Chapter 757: Another future giant in the bag

The acquisition of shares involving a listed company requires that Polaris Capital must have a dedicated financial investment department.

And when it comes to building this financial investment department, apart from Xia Yu, there is no one in the company who would be more suitable than the future Wall Street investment guru Peter Lynch.

Peter Lynch could only work hard a little more, while taking care of the overall work, and spend some time on his old profession.

The simultaneous establishment of multiple departments and the production of a takeover plan for Abbott made Polaris Capital run at high speed.

The preliminary work for the takeover was bound to take some time, which did not warrant Xia Yu's attention.

But he didn't slack off either, and prepared to seize the moment to simultaneously move against Abbott, targeting Dr George B Rathman, the founder of the future Amgen.

But he didn't know this big name, so he went to Genentech and found Professor Herb Boyer in the lab.

'Professor Herb Boyer, do you know Dr George B Rathman, who works for Abbott?'

Professor Herb Boyer turned off the tap, dried the water in his hands with a towel, and looked at Xia Yu with a puzzled expression. 'Of course I know him. He is very good in the field of blood and tumours. We have also discussed in depth. Mr Xia, what is the matter with you looking for him?'

Xia Yu nodded slightly and said, 'Yes, I think he is an outstanding scientist. If his research can be realised, it will benefit the world. I would like to talk to him. Can you introduce me to him?'

Professor Herbert Boyle suddenly understood and smiled, saying, 'Of course, I think Dr. George B. Ratman will be very surprised.'

'Of course, I can't think of any reason why he would refuse. After all, every scientist hopes to have the conditions to complete their research!'

'Mr. Xia, I'll contact him first and let you know when I've confirmed. Are you free during this time?'

Xia Yu nodded and said, 'Anytime, please!'

'No trouble, it's a small favour!'

...

Two days later, in a quiet coffee shop in San Francisco, Xia Yu met Dr. George B. Ratman, who was in his forties.

After leading Xia Yu to meet him, Professor Herb Boyle exchanged a few words with Dr. George B. Ratman and left early.

His task was complete, and as for Xia Yu's conversation with Dr. George B. Ratman, he felt that it was not appropriate for him to listen, and besides, his time was also very precious.

'Dr. Ratman, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Xia Yu, and I'm the chairman of Polaris Capital!'

'Hello, Mr. Xia!'

After shaking hands and greeting each other, they sat down face to face, and then each ordered a cup of coffee.

Xia Yu spoke first: 'Dr. Ratman, I assume Professor Herb Boyer must have told you something about the situation?'

Thinking about what Professor Herb Boyer had told him when he approached him, Dr. George B. Ratman's heart stirred slightly, and he nodded and said, 'Yes, he told me something.'

In fact, when Professor Herb Boyle found him yesterday and told him about this, he was particularly excited, feeling a bit like he had been hit by a bolt from the blue.

God knows how envious he felt of Professor Herb Boyle when he learned that Polaris Capital had acquired Genetech, and he never expected that luck would soon befall him.

And from the expression on Dr. Ratman's face, Xia Yu had a pretty good idea of what was going on. He stated, 'Dr. Ratman, I know a bit about you. You have done some very in-depth research on blood and tumours. Scientists around the world have not done enough research in these two fields. Countless people have lost their lives to blood diseases and malignant tumours. I hope to do something for the world.'

'I have listed many scientists in these two fields, but in the end, I have temporarily chosen you. I think you can also be like Professor Herbert Boyer. What do you think?'

Xia Yu said this so as not to appear too eager, lest George B. Rathman have superfluous thoughts that would affect his interests.

George B. Ratman looked solemn, and after thanking Xia Yu, he said, 'Mr. Xia, I am honoured to have your approval. I have done some research on blood and tumours, and I have applied to Abbott, but unfortunately I have not received sufficient funding.'

'I would be happy to cooperate with you, but before that, I would like to hear your plan.'

Xia Yu nodded with a smile: 'Of course, that's only natural.'

