photographer: julia powalacz© | make-up artist: ramona van der kooij from art of colors agency
elena naumovska (she/her)
cso and co-founder at stemxbio
about
my journey into science wasn’t a straight line. i started in social sciences and languages but decided to challenge myself with molecular biology, a field i knew little about at the time. i ended up loving it. my motivation is deeply personal—half of my family lives with type 1 diabetes, and seeing their daily struggles firsthand made me determined to contribute to a solution. this led me to co-found stemx bio. initially, we focused on regenerative therapies, but we saw a more pressing need for better tools in drug discovery. now, we develop advanced 3d human tissue models to help speed up the search for new diabetes treatments. i was fortunate to have an amazing supervisor who gave me the freedom to invent, and i’m passionate about creating that same environment for the next generation of scientists.
what advice would you give to your younger self?
i would tell my younger self to trust that feeling of curiosity, even when it leads down an unconventional path. it’s okay not to have a grand plan. my switch from social sciences to molecular biology felt like a huge leap of faith at the time, but it led me to work i am truly passionate about. i’d also say: don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. embrace being a beginner. the most important thing is the drive to learn and the courage to challenge yourself. your unique journey and personal motivations are not a detour; they are your greatest strengths. they give you a perspective that no one else has.
stemx bio
at stemx bio, we believe breakthrough science should benefit all of humanity. we grow miniature human tissue models to make drug testing safer and more accurate, without the use of animals. to truly succeed, the team creating this future must reflect the world we want to heal. we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive culture where diverse minds can collaborate to solve medicine’s biggest challenges. for us, equality isn’t just a goal—it’s essential for innovation.
powered by gemeente leiden
de gemeente leiden maakt samen met inwoners, ondernemers en andere partijen een steeds mooiere plek van leiden en de leidse regio. het stimuleren van ondernemerschap is belangrijk voor gemeente leiden. we werken daarvoor onder andere samen met unlock_ van plnt leiden. om het belang van ondernemerschap en het leiden bio science park verder uit te dragen heeft gemeente leiden een aantal onderneemsters vanuit dit incubatorprogramma genomineerd voor de rolmodellencampagne.