The Biotech Startups Podcast

Latest Episodes:

🧬 Maneesh Jain - Mirvie - Part 1 | Fundamental Curiosity & The Value of Perseverance | Entrepreneurship for Societal Impact | “Magic Decades” & Finding Your Niche | The Importance of Scalability & Differentiation Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

Part 1 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is Maneesh Jain, CEO and Co-Founder of Mirvie, a life science company that predicts pregnancy complications before they happen by revealing the underlying biology of pregnancy health. Mirvie is dedicated to shaping the future of pregnancy health through simple, personalized blood tests. Before Mirvie, Maneesh was a founder, CEO, or executive of five successful start-ups, which include Parallele Bioscience, Auriphex Bioscience, Ion Torrent, Butterfly Network, and Cirina.
All of the businesses successfully exited or commercialized to the likes of Affymetrix, Illumina, Life Technologies, the FDA, and GRAIL, respectively. Join us as we sit down with Maneesh to talk about how his fundamental curiosity and perseverance have been a mainstay across his career.
Maneesh also discusses how he views entrepreneurship as a way to improve lives and make positive societal impacts. Lastly, we cover his time during undergrad and graduate school, how it led to spinning out ParAllele BioScience, and the many lessons its merger with Affymetrix provided. Please enjoy my conversation with Maneesh.
Find Our Guest, Maneesh Jain, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/maneesh-jain-2509388/
https://www.mirvie.com/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com
Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:20 Episode start, Maneesh’s fundamental curiosity and thirst for knowledge, the value of perseverance
04:43 Entrepreneurship as a way to improve people’s lives and make a societal impact, time at CalTech
07:02 Undergraduate lab experience, turning knowledge into practical applications, mentors
09:36 Graduate school at Stanford, taking big open-ended problems and breaking them down
12:17 Moving to a field that is going to have its “Magic Decade”, transitioning to life sciences
15:00 Benefits of being a “clean slate”, working at the Stanford Genome Technology Center
17:24 Finding a project to spin-out, ParAllele BioScience and finding co-founders
22:28 The importance of showing basic scalability, going through the merger with Affymetrix
26:30 Learning about product differentiation, understanding technology and market life cycles
29:50 Outro
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Entrepreneurship https://www.excedr.com/category/entrepreneurship
Lean Business Plan https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-write-lean-business-plan
Reducing Startup Costs & Expenses https://www.excedr.com/blog/startup-costs-and-expenses
CalTech https://www.caltech.edu/
SURF https://www.nist.gov/surf
Biotech Accelerators https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-accelerators
Accelerator vs. Incubator https://www.excedr.com/resources/accelerator-vs-incubator
Human Genome Project https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project
Stanford Genome Technology Center https://med.stanford.edu/sgtc.html
Computational Biology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_biology
ParAllele Bioscience https://www.outsourcing-pharma.com/Article/2005/06/01/Affymetrix-acquires-ParAllele-BioScience
Tech Transfer https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-tech-transfer
Spinning Out of Academia https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-spin-out-of-academia-and-into-a-startup
Do You Need a Co-founder https://www.excedr.com/resources/do-you-need-a-co-founder-for-your-startup
Error Bars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Error_bar
Affymetrix https://www.linkedin.com/company/affymetrix/
Illumina https://www.illumina.com/
People Mentioned:
Amnon Rariv https://www.linkedin.com/in/amnon-yariv-12a75766/
Ron Davis https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-davis-56a34852/ The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

🧬 Alok Tayi - Vibe Bio - Part 3 | Biotech2050 Podcast Origins | Facilitating Innovation Conversations in Biotech | Vibe Bio’s Mission & Funding Cures Instead of Finding Them | Non-Linear Growth & Thinking Long Term Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

