Polaris Biology

Polaris Biology had established a strong position in China with its Lunarion mass cytometry system but lacked any operational or commercial footprint in Europe. They needed to move from “no presence” to “recognized player” in a demanding, highly competitive market, and to do so faster than an internal build-only approach would allow.

Client:

Polaris Biology

Technology:

Lunarion – single‑cell mass cytometry platform.

Scope:

European market entry, lighthouse site strategy, operational build‑up.

Challenge

Polaris’ objectives were ambitious and time‑sensitive:

Enter Europe with clear, visible proof points rather than isolated instrument sales.

Win over leading centers in cytometry and immunology as early adopters and references.

Position Lunarion credibly against established cytometry and mass spectrometry solutions.

Build an operational foundation (processes, relationships, messaging) that could scale beyond the first deals.

The core challenge: turning an excellent technology and strong home-market track record into a European growth engine—without an existing local organization.

Strategic approach

Vim Vitae Consulting partnered with Polaris Biology in a hands‑on commercial leadership role, designing and driving a lighthouse‑first European entry strategy :

Market and site prioritization

Identify European countries and institutions where Lunarion’s capabilities would be most compelling and strategically visible.

Positioning and messaging

Adapt Polaris’ value proposition to European expectations, focusing on differentiation, reliability, and integration into existing workflows.

Ideal lighthouse profile

Define the scientific, technical, and reputational criteria for early-adopter sites that could influence the broader market.

End‑to‑end business development

Own the commercial cycle from first approach to agreement on installations, working closely with Polaris’ leadership and technical teams.

Execution and team engagement

Execution focused on a small number of high‑impact opportunities rather than broad, unfocused outreach:

Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)

Engaged the National Cytometry Platform under Dr. Antonio Cosma, aligning Lunarion with LIH’s ambitions in advanced single‑cell analysis. This included shaping the scientific and operational narrative so Lunarion would be seen not just as another instrument, but as a platform for future research directions.

DRFZ – German Rheumatology Research Center

Engaged the mass cytometry group led by Dr. Axel Schulz in Berlin, positioning Lunarion as a strategic addition to their high‑dimensional immunology research capabilities.

Across both sites, Vim Vitae Consulting:

Coordinated discussions on technical fit, applications, and service expectations.

Bridged communication between Polaris’ team and European stakeholders, ensuring clear alignment on timelines, training, and support.

Created tight feedback loops so insights from these negotiations fed back into Polaris’ broader commercial and product strategy.

Results and impact

Within a few months, Polaris Biology moved from zero European footprint to two strategic lighthouse installations:

One Lunarion system installed at LIH in Luxembourg (National Cytometry Platform, Dr. Antonio Cosma).

One Lunarion system installed at DRFZ in Germany (mass cytometry platform, Dr. Axel Schulz).

These wins delivered:

A tangible European operation and reference base built from scratch.

Earlier‑than‑expected impact and revenue versus internal expectations.

Strong proof points to support further commercial conversations in academic and translational centers across Europe.

Ongoing relationship and scale

Following these initial successes, the collaboration shifted from “first entries” to scaling and replication:

LIH and DRFZ now act as reference sites and credibility anchors for Polaris’ European growth.

The approach developed—market focus, lighthouse targeting, execution model—serves as a blueprint for future geographic expansion and partner engagements.

Client perspective

“I had the pleasure to meet Mr Hervé Pouzoullic in 2018, when he was Senior Director OEM – EMEA & Asia in Thermo Fisher. His sharp commercial expertise bridged a fruitful collaboration between Thermo and Polaris, and Polaris learnt a lot from the expedition. That’s why when Polaris seek global expansion in 2024, we contacted Hervé for help. He managed to build our global operation from nothing in just several month, and Polaris is already generating impact and revenue more than we could anticipate. Beside the commercial expertise and acumen, his passion and perseverance brings people around him and catalyse progress into success. A true team player, invaluable for our growth.”

Yuchong WangCEO, Polaris Biology