"To-date I see Hopkins as someone who wants to have the data in...

"To-date I see Hopkins as someone who wants to have the data in (and backing him up) before he sells his science. Hopkins always makes it clear to you 'it may not come off' but they are doing their best to make it work."

This is has been exactly my experience. I have spoken with him a couple of times this year and so far he been very careful in what he discloses ( ie no sense of imminent deals, name dropping potential partners etc). I would describe him as a cautiously enthusiastic CEO that can't wait for the world to discover what they've got - when they have got it.

Over 20 years I have learned to read the bio CEO a little - I avoid the salesmen ones and am drawn to the scientific ones with a business brain. In Paul and Nick they split these roles and management effectively controlled the direction and outcomes - this might have worked but in the end it didn't - worth trying? Probably but It didn't attract me and eventually seemed to lose support among some of the 'insto' holders. Richard is learning the business side quickly and has excellent advisors via the Board and Hockings family.

We can't make the science work. We can only invest in development of it and hope it has commercial application one day. Reality check - most don't.