Part 3 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is Alok Tayi, Founder of Vibe Bio, a life science company that funds and guides high-potential drug programs through value inflection points. Vibe Bio’s core comprises a community of scientists, patients, and partners dedicated to helping biotechs find the promising treatments that patients deserve.
Prior to founding Vibe Bio, Alok started and ran several life science-focused software companies, including PreScouter, TetraScience, and the Life Sciences division at Egnyte. Join us as we sit down with Alok to talk about the origins of the Biotech2050 podcast, how serendipity has played a role in his career, and how he does his best to create those opportunities for others.
Alok also discusses how medical conditions in his family led to Vibe Bio’s creation, and how Vibe’s goal is to pinpoint diseases with unmet needs, leveraging AI to find medicines with the highest chances of providing cures. Lastly, learn how Vibe Bio can offer newly spun-out biotechs benefits at every inflection point. Please enjoy my conversation with Alok Tayi.
Find Our Guest, Alok Tayi, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aloktayi/
https://www.vibebio.com
https://www.biotech2050.com/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com
Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:44 Episode start, starting the Biotech2050 Podcast, biotech innovation and facilitating those conversations
05:20 Fostering connections, serendipity’s effect on Alok’s journey and creating those opportunities for others
08:26 Diseases in the family and how they sparked Vibe Bio’s mission, the challenge of funding cures rather than finding them
10:47 Developing medicine from outside the industry, democratizing the drug development domain
12:54 Exponential scaling in expenses leads to medicines gravitating toward economic potential, recency bias
14:34 “Activation energy”, pinpointing unmet needs in industry and leveraging AI to find highest potential cures
17:26 Key inflection points to know, what Vibe Bio brings to those inflection points
20:58 Vibe Bio’s plans during the next couple of years
22:37 Alok’s shout outs, giving advice to a younger self, growth is non-linear, think long term
25:18 Outro
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Biotech2050 Podcast https://www.biotech2050.com/
Clora https://www.clora.com/
JPM Conference https://www.jpmorgan.com/about-us/events-conferences/health-care-conference
Biotech Podcasts to Listen To https://www.excedr.com/blog/biotech-podcasts-to-listen-to
Vibe Bio https://www.vibebio.com/
What Is Capital Outlay https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-capital-outlay
Venture Capital https://www.excedr.com/category/venture-capital
Angel Investors https://www.excedr.com/resources/angel-funding-and-angel-investors
Seed Round https://www.excedr.com/resources/seed-round-funding-explained
Series A, B, & C Funding https://www.excedr.com/resources/series-funding-explained
Activation energy https://www.britannica.com/science/activation-energy
Slush Fund https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slush_fund
Tech Transfer https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-tech-transfer
Spinning Out of Academia https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-spin-out-of-academia-and-into-a-startup
People Mentioned:
Rahul Chaturvedi https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulchaturvedi/
Sam Stupp https://stupp.northwestern.edu/cv/
George Whitesides https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-whitesides-7ba1189/
John Kelty https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kelty-96926885 The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

🧬 Alok Tayi - Vibe Bio - Part 2 | Transitioning Into Entrepreneurship | The Importance of Sales Experience for Founders | The Power of a .edu Email | Managing Personnel During Hyperscaling Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

Part 2 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is Alok Tayi, Founder of Vibe Bio, a life science company focused on funding & guiding high-potential drug programs through value inflection points. Vibe Bio’s core comprises a community of scientists, patients, and partners dedicated to helping biotechs find the promising treatments that patients deserve.
Prior to Vibe Bio, Alok started and ran several life science-focused software companies, including PreScouter, TetraScience, and the Life Sciences division at Egnyte. Join us as we sit down with Alok to talk about his transition into entrepreneurship from academia and how that experience led to PreScouter.
Alok also covers his experience navigating the tech transfer ecosystem and offers some key takeaways from his time as a serial founder. Alok also discusses founding TetraScience, his time at Egnyte hyperscaling its life sciences division during Covid, and tips for managing people during that rapid growth. Please enjoy my conversation with Alok Tayi.
Find Our Guest, Alok Tayi, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aloktayi/
https://www.vibebio.com
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com
Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:50 Episode start, Alok’s transition into entrepreneurship, the origins of PreScouter
03:35 Learning the go-to-market aspect of building business, the importance of doing sales
06:14 Enterprise sales and its duality, PreScouter takeaways for founders, the power of a .edu email address
09:28 Navigating the tech transfer ecosystem, taking tech from one industry to an adjacent one
11:13 How TetraScience came about, efficiency and data capture for science,
16:17 Moving on to Egnyte, building out the life science business unit, scaling from 1 to 60 employees
18:22 Experience working through Covid, biotech’s rapid growth and building something large quickly
22:11 Managing personnel during hyperscaling, importance of keeping your people on the same page
25:40 Outro
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Entrepreneurship https://www.excedr.com/category/entrepreneurship
Marketing & Sales Strategies for Startups https://www.excedr.com/blog/marketing-sales-strategies-for-biotechs
Principal Investigator (PI) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal_investigator
PreScouter https://www.prescouter.com/home/
Enterprise Sales https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/enterprise-sales
Tech Transfer https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-tech-transfer
Spinning Out of Academia https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-spin-out-of-academia-and-into-a-startup
TetraScience https://www.tetrascience.com/
Machine Learning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_learning
Egnyte https://www.egnyte.com/
Capital Outlay https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-capital-outlay
Bootstrapping & Scaling Your Startup https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-bootstrap-biotech-startup
Creating a Budget for Your Startup https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-create-budget-biotech-startup
What is CapEX https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-capex
Lattice Mismatch https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/lattice-mismatch
People Mentioned:
Vineet Jain https://www.linkedin.com/in/vineetkjain/
Rajesh Ram https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramrajesh/
Amrit Jassal https://www.linkedin.com/in/amritjassal/
Kris Lahiri https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-lahiri-135bb2/
David Spitz https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidspitz/ The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

