Over four decades Rudi Pauwels has repeatedly left familiar paths — from pioneering HIV drug discovery at the Rega Institute, through founding Tibotec, Virco and Biocartis, to building epidemic preparedness systems and now precision nutrition platforms for prevention and healthy ageing. This keynote is a field report on the lessons that emerge only when science is turned into lasting impact: the primacy of the “why,” first-principles thinking, multidisciplinary teams, and data-rich environments. He contrasts the realities of launching early-stage ventures today with his earlier experience scaling companies as CEO, and examine how innovation itself has evolved from reactive antiviral breakthroughs to proactive systems that act before disease appears. The talk closes with a clear-eyed wake-up call: if Europe wishes to shape rather than follow the next wave of health innovation, it must rediscover the courage to wonder first and wander boldly before success is visible.