceptible at first, the shortening of the days will slowly gather pace. By mid-August, the change will be quite noticeable. 

Why does this matter in the world of biotech? We are not druids reading runes, or farmers eyeing the skies. 

It matters because biotech’s calendar is every bit as set in stone. Thousands will gather in London in dark November and in San Francisco two months later to seek an audience with influential investors. Programmes will be nurtured, or left to wither. Fortunes will be made, or lost. 

Are you prepared? Are you preparing now? Are you making sure your company is visible – in the media, on social media, to investors? Is your pitch perfect? 

The temptation is to leave preparations to closer to the time. 

But to quote another Swedish proverb: “Every mile is twice as long in winter.” 

Better to start the hard yards now.