# How to build a brand for a biotech startup or university spin-off Building a brand for a biotech startup or spin-off means choosing a name you can register, explaining the science in one sentence and having an identity that looks credible to investors, pharma partners and recruits. It can be done on a modest budget, as long as the trademark checks happen before you fall for a name and everything is consistent before the first funding round. [Web version](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/guides/biotech-startup-branding/) By David Monje, crida studio · Published 2026-04-28 · Updated 2026-04-28 ## What changes when a lab project becomes a company In the lab, a project often carries the name of a grant or an acronym only the group understands. Once it becomes a company, it has to make sense to investors, pharma partners, future employees and, later on, regulators. The brand should say which problem you solve and for whom, beyond the technique you use. And you are not alone. According to Biocat, the BioRegion of Catalonia has 1,650 companies and 94 research institutions, and AseBio counted 1,119 biotech companies across Spain in 2025. A name and message that look like everyone else's get lost in front of a fund or in a partnering meeting. ## How to choose a name you can register and defend WIPO defines a trademark as a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one company from those of others. That is why names that only describe the technique, or lean on the usual prefixes such as bio-, gen- or cell-, tend to distinguish little and are harder to defend. A short name that is easy to say in English and carries no odd meanings in key markets works better. Run these checks before you fall in love with the name. WIPO's Global Brand Database pulls together registers from many countries, but WIPO itself advises also searching national and regional registers and consulting a trademark attorney. - Search the name in the Global Brand Database and in the EUIPO and Spanish OEPM registers. - Check that the domain and the LinkedIn page name are available. - Test how it sounds in English and in the languages of the markets you plan to sell in. - Ask a trademark attorney to confirm the classes and territories to file in. ### When should a biotech startup register its trademark? As early as possible, and always before the name goes public on a website, in a press release or in a funding round. Protection is territorial. You apply to the office of each country or region, such as EUIPO for the European Union, or to several countries at once through WIPO's Madrid System. ## An identity that looks credible to investors, partners and recruits Credibility comes from clarity and consistency. One sentence that explains the science, a small colour palette, a typeface that reads well in charts and tables, and real images from your lab or your data. Stock DNA helices and blue molecules are used by everyone and say nothing about you. Each audience meets the brand in a different format. Investors see it in the deck and on the website, pharma partners in a non-confidential presentation or a partnering meeting, and candidates on LinkedIn. Design those formats first, because they are the ones you will use every week. ![A researcher in gloves prepares sample tubes on ice for a PCR in a laboratory](https://www.crida.studio/recursos/assets/investigadora-mostres-pcr-laboratori.3313daa9f9af.webp) A National Cancer Institute researcher prepares samples for a PCR. A real lab image says more than a stock DNA helix ever will. National Cancer Institute / Unsplash — https://unsplash.com/photos/1fvqUP-xaYQ ### Should we change the name we used in the lab? If it is a project acronym, only describes the technique or is already used by another company, yes. The best time is before the first round, while there are few materials and few contacts who would have to relearn it. Later on, a change touches contracts, publications and all the communication done so far. ## What a spin-off needs to settle with its university Showing your link to the university or research centre builds trust, especially early on. Before you put its name or logo on your website, ask the technology transfer office on what terms you can do so. The company brand has to stand on its own, because the relationship with the centre will change over time. You also need to time the brand launch around your patents. Article 54 of the European Patent Convention treats everything made available to the public before the filing date, whether in writing, orally or by use, as part of the state of the art. An overly detailed website, poster or press release can cost the invention its novelty. ### Do the name and website need to be in English? The name has to work in English, because investors, pharma partners and conferences operate in that language. The website should have an English version at the very least. Catalan and Spanish help with the local ecosystem, such as Biocat, universities and public bodies, and when hiring talent nearby. ## What to have ready before your first funding round Before you talk to investors, the brand has to be the same everywhere. An investor will usually look at the deck, the website and the founders' LinkedIn profiles, and will notice straight away if each one describes a different company. According to Biocat, investment in health startups and scaleups in Catalonia reached a record 517 million euros in 2025, and the number of companies grew 8.3% year on year. - A checked name and a trademark application filed in key territories. - A positioning sentence the whole team explains the same way. - Logo, colours and typography set out in a short brand guide. - Templates for the deck, a one-pager and a scientific poster. - A simple website with the science, the team and a clear contact route. ### Does a startup without a product need a brand guide? Yes, but a short one. The logo and its variants, colours, typography, tone of voice and a few templates are enough. That way the deck, website and posters stay consistent even when different people make them, and the brand can grow once the first product arrives. ## References - [WIPO, Trademarks](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/trademarks) - [WIPO, Global Brand Database](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/global-brand-database) - [European Patent Office, European Patent Convention, Article 54](https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/a54.html) - [Biocat, 2025 BioRegion of Catalonia Report](https://www.biocat.cat/en/publications/bioregion-catalonia-report) - [AseBio, 2025 AseBio Report launch](https://www.asebio.com/en/news-events/news/biotech-sector-reaches-record-investment-levels-surpassing-eur400-million) ## The crida perspective We are a marketing, brand and technology studio based in Girona. We bring identity, content and development together so a digital experience makes sense from beginning to end. crida studio, Caldes de Malavella (Girona, Spain). David Monje, founder and director. ## Want a second look at your startup's name and brand? Tell us what your technology does, what stage you are at and who you will be pitching to. We will review the name, identity and materials and tell you where we would start. 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