The Biotech Startups Podcast

Latest Episodes:

🧬 Jacob Glanville - Centivax - Part 4 | How to Choose the Right Venture Capital Partner | Fundraising as “Dating” | Finding Proper Alignment & The Win-Win | VC Network as a “Polishing Engine” May 17, 2023

Show notes

Part 4 of 4.
My guest for this week’s episode is Jacob Glanville. Jacob is the Founder, CEO, and President of Centivax and was formerly the Co-founder, CEO, and President of Distributed Bio.
Join us as we sit down with Jake to discuss: how important it is to understand a venture capital firm’s investment thesis and values, tips to successfully pitch to them, the perks of viewing potential VC relationships as “dating,” and how that mindset can help you find the right partner.
Jake also covers the importance of finding a win-win for all parties during VC negotiations. Learn more about his thoughts on the benefits of a VC’s network, which emulates a “polishing engine” for a startup, and how it can be just as valuable as the money itself.
Finally, listen to some of the incredible things that Centivax is working on currently and where they plan to be in the near future.
Please enjoy my conversation with Jake Glanville.
Find Our Guest, Jacob Glanville, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobglanville
https://twitter.com/CurlyJungleJake
https://www.centivax.com
https://twitter.com/centivax
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
01:54 Episode start
03:05 Understanding VC’s “investment thesis”, know what your future partner values
04:06 Art’s power to convey ideas without words, relaying truth without language
06:13 Fundraising as “dating”, friendliness after rejection, ask for advice & feedback
09:03 Choosing the right VC, dollar amount, expertise, & network
11:32 Respectful of time & interests, reputation checks, market comps, fair deals
14:09 Having VC options to choose from, NFX, GHIC & working toward global health
15:41 VC investment and resources, the role of lawyers during fundraising
17:50 Finding the win-win, the value of networking, getting to the next level
21:05 What’s in store for Centivax, RNA/LNP, getting Universal Vaccines into people
25:55 Excedr’s role in allowing an inflection point launch for Centivax
26:47 Making friends, Jake’s shouts out those who have supported him
30:11 Outro
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Distributed Bio https://www.criver.com/charles-river-acquired-distributed-bio
Centivax https://www.centivax.com/
Venture Capital https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venture_capital
Investment Thesis https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/investment-thesis.asp
Tzʼutujil People https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tz%CA%BCutujil_people
Precedent Transactions https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/precedent-transaction-analysis.asp
Comparables https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/comparables.asp
NFX Ventures https://www.nfx.com/
Global Health Investment Corporation (GHIC) https://ghicfunds.org/
Twist Bioscience https://www.twistbioscience.com/
RNA/LNP Delivery System https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-021-00358-0
Contract Research Organizations (CROs) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_research_organization
In-Vivo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vivo
HAI Titer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemagglutination_assay
Building Backward to Biotech Book https://www.amazon.com/Building-Backwards-Biotech-Entrepreneurship-Cutting-Edge-ebook/dp/B09VCRFNPD
People Mentioned:
Omri Amirav-Drory, Ph.D. https://www.linkedin.com/in/omri-amirav-drory-50572727/
Emily Leproust https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-leproust/
Sawsan Youssef: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sawsan-youssef-b274b010/
Stephanie Weisner https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-wisner-5aa4556a/
Nicholas Bayless https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-bayless-07862722/
Mark Davis https://med.stanford.edu/davislab.html
Sarah Ives https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivessarah/ 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.

🧬 Jacob Glanville - Centivax - Part 3 | Building a Biotech without Venture Capital | Picking Lab Space & Company Growth | Equipment Leasing & Runway/Cash Flow Maximization | Process Drift & “The Respiration Model” May 03, 2023

Show notes

Part 3 of 4.
My guest for this week’s episode is Jacob Glanville. Jacob is the Founder, CEO, & President of Centivax and was formerly the Co-founder, CEO, and President of Distributed Bio.
Join us as we sit down with Jake, discussing his three-part plan for building Distributed Bio without traditional venture capital, how reality differed from the plan, and how the acquisition by Charles River Laboratories occurred.
Learn more about his thoughts on natural team growth and how to handle process drift. Hear Jake’s view on how equipment leasing provided a solution for growing a business when cash was tight and needed for investing in internal operations.
Discover Jake’s insight into what he calls “the respiration model” of leadership, balancing hierarchical and organic structures to promote organization and innovation. Hear more about his experience spinning out Centivax.
Please enjoy my conversation with Jake Glanville.