🧬 Alok Tayi - Vibe Bio - Part 1 | Combining Software & Science | The Influence of Serendipity on Trajectory | The Critical Importance of Mentors | Working to Make an Impact & Solve Problems Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

Part 1 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is Alok Tayi, Founder of Vibe Bio, a life science company focused on funding & guiding high-potential drug programs through value inflection points. Vibe Bio’s core is a community of scientists, patients, and partners that are dedicated to helping biotechs find the promising treatments that patients deserve.
Prior to Vibe Bio, Alok started and ran several life science-focused software companies, including PreScouter, TetraScience, and the Life Sciences division at Egnyte.
Join us as we sit down with Alok to talk about how his experience at SUNY as a teenager sparked his journey into science and showed him the combination of software and science that has been a common trend throughout his career.
Alok also speaks to the importance of mentors, especially those he found at Cornell, Northwestern, Tokyo, and Harvard. Alok also covers how his time as a postgraduate working with George Whitesides changed his outlook on how to think, focusing on how to make an impact. Please enjoy my conversation with Alok Tayi.
Find Our Guest, Alok Tayi, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aloktayi/
https://www.vibebio.com
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com
Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:45 Episode start, Alok’s early journey into science, the combination of software and science
03:41 Serendipitous timing and its influence on Alok’s trajectory, the intersection of tech and biotech, the importance of good mentors
06:33 Experience at Cornell, the growth of materials science after the dot com bubble burst, motivation to get a PhD
09:45 Choosing Northwestern for a PhD, the benefits of working in Sam Stupp’s lab
14:27 Equipment in labs not being utilized, the difficulty of keeping people in the scientific discipline
18:33 Being a JSPS Fellow at University of Tokyo, Japan’s culture of hard work and other differences
23:33 Time at Harvard, pursuing a postdoc with George Whitesides
25:55 George Whitesides’ view on how does one think, working on things that have an impact, solving problems
28:17 Outro
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
University at Albany, SUNY https://www.suny.edu/
Materials Science https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materials_science
General Lab Equipment https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment
Liquid Handlers https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment/liquid-handler
Industrial Robots https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment/industrial-robots
High Content Imaging https://www.excedr.com/blog/an-introduction-to-high-content-imaging
What Are Immunoassays https://www.excedr.com/resources/what-are-immunoassays
Cell Imaging Systems https://www.excedr.com/microscopes/cell-imaging-system
Bioanalyzers https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-does-a-bioanalyzer-work
Nanotechnology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology
Molecular Biology https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-molecular-biology
X-Ray Crystallography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_crystallography
Organic Electronics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_electronics
Northwestern University https://www.northwestern.edu/
Science Exchange https://ww2.scienceexchange.com/s/
Scientific Equipment Leasing https://www.excedr.com/leasing
Staffing Your Startup https://www.excedr.com/blog/staffing-your-startup
“Todai” University of Tokyo https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/
JSPS Fellowship https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-fellow/
Harvard University https://www.harvard.edu/
Li Ka Shing Center https://bds.berkeley.edu/lks
Quad Chart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad_chart
First Principles https://fs.blog/first-principles/
People Mentioned:
Michael Carpenter https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-carpenter-a6705a142/
George Malliaras https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgemalliaras/
Sam Stupp https://stupp.northwestern.edu/cv/
George Whitesides https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-whitesides-7ba1189/
Stephen Sass https://www.mse.cornell.edu/news/memorial-stephen-l-sass
Elizabeth Iorns https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethiorns/
Fraser Stoddart https://stoddart.northwestern.edu/fraser-stoddart/
Aida Takuzo https://www.linkedin.com/in/aida-takuzo-b38672150/ The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