'We will register and establish a biotechnology company, and then hire you as the head of scientific research. However, you will own a stake in the company. As for the percentage of ownership, it will be negotiated based on the value provided by both parties. What do you think?'

After saying this, Xia Yu looked at Dr. George B. Rathman, who had a slightly furrowed brow, with a smile.

Xia Yu did not want to get involved in any venture capital because he knew the value of Dr. George B. Rathman's brain. So he wanted to tie Dr. George B. Rathman in and own as much of the pharmaceutical company as possible.

He did not lack money at all. If he followed the example of Genentech and received a venture capital of 100,000 US dollars and a small amount of shares, and then spent a large sum of money to raise funds and expand the shares again and again, that would be the most unworthy thing to do.

After all, George B. Rathman was different from Professor Herb Boyer, because the latter was already a Nobel laureate when he founded the company, and he owned certain patents that were highly sought after by capital.

But George B. Rathman was different. Although he was famous, his reputation was not that great, and it was definitely not as good as that of a Nobel laureate. Secondly, in terms of patents, he had none, except that he had gone further in the field of blood and tumours.

Their strengths are different, and so are their negotiating positions.

That's why Xia Yu came up with this proposal.

Negotiating the shareholding ratio based on the value provided by both parties is even more of a joke. George B. Ratman, who still doesn't have any patents, will definitely be at a disadvantage. He won't be able to get much shareholding, but he will be tied to the company.

Xia Yu is really cunning!

George B. Rathman gradually calmed down after hearing Xia Yu's words. He pondered over the meaning of Xia Yu's words for a long time before gathering the courage to ask, 'Mr Xia, why can't we do the same as Genentech?'

Xia Yu spread out his hands and said confidently, 'Dr. George B. Rathman, you may not know much about our Polaris Capital. We are not small players. To put it modestly, we are not short of money. Time is the most precious thing.'

'Do you want research to progress slowly because of the humble research conditions at the beginning?

'You are at the peak of your life, and I personally feel that we should remove all obstacles for you so that you can devote yourself fully to research. We are willing to take a chance on you!'

As he spoke, Xia Yu's eyes shone as he looked directly into the eyes of George B. Rathman.

George B. Rathman's face was solemn as his thoughts struggled with the question of gains and losses. He thought about the dilemma of insufficient funding that he had repeatedly faced while at Abbott, and his original intention of engaging in scientific research.

After a long while, his face returned to its calm expression, and he looked at Xia Yu and said, 'Mr Xia, you are right. For me, time is the most precious thing. Let's go ahead with your plan. And thank you for recognising me! I will do my best not to let you suffer any losses!'

Xia Yu smiled, stood up, and extended his hand to Dr George B. Rathman, who also stood up and shook Xia Yu's hand firmly.

'Then, I wish us a pleasant cooperation!'

'A pleasant cooperation!'

...

Dr. George B. Rathman was also a decisive character with his own work ethic. Once he had made up his mind, he immediately submitted his resignation letter to Abbott and then devoted himself fully to the negotiations with Polaris Capital.

The content of the negotiations was very complex, including but not limited to the investment amount, equity distribution, company location, and so on.

After three days, all the content was negotiated.

It was finally decided that the new company would be called Amgen, and Polaris would contribute US$19 million as start-up capital, while Dr. George B. Rathman would invest his own worth at a price of US$1 million.

Amgen was worth a total of US$20 million, with Polaris accounting for 95% of the shares and Dr. George B. Rathman accounting for 5%.

As for the location of the company, it was not chosen in San Francisco, but in Thousand Oaks, California, which has a strong academic atmosphere and is close to the University of California and the California Institute of Technology.

After the company was registered, 19 million US dollars were deposited into the company's account at the first opportunity, and Dr. George B. Rathman ran to Thousand Oaks full of enthusiasm to start planning and building his own laboratory.

Another biopharmaceutical company with great potential has been acquired!

As long as the conditions are better and Dr. George B. Rathman doesn't make any stupid moves, this investment will definitely not lose money!