BIO from the BAYOU: Build Your Biotech Network with Key Opinion Leaders and Investors

How can disease foundations combine the financial discipline of venture capital with a mission to accelerate treatments for patients?

In this episode, host Elaine Hamm, PhD, sits down with Rusty Kelley, PhD, MBA, Managing Director of the Gund Vision Fund, the venture philanthropy arm of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Rusty explains how the fund invests in promising biotech companies developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases and age-related macular degeneration. From balancing financial returns with patient impact to supporting emerging approaches in gene therapy, neuroprotection, and vision restoration, he shares how venture philanthropy can help bridge funding gaps and accelerate innovation.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How venture philanthropy differs from traditional venture capital and how the Gund Vision Fund reinvests financial returns to support its mission.

• What the Gund Vision Fund looks for in early-stage biotech investments and how its scientific, clinical, and financial resources help companies advance toward clinical proof of concept.

• Why emerging technologies like genetic medicines, cell therapies, and optogenetics are creating new opportunities to address vision loss and potentially restore sight.

Tune in to discover how mission-driven investing can bring together capital, expertise, and collaboration to advance biotech innovation and create new possibilities for patients living with vision loss.

Links:

Connect with Rusty Kelley, PhD, MBA, and learn about the Gund Vision Fund.

Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine.

Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer.

Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast.

Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.

How can biotech entrepreneurs challenge traditional approaches to funding and drug development to bring much-needed innovations to patients?

In this episode, host Elaine Hamm, PhD, sits down with Sabrina Martucci Johnson, the Founder, President, and CEO of Daré Bioscience, to explore her journey building a company dedicated to addressing overlooked and underfunded needs in women's health. Sabrina shares how she identified opportunities in an underserved market, built a diverse portfolio of therapeutics, and developed innovative solutions. They discuss Daré's creative approach to fundraising, including how the publicly traded company created an opportunity for everyday investors to directly support its mission

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How Daré Bioscience identifies gaps in women's healthcare and develops innovative therapies by combining patient needs with established science.

• Why alternative fundraising strategies, including public investment offerings, can help biotech companies engage new investors and expand access to capital.

• How creative thinking, strategic risk management, and a patient-focused mission can help entrepreneurs overcome barriers to developing and commercializing healthcare innovations.

Tune in to discover how challenging conventional approaches to biotech development and fundraising can create new opportunities for entrepreneurs while advancing much-needed solutions in women's health.

Links: 

Connect with Sabrina Martucci Johnson and learn about Daré Bioscience.

Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine. 

Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer.

Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast.

Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.

What role can disease foundations play in moving scientific discoveries from the lab toward meaningful solutions for patients?

In this episode, host Elaine Hamm, PhD, sits down with Tim Coetzee, PhD, President and CEO of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, to explore how disease foundations can help shape the research and innovation ecosystem. Tim shares the Society’s evolution from funding its first research grants nearly 80 years ago to connecting scientists, clinicians, policymakers, patients, biotech innovators, and pharmaceutical companies around a common goal: creating a world free of multiple sclerosis. They also explore the possibilities emerging technologies like AI could create for scientific discovery and drug development.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How disease foundations can connect patients, researchers, government, biotech, and industry to help move promising science toward solutions.

• Why MS remains an important area for biotech innovation despite decades of progress, and where new therapies and scientific discoveries are still needed.

• How funding, convening, advocacy, and a willingness to support bold scientific questions can help foundations accelerate innovation and bring better outcomes closer to patients.

Tune in to learn why disease foundations can be powerful partners in biotech innovation, and how bringing the right people, resources, and ideas together can help turn scientific possibility into progress for patients.

Links:

Connect with Tim Coetzee, PhD, and learn about the National MS Society.

Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine.

Check out the Pathways to Cures Roadmap and the Voice of the Patient.

Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer.

Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast.

Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.

You have a promising technology – but does that mean you should build a company around it?

In the second installment of our listener-submitted questions series, producer Ian McLachlan is back in the host seat with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and James Zanewicz, JD, LLM, RTTP, to tackle questions about starting and building a biotech company. They explore one of the most important lessons for aspiring founders: fall in love with the problem, not your solution, and make sure there is a real customer willing to change what they are doing and pay for something better.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How to determine whether a technology solves a meaningful problem, has a real market, and should become a company in the first place.

