Biotech startup Agomab future-proofs operations with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud

About AGOMAB

Agomab is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel disease-modifying therapies for fibro-inflammatory diseases with high unmet medical need. Agomab’s product candidates are designed to target established potent pathways and utilize organ-restricted approaches, with the aim of increasing efficacy while minimizing safety liabilities. Fostering a culture of excellence, Agomab’s mission is to pioneer therapeutics that aim to resolve fibro-inflammation and restore organ function to enable people with these disorders to live fuller and healthier lives.

The Challenge

Agomab is a project-driven company and in a critical process of moving into larger phase two clinical trials, as well as looking to expand its activities. The biotech startup is continuing to attract capital from top-tier investors, while reinforcing its process robustness with higher governance and quality expectations.

Timely, accurate project execution is vital to Agomab’s success; however, its previous start-up IT landscape was composed of separate systems and tools and could not support sustainable growth, thus creating a clear need for end-to-end integration.

Henk De Jonghe, Head of IT, Agomab explains, “As a growing company, we needed to put more structure into our operations and prepare the organization for the future. We’re now at a critical stage of patient trials and it was essential that we were ready to scale up. In addition, we must ensure that every aspect of our operations is audit-ready, making regulatory compliance a constant priority, and that we have a scalable template in terms of meeting future stringent GxP requirements.”

The Solution

Agomab chose SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud for several reasons. Its fit-to-standard, agile approach meant the system could be up and running quickly, while its adaptability allows flexible growth. A key benefit is that Agomab can use pre-configured solutions that have pre-defined processes, as well as a side-by-side approach to developing modern extensions, eliminating the need for complex coding.

Henk says, “Many biotech and pharma startups think SAP is ‘too big’ or too complex for their current size, so they often settle for smaller systems that meet today’s needs but won’t support tomorrow’s growth. In reality, SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud is designed precisely for high-potential companies like ours that need a scalable, future-proof foundation which allows us to operate with agility.”

With previous experience of working with TheValueChain, Agomab worked closely with the SAP specialist to deploy its efficient and optimised version of SAP Activate Methodology, with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud going live within seven months.

The solution scope comprises three core functional areas, finance, procurement and projects. These are supported by SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, SAP Analytics Cloud for management reporting and planning and SAP BTP Integration Suite for seamless integration with Agomab’s project management platform. Together, these components strengthen operational control, financial visibility and project governance across the business.

Transparent approval workflows for procurement

Supplier relationships are central to the Agomab operations, particularly because of its many outsourced R&D activities. Previously, all approvals for purchases and project spend were handled manually, potentially creating delays and limited oversight. Agomab is now able to delegate authority in approval workflows internally through the system, creating a structured way of approving purchase orders or projects.

Project scheduling

Although SAP offers extensive project management capabilities, Agomab retained its specific Project platform due to its flexibility, essential in research environments where project direction and budgets can change rapidly. To support this, SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) Integration Suite was used to integrate S/4HANA Public Cloud with the project management platform, where they manage both the work completed and the project budgets, enabling invoices to be steered based on billing milestones. This approach allows Agomab to have structured follow-up in order to approve invoices and do budgeting towards cash out.

Clear data-driven reporting

As a pre-revenue business, Agomab must constantly monitor how long current funding will sustain operations. With financings needs and project costs that can shift with scientific outcomes, flexible and accurate budgeting, forecasting and planning are crucial. SAP Analytics Cloud gives the company a unified view of spend, future commitments and cash-out trajectories. It can then prepare clear, data-driven reports and anticipate when new funding will be required.

Supporting Agomab as it continues clinical breakthroughs

In the months ahead, Agomab will continue to start strategic initiatives and take advantage of new business process innovations. With TheValueChain as its technology partner, the company has set up the PEPPOL integration, a mandatory requirement in mainland Europe to enable the secure, standardised exchange of electronic business documents such as invoices.

TheValueChain also supports Agomab’s SAP platform, as the company outsources all cloud-related technical operations.
Pierre Kemula, CFO, Agomab highlights, “Our migration to SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud marks a key milestone in our growth journey, enabling accelerated and integrated innovation and a greater impact on patients’ lives. And because the technology is built on industry best practices and a fit-to-standard approach, biotech startups like us can go live in under seven months and achieve fast efficiency gains.”

Benefits

• Fast time-to-SAP value
  With a fit-to-standard, agile deployment, Agomab achieved rapid time-to-SAP value through preconfigured business processes and ready-to-use functionality, ensuring staff can adopt the system quickly without complex customisation or extensive training.
• A future-proof foundation
  Agomab is operating on an enterprise-grade platform that supports its current needs while providing the scalability and robustness required to meet long-term growth and regulatory ambitions.
• Fully governed and integrated procurement
  Procurement processes are standardised, controlled and seamlessly integrated with project management. New purchase orders automatically feed into project plans, so staff can plan against committed spend, monitor milestone progress and track invoices with full transparency.
• Enhanced financial control in project execution
  The business has gained clear visibility into project performance by comparing progress against budget and purchase commitments. This close financial oversight, supported by integrated reporting, ensures spending is tightly managed and aligned with available funding.