Celine Halioua is the founder and CEO of Loyal, a biotech company developing FDA-approved drugs to extend the healthy lifespan of dogs. In this follow-up episode, Celine discusses Loyal’s latest milestones, now with three longevity drugs in development and $150M in funding. This conversation covers the rationale behind building a multi-product biotech company, how she raised a Series B during a brutal fundraising climate, and Celine’s insight into building a mission-driven company culture.

For a deeper dive into the episode, check out Carly's Substack: https://carlymalatskey.substack.com/

Where to find She Leads:

• Apple Podcasts
• Website
• Spotify
• YouTube
• Instagram
• X (Twitter)

Where to find Carly:

• LinkedIn
• X (Twitter)

Where to find Celine:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/celinehh/

Referenced:

• Accel: accel.com
• Loyal: loyal.com/
• Moderna: modernatx.com
• SoftBank: softbank.jp/en

Timestamps:

(2:39) Loyal’s stakeholders

(6:28) Going multiproduct

(10:02) How the biotech industry gets funding

(18:30) Lessons from raising money

(20:28) Why constraints are useful

(25:34) How raising money affects you mentally

(29:16) Radical transparency

(33:22) The academic-founder paradox

(35:50) A small fish in a big pond

(43:33) Finding low-ego team members

(46:08) What does success look like?