Part 3 of 4: My guest today is Cyriac Roeding, founder, investor, and CEO of Earli, a company on a mission to transform cancer into a manageable condition. Using innovative gene therapy approaches, Earli’s technology forces cancer cells to produce a synthetic, non-human biomarker—overcoming the limitations of relying on naturally occurring biomarkers that cancer may or may not provide.Â
Cyriac is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has created ventures at the intersection of physical and digital worlds. He has invested in startups like OpenAI and served as CEO of Shopkick, which was acquired for $250 million. His current focus, Earli, has raised nearly $60 million from top investors. Cyriac's journey from launching his first startup at 15 to being named a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer showcases his valuable insights into building successful startups.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- Launching Shopkick during the 2008 financial crisis and securing funding against the odds
- Partnering with Best Buy, Macy’s, and Target to pioneer in-store rewards using ultrasound technology
- Overcoming GPS limitations with innovative hardware solutions
- Switching from retail tech to life sciences, with a focus on AI and engineering
- Cyriac’s vision for digital clinical trials to accelerate drug development
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Find Our Guest, Cyriac Roeding, at these links:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyriacroeding/https://www.earli.com/Â https://www.joinrewind.com/Â
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncheehttps://www.excedr.com
Excedr Socials & 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/Â
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:Earli: https://www.earli.com/ Kleiner Perkins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleiner_Perkins Shopkick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopkick AI in Drug Development & Clinical Trials: https://www.earli.com/post/how-ai-is-powering-earlis-missionBiotech Startup Support: https://www.excedr.com/resources-category/biotech-startup-support
People Mentioned:John Doerr: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-doerr-03248211/Steve Jobs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_JobsReid Hoffman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/Aaron Emigh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronemigh/Alexis Rask: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleinoff/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:58 Joining Kleiner Perkins as an entrepreneur-in-residence05:43 Developing the idea for Shopkick08:20 Securing Best Buy as a partner and navigating retailer challenges11:11 Using ultrasound technology to solve GPS limitations for in-store tracking13:25 Partnering with major brands and scaling Shopkick to profitability16:25 Transitioning to life sciences and shifting focus to biology and AI20:18 Exploring the potential of digital clinical trials24:05 The intersection of biology, engineering, and software as the next frontier27:57 Cyriac’s vision for the future of drug development31:30 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.
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