Nothing Left Unsaid

#60 - Craig Boyce & Dr. Melanie Leitner: Can Venture Capital Cure ALS?


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When private-equity veteran Craig Boyce left nearly two decades at Bain Capital and neuroscientist Dr. Melanie Leitner stepped out of the lab, both carried a deeply personal mission: speed up the end of ALS. Together they helm the ALS Investment Fund, a for-profit venture vehicle that backs early-stage therapeutics aimed at turning the disease from terminal to chronically managed by filling the “capital void” between basic research and big-pharma buy-in​.


In this conversation with Tim and Troy, Craig recounts losing his father to ALS and how that tragedy redirected his deal-making skills toward impact investing​, while Melanie shares the “seventh-grade brain report” that launched her career and why today’s biomarker and platform-trial advances finally make true progress possible​. They break down:


  • Why capital markets—not philanthropy alone—must fund $10-$50 M clinical trials ​
  • The business case that’s luring big pharma back to neuro (“the decade of neurodegeneration”) ​
  • How a cystic-fibrosis-style royalty model could recycle billions into ALS research ​
  • The audacious goal to “put ourselves out of business” by making effective therapies commonplace ​

  • If you’re curious how finance, science, and relentless human stories converge to accelerate cures, this episode delivers a front-row seat.


    SPONSORS:

    ElevenLabs: Thanks to ElevenLabs (https://elevenlabs.io) for supporting this episode and powering Tim’s voice.

    ALS Investment Fund: Thanks to ALS Investment Fund (https://www.alsinvestmentfund.com) for supporting this episode.


    SOCIAL:

    Website: https://tgnlu.com  

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/nlutimgreen  

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NLUpod 

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nlupod/ 


    AUDIO ONLY:

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fhcANt7CSnYvgBlgxpVVa 

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-left-unsaid/id1734094890  


    PERSONAL: 

    Tackle ALS: https://www.tackleals.com  

    Tim Green Books: https://authortimgreen.com

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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    Nothing Left UnsaidBy Tim Green & Troy Green

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