🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedr—helping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science.
As a TBSP listener, you can get exclusive perks through Excedr’s partner network—special savings, promotions, and more. Explore these offers today: https://www.excedr.com/partners.
"Hard things are hard. But we gotta go do them, or we gotta go try."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Michael Newton shares his journey from private equity and finance to launching a pay-per-mile auto insurance startup, leading groundbreaking innovation at Nike, and taking on the CEO role at Qorium, a biotech venture in the Netherlands. 
He reflects on building Nike Innovation, driving sustainable initiatives like Flyknit, and navigating the leap from corporate life to startup challenges—offering sharp insights into scaling big ideas, evolving as a leader, and staying true to mission-driven work across every stage of his career.
Key topics covered:

• Taking Career Risks: From Wall Street to startup to biotech CEO.
• Launching Nike Innovation: Transforming a small team into a global innovation force.
• Scaling Major Initiatives: Turning breakthrough ideas into reality, like Flyknit.
• Leadership & Company Culture: Real lessons in leadership, values, and transitions.
• Biology as the Future of Manufacturing: Building the future in synthetic biology.

If you enjoy The Biotech Startups Podcast, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with your friends. Thanks for listening.
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/@thebiotechstartupspodcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/ 
Find our guest, Michael Newton, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelanewton/Website: http://www.qorium.com/ Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about Excedr:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ Website: https://www.excedr.com
Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:Website: https://flow.page/kyojin 
Resources & Articles:Shoe Dog by Phil Knight: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_DogThe Acquired Podcast: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/hermesAir (Movie): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_(2023_American_film)HBS New Venture Competition: https://www.hbs.edu/newventurecompetition
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Nike: https://www.nike.com/Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/Qorium: https://qorium.com/On: https://www.on.com/Starbucks: https://www.starbucks.com/American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/Hermès: https://www.hermes.com/
Matt Prince: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mprince/Michelle Zatlyn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellezatlynSteve Wright: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-p-wright/Hannah Jones:https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joneshannahEric Sprunk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-sprunk-9519511a3Tom Clarke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-clarke-b77b043John Donahoe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-donahoe-8b591452Howard Schultz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardschultz
Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:27 From Finance to Entrepreneurship: Michael’s Journey Starts at Stanford02:37 Early Startup Experience: Pay-Per-Mile Auto Insurance05:20 The Oregon Gamble: Moving for the Insurance Venture07:01 Unexpected Shift: Nike, Portland, and a New Career Path08:53 Launching Nike Innovation: Building from the Shoelace Room13:20 Inside Nike’s Innovation Culture: Global Scale and Flyknit18:26 Leadership Lessons from Nike: Consumer Focus and Culture20:51 Founder-Led to Professional Management: Nike’s Transition23:51 Leadership Succession in Iconic Companies28:16 When to Stay, When to Leave: Michael’s Exit from Nike32:53 Biotech Leap: Becoming CEO of Qorium36:19 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.