Find Our Guest, Jacob Glanville, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobglanville https://twitter.com/CurlyJungleJake https://www.centivax.com https://twitter.com/centivax
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee https://www.excedr.com
Social & WebsiteLinkedIn: 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
01:47 Episode start
02:11 Building a biotech without traditional venture capital
05:29 How reality differed from the 3-part plan
07:25 The difficulties of having to get lab space
09:16 Natural team growth & the relationship with the University of San Francisco
12:30 Equipment leasing, how to grow a business when cash is tight and needed for growth
14:40 Jake’s challenges & experiences that were the toughest, managing your partners
17:01 The process drift problem & implementing a buddy system
18:56 Realizing what you really need, when to spend vs. save
20:30 The biotech VC ramp, striking a balance between the hierarchical vs. organic models
22:05 “The respiration model” of leadership
24:20 Moving on to the next thing, what made the SuperHuman-2.0 special
28:00 Spinning out Centivax, winning the Gates Foundation Award
31:10 Focusing on what is most important, the importance of the universal vaccine
33:15 Outro
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:Distribute Bio https://www.criver.com/charles-river-acquired-distributed-bioCentivax https://www.centivax.com/ Synthetic Libraries https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22735944/Polyspecificity https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22903677/Broad Oak https://broadoak.com/ Arpa H https://www.nih.gov/arpa-h Jlabs https://jnjinnovation.com/jlabs Poisson distribution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson_distribution Charles River Laboratories https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_River_LaboratoriesSuperHuman Antibody Library https://www.criver.com/products-services/discovery-services/antibody-discovery-services/biologics-discovery-and-protein-engineering/antibody-discovery/superhuman-antibody-library-discovery
People Mentioned:
Sawsan Youssef: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sawsan-youssef-b274b010/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.

🧬 Jacob Glanville - Centivax - Part 2 | Creating Bioinformatic Tools | Innovation vs. Organization in Biotech Companies | Finding Excitement in Your Work | Tech Transfer & “Separation of Church and State” Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

Part 2 of 4.
My guest for this week’s episode is Jacob Glanville. Jacob is the Founder, CEO, & President of Centivax and was formerly the Co-founder, CEO, and President of Distributed Bio.
Join us as we sit down with Jake, discussing his time at Rinat Labs, a Pfizer company, and how he found a way to leverage his skills and experience to create new bioinformatic processes.
Learn more about his initial idea for a universal vaccine and why he chose to pursue a PhD at Stanford. Hear Jake’s view on how to be excited about what you do, and leveraging that excitement to pursue your goals, entrepreneurial or otherwise.
Please enjoy my conversation with Jake Glanville.
Find Our Guest, Jacob Glanville, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobglanville https://twitter.com/CurlyJungleJake https://www.centivax.com https://twitter.com/centivax
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 01:49 Episode start03:42 Finding how to make yourself most useful05:22 Why Big Pharma buys small biotechs07:00 A lack of bioinformatic tools and solving for that issue09:29 Collecting data on experiments and conducting meta-analysis11:08 Analyzing antibody libraries and mice immunizations12:14 Synthesizing the data to better understand antibodies and vaccination14:09 Leaving Rinat/Pfizer, the idea of a universal vaccine16:06 Getting a PhD and launching a company simultaneously21:03 Starting Distributed Bio and navigating time at Stanford25:29 Find out what makes you excited and pursue it27:43 Tech transfer and keeping DB and Stanford work separate30:08 Outro
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:Phage Display Wikipedia Hidden Markov Model Wikipedia Hybridoma Technology Wikipedia Vector NTI Wikipedia Epitope Wikipedia Meta-Analysis Wikipedia What is Technology Transfer?
People Mentioned:Andrea Rossi, PhD Wenwu Zhai Javier Chapparo-Riggers Sawsan YoussefThe 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.

🧬 Jacob Glanville - Centivax - Part 1 | Hospitality Industry’s Applied Lessons | The Benefits of Contingency Planning & Fair Negotiation | How to Seek Translational Skill Sets & Cross Training Mar 31, 2023

Show notes

Part 1 of 4.
My guest for this week’s episode is Jacob Glanville. Jacob is the Founder, CEO, & President of Centivax and was formerly the Co-founder, CEO, and President of Distributed Bio.
Join us as we sit down with Jake and talk about how our upbringing and experiences shape us, helping us find success in life science careers. Learn more about the surprising ways that the hospitality industry can relate to biotech entrepreneurship.
Gain insight into Jake’s view on fair negotiation practices and how building a strong set of translational skills can benefit founders. Please enjoy my conversation with Jake Glanville.
Find Our Guest, Jacob Glanville, at these links:

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:

Social & Website

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/

Timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro
[00:01:25] Jake’s resume
[00:02:07] Episode start
[00:02:42] Growing up in Guatemala
[00:05:52] Unexpected experience crossovers from childhood
[00:06:47] Focusing and its true meaning
[00:08:17] Cheap and scrappy, contingency planning
[00:09:31] Fair negotiation and why it matters, building relationships
[00:13:16] Meeting a wide range of people and learning to be gracious
[00:14:48] Being likable but not a pushover, being pushy and smooth
[00:16:36] Listening but deciding intentionally, learning to say no
[00:17:37] What landed you in Berkeley
[00:19:24] Interest in immunogenetics, programming hobby
[00:20:20] Population genetics, and the translation of skill sets
[00:22:41] Cross-training, learn general principles with wide applicabilities
[00:23:21] Outro

Enriched Notes:Your Guide to Bargaining in GuatemalaThe 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.

🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast Trailer Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

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.

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