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“If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing or having fun, why are you doing it? Combine that with hard work and you can achieve cool things.”
In part one of our conversation with Becky Beattie, CEO of LaunchBio, we trace her unconventional path from rural San Jose pig farmer to biotech ecosystem builder. Becky shares how her early entrepreneurial grit, scientific curiosity, and business acumen converged to shape her career – including surviving a life-altering spinal injury and pioneering shared lab spaces.
Becky holds dual degrees in molecular biology and business from the University of Colorado Boulder. Before leading LaunchBio, she honed her skills in life science sales (SeraCare, Eppendorf), strategic marketing (Comprendia), and real estate innovation (ROC Shared Workspace).
Key topics covered:

• Growing up in 4-H raising pigs: Early lessons in economics and grit
• Mixing science & business: Blending molecular biology training with business strategy at CU Boulder
• Cold-calling challenges: Cutting teeth in biotech sales at SeraCare Life Sciences
• Pivoting through crisis: How a spinal cord injury reshaped career priorities
• Building the shared lab space movement: Pre-WeWork innovation for life sciences

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Subscribe to the podcast:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PSL162R2s0zOwU5913Zv4Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/ 
Find our guest, Becky Beattie, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-beattie-68927a9/ Website: https://launchbio.org/ 
Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about ExcedrLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ Website: https://www.excedr.com
Resources & Mentions:

Resources & articles mentioned:LaunchBio’s Larger Than Life Program: https://www.launchbio.org/programs/larger-than-life Founder Circle Peer Advisory Forums: https://launchbio.org/programs/founders-circle/ SBIR Grants: https://www.excedr.com/blog/sbir-grants-guide STTR Grants: https://www.excedr.com/blog/sttr-grants-guide Build to Scale Grant Program: https://www.eda.gov/funding-opportunies UCSD Gene Therapy Initiative: https://healthsciences.ucsd.edu/innovation 
Companies & people mentioned:LaunchBio: https://launchbio.org/ Eppendorf: https://www.eppendorf.com/ BioLabs: https://www.biolabs.io/ Heinrich Netheler: https://corporate.eppendorf.com/en/company/history/founders/ Hans Hinz: https://corporate.eppendorf.com/en/company/history/founders/ 
Timestamps:

00:00 Intro03:15 Becky's early life and entrepreneurial experiences05:55 College years and combining science with business11:45 First job in biotech sales at SeraCare Life Sciences16:44 Transition to Eppendorf and capital equipment sales24:50 Balancing career and family after having children31:03 Spinal cord injury and two-year recovery period36:22 Return to work in real estate with ROC shared workspace42:26 Lessons learned from sales and relationship-building46:52 The importance of marketing and business strategy51:23 Reflections on career pivots and personal growth55:05 OutroThe 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.