What does a biotech startup website need before a seed round?
What does a biotech startup website need before a seed round? A first screen that says what your science makes possible, proof an investor can check, an honest stage, a team that reads like a company and one clear way to get in touch, all telling the same story as your deck.
Before a seed round, a biotech startup website needs five things: a first screen that says what your science makes possible in plain words, proof an investor can check, an honest picture of your stage, a team that reads like a company, and one clear way to get in touch. It doesn't need to be big. It needs to be clear, and it needs to tell the same story as your deck.
Investors usually look you up before the meeting, often before they open the deck. I wrote about that in Investors Check Your Website Before They Open Your Deck. If the site reads like a lab page, with the mechanism at the top and the outcome three scrolls down, the company reads like a research project. I call that The Academic Trap, and most biotech sites I look at are caught in it somewhere.
Here is the checklist I use, written as the questions an investor is quietly asking.
Does the first screen say what your science makes possible?
Lead with the outcome. One sentence that says what changes for patients, clinicians or partners because your platform exists. The mechanism can come second. Your name is already in the logo, so it doesn't need to be the headline.
Use words a generalist understands. Seed investors are often not specialists in your field. If the headline only lands with someone who has read your papers, it isn't doing its job yet.
Give one clear next step. One primary button for the person you most need, and at most one quieter one for the science. Everything else can live in the navigation.
Can an investor check your proof in seconds?
Put evidence under the claim. Grants, publications, partnerships and data milestones: whatever is true and can be linked belongs near the top, not on a news page nobody opens.
Link to the source. If you mention a paper or a grant, link it. A claim an investor can check in one click does more work than three they can't.
Leave out what you can't back up yet. An overstated claim on the homepage becomes an awkward question in diligence. Exact reads as confident.
Is your stage honest and easy to find?
Say where you are. Preclinical, first in vitro data, a pilot with a partner: name the stage plainly. Investors will find out anyway, and it is better they hear it from you.
Show what comes next. A simple line on the next milestone tells them what the round is for without turning the site into a deck.
Does the team page read like a company?
Lead with why this team wins. Short bios that say what each person has built, run or brought to market, not a list of degrees.
Show the people. Real photos of the team and the lab do more for trust than stock images of pipettes.
Does the site tell the same story as your deck?
Same claim, same words. If the deck says one thing and the homepage says another, investors notice. I wrote about this in Your Deck and Your Website Are One Document.
Same look. One brand system across the site and the deck, so the company feels like one organisation wherever someone meets it.
Are the basics in place?
It works on any screen. Investors open links on their phones between meetings, so the site has to be fully responsive.
It looks maintained. Broken links, a news item from two years ago or a placeholder page all make people wonder what else has been left.
You can update it yourself. Your story will change after the round. Build the site somewhere your team can edit without a developer, which is one reason I build in Webflow.
Who should build it?
Someone who will learn your science well enough to say it simply, and who builds the brand, the site and the deck as one story. I set out what to look for in How to choose a studio for biotech and climate tech pitch decks.
That is the work I do at Marshall Studio. You work with me directly, from the first call to launch, and you can message me on WhatsApp when something comes up.
FAQ
How many pages does a biotech startup website need before seed?
Fewer than most founders think. A strong homepage, a page on the science or platform, a team page and a clear contact route usually cover it. Add more once there is more to say.
Should a biotech startup put its pipeline on the website?
If it helps investors understand your stage, yes, kept simple. A one-line summary of each programme and where it stands is usually enough before seed.
Do I need a new website before raising a seed round?
Not always. Often the first screen, the proof and the team page are what need fixing, and the rest can wait until the round is closed.
Can my website and pitch deck be designed together?
Yes, and it helps. One claim and one look across both means investors hear one story.
What should a biotech startup website be built on?
Something your team can update without a developer. I build in Webflow because it is quick to edit and hosting sits in one place.
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