🧬 James Evans - PhenoVista - Part 3 | Being a Scrappy Founder | Adapting to Change & Learning to Pivot | The Importance of Professional Business Development | Setting Client Expectations Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

Part 3 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is James Evans, Founder and CEO of PhenoVista Biosciences, a contract research organization that works with biopharma clients of all sizes, from start-ups to established global companies.
Before starting PhenoVista, James spent a decade at MIT’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research as a Postdoc, a Research Scientist, and finally, Director of the Bioimaging Center.
Join us as we sit down with James to talk about how important it is to be scrappy as an entrepreneur, and how it is critical to adapt to change, as plans rarely remain unaltered. James also speaks to the importance of professional business development and how acquiring that skillset was a huge unlock for PhenoVista. J
James also covers the importance of setting client expectations, and discussing what is coming in the next year for PhenoVista. Please enjoy my conversation with James Evans.
Find Our Guest, James Evans, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesgevans/
https://phenovista.com/

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com

Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:45 Episode start, finding first lab space, incubator/shared space vs standard lab lease
04:10 Being scrappy, having a plan versus having a strategy, adapting to change
07:08 Phases of company growth, in-house business development, professionalizing operations for scale and outside investors
08:34 Tips for improving sales and marketing, always trying new things
10:30 Difference between working with large and small clients, setting expectations with clients
12:49 PhenoVista’s coming year, new services in cell & gene therapy, functional assays, toxicology, fundraising for future growth
14:00 Shout-outs to people who helped along the way
15:47 Advice to James’ younger self, dealing with stress, physical and mental health
17:23 Outro
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Lab Equipment https://www.excedr.com/category/lab-equipment
First Set of Equipment https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment
Autoclave https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment/autoclave
CO2 Incubator https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment/co2-incubator
Centrifuge https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-a-centrifuge
Lab Automation/Robotics https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment/industrial-robots
Lab Balance https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment/lab-balance
Lab Shaker https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment/lab-shaker
Liquid Handler https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment/liquid-handler
Ultra Low Temp Freezer https://www.excedr.com/general-lab-equipment/ultra-low-temperature-freezer
Biotech/Life Science Equipment https://www.excedr.com/biotech-life-sciences
Cell Counter/Analyzer https://www.excedr.com/biotech-life-sciences/cell-counter
Flow Cytometer/Cell Sorter https://www.excedr.com/biotech-life-sciences/flow-cytometer
Microplate Reader https://www.excedr.com/biotech-life-sciences/microplate-reader
RT-PCR https://www.excedr.com/biotech-life-sciences/pcr-systems
Used Lab Equipment https://www.excedr.com/blog/buying-used-equipment
Refurbished Lab Equipment https://www.excedr.com/blog/refurbished-lab-equipment
Startup Bootstrapping https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-bootstrap-biotech-startup
Writing a Lean Business Plan https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-write-lean-business-plan
Marketing, Sales, & Business Development https://www.excedr.com/blog/marketing-sales-strategies-for-biotechs
Reducing Costs & Improving Efficiencies https://www.excedr.com/blog/startup-costs-and-expenses
Cell Painting & High Content Imaging https://www.excedr.com/blog/an-introduction-to-high-content-imaging
Biotechnology Funding Options https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-startup-funding-options
People Mentioned:
Alan McNeilly https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-mcneilly-a497a025/?originalSubdomain=uk
Pamela Brown https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-brown-a8140a1a/?originalSubdomain=uk
Paul Matsudaira https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-matsudaira/
Ivan Correia https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-correia-mba-phd-9b026576/
Sanjoy Ray https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjoy-ray-1236051/
PhenoVista Advisors: https://phenovista.com/advisors
PhenoVista Team: https://phenovista.com/our-team The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

🧬 James Evans - PhenoVista - Part 2 | Leaving Academia for Industry | How to Handle Miscommunication | Creating a Truly Diverse Company Culture | Being Bootstrapped & Forging a Business Model in the Real World Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