• Why customer discovery should begin before you build the company and how early conversations with customers, investors, and partners can test your assumptions and strengthen your strategy.

• How founders can establish milestones and go/no-go decisions that help them recognize when to move forward, pivot, or shut a company down before wasting valuable time and capital.

Starting a biotech company is hard, but for founders with the right problem, the right team, and the passion to keep going, the potential impact can make the risk worthwhile. Tune in for a candid look at what aspiring entrepreneurs should consider before turning an idea into their next company.

Links:

Connect with James Zanewicz, JD, LLM, RTTP, and learn about Connect.

Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine. 

Learn about NSF I-Corps and I-Corps at NIH.

Check out Elaine’s book recommendations: The Lean Startup, The Startup Owner's Manual, Business Model Generation, and Talking to Humans.

Connect with Haley Marcotte and learn about Nucleate New Orleans.

Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer, and submit your questions for future episodes!

Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast.

Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.

What does it really take to build a successful career in biotech beyond being good at the science?

In this episode, producer Ian McLachlan takes over the microphone to ask Elaine Hamm, PhD, and James Zanewicz, JD, LLM, RTTP, career and professional development questions submitted by listeners of the podcast. From building trust and becoming a reliable teammate to gaining real-world experience and finding mentors, Elaine and James share lessons they’ve learned throughout their own careers.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The professional skills that can matter just as much as technical expertise, from reliability and communication to adaptability and teamwork.

• How students and early-career professionals can gain practical experience, build relationships, find mentors, and become better prepared for careers beyond the classroom or lab.

• Why career growth requires more than intelligence or good science, and how feedback, communication, and self-advocacy can help turn your expertise into impact.

Whether you’re still in school, beginning your biotech career, or looking for ways to keep growing professionally, tune in for candid lessons on building a career, developing your network, and becoming the kind of professional people want to work with.

Links:

Connect with James Zanewicz, JD, LLM, RTTP, and learn about Connect.

Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine.

Check out Elaine’s book recommendations: The Fine Art of Small Talk, The Speed of Trust, How to Talk to Anyone, and The Vault Guide to Schmoozing.

Check out our previous episode on Why Every Biotech Professional Needs a Strong Personal Brand.

Connect with Haley Marcotte and learn about Nucleate New Orleans.

Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer, and submit your questions for future episodes!

Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast.

Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.

What happens when the way you normally do business doesn’t translate across borders?

In this episode, host Elaine Hamm, PhD, welcomes back Rod Beeler, Executive Partner at Magellan Executive Partners, for a conversation about navigating cultural differences in international business. Drawing from Rod’s extensive experience working across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia, they explore how communication styles, relationship-building, and expectations can vary dramatically from one culture to another - and why understanding those differences matters when building global partnerships.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why communication styles, business etiquette, and expectations can differ significantly across cultures, and how assumptions can derail otherwise promising relationships.

• How taking time to understand cultural norms and build trust can make international business development, networking, and dealmaking more effective.

• Why research, curiosity, adaptability, and a willingness to understand the person behind the business can help leaders navigate cross-cultural relationships.

Tune in to learn how greater cultural awareness can help you build trust, communicate more effectively, and create stronger business relationships across borders.

Links:

Connect with Rod Beeler and learn about Magellan Executive Partners.

Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine.

Check out Caterpillar and the Latitude podcast.

Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer.

Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast.

Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.

Who does the person at the top turn to when they need advice?

In this episode, host Elaine Hamm, PhD, sits down with Rod Beeler, Executive Partner at Magellan Executive Partners, to explore the value of executive coaching for entrepreneurs, startup founders, and business leaders. Drawing on more than 30 years of global leadership experience, Rod shares how an outside perspective can help executives tackle immediate challenges while developing the skills and long-term vision they need to become more effective leaders.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why having a confidential, trusted outside perspective can be especially valuable for startup founders and executives.

• How effective executive coaching goes beyond a one-size-fits-all formula to address each leader’s individual challenges, goals, and development.

