BioNTech Co-Founders Plan Exit

“BioNTech's co-founders, the husband-and-wife team who helped bring the first Covid-19 vaccine to the market during the depths of the pandemic, are leaving the company to form a new startup.

 

Their departure marks a milestone for the German biotech company, which helped pioneer the development of messenger RNA technology and protect people during the pandemic.

 

BioNTech, which sold its Covid shot through a partnership with Pfizer, will largely focus on getting its new cancer therapies to patients, while its founders' new venture will explore new medical uses for mRNA technology.

 

American depositary shares plunged about 18% after the changes were announced Tuesday. "This injects significant uncertainty into a stock under pressure to deliver on a portfolio of late-stage oncology assets," Leerink Partners analysts said in a note.

 

Drs. Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci founded BioNTech in 2008 and held prominent roles in the company, with the husband serving as chief executive and his wife as chief medical officer. Sahin was an outspoken crusader for the development of mRNA vaccines. In January 2020, Sahin brought several vaccine candidates he had devised to his team and told them to focus their attention entirely on developing a shot for the coronavirus before the end of the year, an unheard of timeline for that kind of research.

 

Through its partnership with Pfizer, BioNTech was the first company to get its Covid vaccine to market. Demand for Covid shots has waned in recent years. BioNTech has focused on developing cancer therapies with mRNA and other technologies. The drugmaker has several trials in a variety of cancers on track to report results this year.

 

The company projected full-year revenue of 2 billion euros to 2.3 billion euros, equivalent to $2.33 billion to $2.68 billion. Analysts polled by Visible Alpha had expected 2026 revenue of 2.69 billion euros.” [1]

 

1. BioNTech Co-Founders Plan Exit. Calatayud, Adria; Koons, Cynthia.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 11 Mar 2026: B4.