Part 2 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is James Evans, Founder and CEO of PhenoVista Biosciences, a contract research organization that works with biopharma clients of all sizes, from start-ups to established global companies.
Before starting PhenoVista, James spent a decade at MIT’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research as a Postdoc, a Research Scientist, and finally, Director of the Bioimaging Center.
Join us as we sit down with James to talk about his choice to leave MIT and the job that initiated his move to San Diego where he met his co-founder. James also offers insight into what the early days at PhenoVista were like, and how important it is to learn to tackle miscommunication early.
Hear firsthand about the difficulties of running a bootstrapped business, how company growth leads to recurring issues that need solving, and how James forged a business model in the real world. Please enjoy my conversation with James Evans.
Find Our Guest, James Evans, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesgevans/
https://phenovista.com/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com
Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:44 Episode Start
02:37 Choosing to leave MIT, the hard way of learning how to defend your data
04:53 Moving to San Diego, meeting PhenoVista’s co-founder (Tony), early days of the company
06:28 Gathering momentum, making the first outside hire (Erika), learning how to handle miscommunication
09:19 Hard lessons learned from moving from academia into a startup
11:06 Experience moving from East Coast to West Coast, creating a truly diverse company culture
13:34 Running a business is incredibly hard, solving recurring problems as the company grows
15:54 Biggest driving factor for creating PhenoVista, democratized access to phenotypic screening
17:40 Being bootstrapped vs. venture capital backed, forging a business model in the real world
20:35 Outro
Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:
High-Content Imaging https://www.excedr.com/blog/an-introduction-to-high-content-imaging Phenotypic Screening https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenotypic_screening
Spinning Out of Academia: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-spin-out-of-academia-and-into-a-startup
Creating a Budget for Your Startup (VC or Bootstrapped): https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-create-budget-biotech-startup
A Guide to Grant Funding: https://www.excedr.com/resources/grants-public-funding-biotech-startups
Financing Options for Your Startup: https://www.excedr.com/resources/debt-equity-options-funding-startup
How to Limit Co-Founder Disputes: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-limit-co-founder-legal-disputes
How to Write a Lean Business Plan: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-write-lean-business-plan
How to Bootstrap Your Biotech Startup: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-bootstrap-biotech-startup
Fuji Film https://www.fujifilm.com/us/en
EBITDA https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/ebitda.asp
People Mentioned:
Paul Matsudaira https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-matsudaira/
Anthony “Tony” Essex https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-essex-ph-d-85671846/
Erika Martin https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-martin-b357327/ The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

🧬 James Evans - PhenoVista - Part 1 | Skateboarding, Resilience, & Problem Solving | The Importance of Hands-On Lab Experiences | The Elegant Simplicity of Trial & Error | Running the Whitehead Institute’s Core Facility Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

Part 1 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is James Evans, Founder and CEO of PhenoVista Biosciences, a contract research organization that works with biopharma clients of all sizes, from start-ups to established global companies.
Before starting PhenoVista, James spent a decade at MIT’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research as a Postdoc, a Research Scientist, and finally, Director of the Bioimaging Center. Join us as we sit down with James to discuss his late-blooming love of science and how his childhood extracurriculars taught him resilience and problem solving.
James also offers insight into how important his hands-on lab experience was and how crucial it is to have a mentor that nurtures new talent. Learn more about why he left Harvard for MIT's Whitehead Institute, and how his experiences there further fueled his passion for imaging. Please enjoy my conversation with James Evans.
Find Our Guest, James Evans, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesgevans/
https://phenovista.com/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com
Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:14 Episode start
03:38 Non-academic ways of learning resilience, problem solving, and a rebellious nature
06:00 The Belgian lab that lit a fire of inspiration and interest in biology
09:52 Hands-on, functional university experience, the importance of getting research exposure
11:32 Going to Edinburgh for his PhD, differences in experience and nurturing new talent
14:29 Cutting edge molecular biology, choosing to go overseas from Edinburgh to Harvard
17:11 The reason for wanting to switch to the Whitehead Institute, a passion for imaging
19:53 Collaborations with industry, leveraging imaging for computational systems biology
22:30 Helping grad students, common sense approaches to finding quick, reliable answers to questions
26:26 Outro
Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:
Kickflip https://www.wikihow.com/Kickflip-on-a-Skateboard
UK A-Levels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-level
Erasmus Program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmus_Programme
Coventry University https://www.coventry.ac.uk/
Mouth Pipetting https://incubator.rockefeller.edu/origins-of-the-pipette-why-todays-scientists-dont-need-to-use-their-mouths/
Transfection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfection
Whitehead Institute https://wi.mit.edu/
Computational Systems Biology http://catalog.mit.edu/interdisciplinary/graduate-programs/computational-systems-biology/
High Content Screening https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-content_screening
People Mentioned:
Alan McNeilly https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-mcneilly-a497a025/?originalSubdomain=uk
Pamela Brown https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-brown-a8140a1a/?originalSubdomain=uk
Paul Matsudaira https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-matsudaira/
Sanjoy Ray https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjoy-ray-1236051/The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