• How coaching can help leaders navigate everything from team dynamics and conflict to boards, investors, long-term strategy, and the isolation that can accompany leadership.

Tune in to discover why even the person leading the team can benefit from having a coach in their corner.

Links:

Connect with Rod Beeler and learn about Magellan Executive Partners.

Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine.

Check out Caterpillar and the Latitude podcast.

Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer. 

Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast.

Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.

How can scientists and biotech leaders move forward when the policy and funding landscape keeps shifting beneath their feet?

In this episode, host Elaine Hamm, PhD, welcomes back Srinu Sonti, JD, Principal at Lewis-Burke Associates, for an update on the current state of science and healthcare policy. Srinu explores what changes in federal research funding, healthcare policy, and international collaboration could mean for scientists, universities, and early-stage biotech companies – and where opportunities may still be emerging.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How changes in science funding, healthcare policy, and federal priorities could affect researchers and biotech companies in the months ahead.

• Why AI, organ-on-a-chip technologies, in silico models, and other new approach methodologies could create new opportunities for research and drug development.

• How scientists and biotech leaders can advocate for their work by engaging policymakers, communicating their impact, and demonstrating the economic and public health value of scientific innovation.

Tune in for a practical look at how scientists and biotech leaders can navigate uncertainty, identify emerging opportunities, and make sure their voices are heard as the science policy landscape continues to evolve.

Links: 

Connect with Srinu Sonti, JD, and learn about Lewis-Burke Associates.

Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine.

Check out Help a Reporter Out.

Check out our previous episode with Srinu.

Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer.

Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast.

Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.

How can biotech teams move faster (and smarter) from preclinical research to human trials without sacrificing safety or rigor?

In this episode, host Elaine Hamm, PhD, sits down with Todd Kilbaugh, MD, Founder of Pharos Biolabs and a physician-scientist specializing in anesthesiology, critical care, and pediatrics. Todd shares his journey from clinical medicine to biotech entrepreneurship and unpacks one of the industry’s toughest challenges: why so many promising therapies fail to translate from animal models to humans. Together, they explore how AI, advanced modeling, organoids, and more thoughtful use of non-human primates could reshape preclinical development and reduce costly failures.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why the translational gap between animal models and humans remains one of biotech’s biggest bottlenecks, and how AI can help close it.

• How biomarkers, mathematical modeling, and digital twins can improve trial design long before a therapy reaches the clinic.

• What the future of preclinical development could look like with smarter integration of AI, organoids, and non-human primate studies.

Tune in for a wide-ranging conversation on AI-enabled science, better trial prediction, and how biotech can rethink the path from discovery to patients.

Links:

Connect with Todd Kilbaugh, MD. 

Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine. 

Connect with Doug Wallace, PhD. 

Learn more about TBI. 

Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer.

Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast.

Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.

How can students start building a future in biotech before they even leave the lab?

In this episode, host Elaine Hamm, PhD, sits down with Haley Marcotte, Co-Managing Director of Nucleate New Orleans and a PhD student at Tulane University School of Medicine. Haley shares how discovering biotech as an undergraduate opened her eyes to career possibilities beyond traditional academia and how she is now helping other students make those connections through Nucleate. From workshops on AI and intellectual property to conversations about emerging areas of science, Nucleate brings students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals together to learn about life science innovation.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How Nucleate is helping students explore biotech, entrepreneurship, and career opportunities beyond traditional academic paths.

• Why connecting students across universities and with the broader life science community can help strengthen emerging biotech ecosystems.

• How students and industry professionals alike can get involved, build their networks, and help develop the next generation of biotech leaders.

Whether you’re a student wondering what opportunities exist beyond academia or an established biotech professional looking for a way to give back, tune in to hear how getting involved today can help build a stronger life science community for tomorrow.

Links:

Connect with Haley Marcotte and learn about Nucleate New Orleans.

Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine.

Check out Nucleate’s event on September 10, 2026, at 6pm.

Connect with Sammy Vodovoz and Chad Steele, PhD.

Learn more about NOBIC, The BioChallenge, and Tulane Innovation Institute.

Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer.

Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast.

Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.