🧬 Steve Visco - PolyPlus - Part 3 | Government Grants | The Importance of Storytelling for STEM Startups | Venture Capital vs Non-Dilutive Funding | How To Gain Strategic Corporate Interest Domestically & Abroad Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

Part 3 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is Steve Visco. Steve is the Co-founder, CTO, and CEO of PolyPlus. Before PolyPlus, Steve worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab as a Principal Investigator, running several programs in the field of solid state ionics, developing an extensive patent portfolio, much of which has been licensed to industry.
Join us as we sit down with Steve to discuss how to stay true to your North Star when applying for and receiving government grants.
Steve also offers tips on how you should consider choosing your grants, offers guidance on writing the grants themselves, and doubles down on storytelling as core competency for STEM founders.
Learn more about his thoughts on when and why to choose VC investment over other options out there, the differences between generating corporate interest with US and international companies, and how to build an innovative team and culture that makes your job a place you want to go to every day. Please enjoy my conversation with Steve Visco.
Find Our Guest, Steve Visco, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-j-visco-2910b57/
https://polyplus.com/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com
Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:35 Episode start
03:18 Staying true to your North Star when utilizing government grants, dealing with auditing
05:28 Grants are inflexible, being careful when writing research plan proposals
06:26 Grant writing tips, the importance of a solid team, storytelling as a core competency
09:24 Remedying STEM programs’ lack of emphasis on writing, why communication is key
11:52 Choosing not to take venture capital, pros and cons of working with VCs, government grants for manufacturing (not just R&D)
14:39 The importance of Founders knowing their funding options, how to gain corporate interest
16:56 Government grants & the importance of your reputation, finding ways to differentiate yourself, government grants vs corporate financing
20:26 Differences between US & international corporate strategic collaborations, lack of startups abroad
22:34 Building an innovative team, employee retention, balancing the pace of hiring with the amount of onboarding required
26:44 Hiring methodologies, where to look for irreplaceable industry-specific talent, new considerations when advancing from R&D to manufacturing
31:08 Advice to younger self, choosing the uncharted path, having a job you want to go to
33:03 Shoutouts to those that have helped Steve along the way, building a good company
36:05 Outro
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Non-Dilutive Funding https://www.arkkapital.com/basics/non-dilutive-funding
Grant Funding https://www.excedr.com/resources/grants-public-funding-biotech-startups/
SBIR Grants https://www.excedr.com/blog/sbir-grants-guide/
ARPA-E https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPA-E
People Mentioned:
Rudy Hurwich https://hurwich.com/ The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

🧬 Steve Visco - PolyPlus - Part 2 | Global Competition | Defending & Monetizing Your Intellectual Property | Dealing With Patent Trolls & Needing Multiple Patents Per Technology | The Importance of Global IP Strategy for Startups Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

Part 2 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is Steve Visco. Steve is the Co-founder, CTO, and CEO of PolyPlus. Before PolyPlus, Steve worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab as a Principal Investigator, running several programs in the field of solid state ionics, developing an extensive patent portfolio, much of which has been licensed to industry.
Join us as we sit down with Steve to discuss PolyPlus’ decade of experience as a licensing company during a time of rapid industry change.
Steve also covers how important intellectual property is for defending and monetizing your technology, how to deal with patent trolls and spurious lawsuits, and the benefits of scientists understanding patent legalities.
Learn more about his thoughts on why having multiple patents on a technology is important, and how crucial it can be to have an immediate global IP strategy as a startup. Please enjoy my conversation with Steve Visco.
Find Our Guest, Steve Visco, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-j-visco-2910b57/
https://polyplus.com/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com
Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:39 Episode start
02:01 Stanford’s tech transfer advice to Berkeley, finding an investor and CEO in Rudy Hurwich
03:55 Rudy’s business experience, the 4 members of the founding group
05:15 Lithium ion’s emergence, PolyPlus’ decade as a licensing company
07:12 American companies trying to catch up to Japan, batteries as the new oil
09:30 Intellectual property & the importance of patents, evaluating patents as part of M&A
12:54 How PolyPlus found their patent attorney, dealing with patent trolls & spurious lawsuits
16:48 Preparing for the interference lawsuit, benefits of a scientist understanding patent legalities
19:27 Licensing patents as a source of income, the dangers of over-licensing your portfolio
22:19 Learning about deal structure, the importance of having multiple patents on a technology
24:39 Choosing where to patent, patenting tech in the United States vs. Overseas
27:39 Startups & the importance of having an immediate global IP strategy
30:39 Outside IP attorneys & choosing when to bring one in-house/train one up
33:00 Outro
Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:
Intellectual Property/IP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property
Dymo Industries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymo_Corporation
DuPont https://www.dupont.com/
Dow https://www.dow.com/en-us
Panasonic https://www.na.panasonic.com/
Sony https://www.sony.com/en/
Patent Trolling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_troll
Interference Patent Lawsuit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interference_proceeding
Patent Cooperation Treaty-PCT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_Cooperation_Treaty
CRISPR Patent Dispute
https://www.statnews.com/2016/03/08/crispr-patent-fight/
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/breakthrough-gene-editing-technology-belongs-harvard-mit-us-tribunal-2022-03-01/
People Mentioned:
Rudy Hurwich https://hurwich.com/
Michel Armand https://cicenergigune.com/en/michel-armand
Meilin Liu https://www.linkedin.com/in/meilin96332354/
Jim Simons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Simons_(mathematician)
John Goodenough https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Goodenough
Joe Siino https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephsiino/ The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

🧬 Steve Visco - PolyPlus - Part 1 | Benefits of Strong Writing Skills for Entrepreneurs | Tech Transfer Process & Its Origins | Leveraging Your Expert Status in Negotiations to Gain Investment | Evaluating Personal Needs Alongside Professional Opportuniti May 31, 2023

Show notes

Part 1 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is Steve Visco. Steve is the Co-founder, CTO, and CEO of PolyPlus. Before PolyPlus, Steve worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab as a Principal Investigator, running several programs in the field of solid state ionics, developing an extensive patent portfolio, much of which has been licensed to industry.
Join us as we sit down with Steve to discuss why being a skillful writer is important for scientific entrepreneurs.
Steve also covers how he balanced his family’s needs with professional endeavors, the origins of the tech transfer process, and what tech transfer meant for researchers in government and academic labs.
Learn more about his thoughts on leveraging expertise in negotiations with companies in industry and the potential pitfalls of conflict of interest.
Please enjoy my conversation with Steve Visco.
Find Our Guest, Steve Visco, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-j-visco-2910b57/
https://polyplus.com/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com
Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:16 Episode start
04:01 The cross-section of literature and science, excellent writing as a lifelong benefit
06:25 Modern push for specialization, growing up with the renaissance approach to learning
08:30 What spurred the pursuit of chemistry, 70s-80s grad school differences
11:29 Researching at Brown University, moving to UC Santa Barbara
15:13 Large grants and the benefits they bring, working with industry pioneers
18:35 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the shift toward commercialization
21:22 Origins of the tech transfer process boom, research and its benefits to the economy
23:35 Industry money and how it differs from grant funding, leveraging expertise in negotiations
26:38 Licensing patents out to companies vs. spinning out companies
29:18 Spinning out PolyPlus from LBNL and the pitfalls of conflict of interest
32:29 Going through the early-days tech transfer process, inventor’s percentage for licensing technologies
34:15 Outro
Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:
Louis Pasteur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Pasteur
The Scientific Method https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory https://www.lbl.gov/
PolyPlus https://polyplus.com/
Bell Labs https://www.bell-labs.com/
Manhattan Project https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project
Tech Transfer Process https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_transfer
DOE National Labs https://www.energy.gov/national-laboratories
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_research_and_development_agreement
People Mentioned:
John Kennedy https://www.chem.ucsb.edu/people/john-h-kennedy
Newt Gingridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_GingrichThe Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

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