The Biotech Startups Podcast, brought to you by Excedr—empowering life science startups with founder-friendly equipment leasing to fast-track R&D and drive commercialization success.
Know someone in need of lab equipment? Join Excedr’s referral program:
Give your friends $1,000 and earn $1,000 for every qualified referral! đź’¸
Get your unique referral link here: refer.excedr.com/ZTHETY.
Part 1 of 4: Jon Chee hosts Kate Neville, Partner at Marshall Gerstein—a law firm with over 60 years of expertise in delivering sophisticated intellectual property advice and legal services to leading businesses, research institutions, universities, and entrepreneurs worldwide.
Kate, an accomplished attorney with a doctoral background in microbiology and immunology, specializes in global patent prosecution and strategic management. With over a decade of experience, she works with biotech startups, big pharma, and non-profits. Kate has been recognized as a "World's Leading Patent Practitioner" by IAM magazine since 2013, an Illinois Super Lawyer since 2018, and is included in The Best Lawyers in America© for Patent Law.
Join us this week to hear about:- How growing up as youngest of six influenced Kate's leadership style of giving autonomy while providing guidance
- How early exposure to science through her father's engineering and a chemistry set ignited her scientific interests
- The research at Michigan's yeast lab and Northwestern's MS research that developed key multitasking abilities
- Kate’s unexpected shift from bench science to patent law through colleagues at Marshall Gerstein
- How career paths in science evolved from strictly academic to broader acceptance of industry and alternative paths
Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Kate Neville.
Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994
Find Our Guest, Kate Neville, at these links:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-neville-phd/Â https://www.marshallip.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/ Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:Marshall, Gerstein & Borun https://www.marshallip.com/Â Northwestern University https://www.northwestern.edu/Â
Business Entities & Their Differences https://www.excedr.com/resources/what-are-the-differences-between-business-entities Intellectual Property 101: Types & Uses https://www.excedr.com/resources/intellectual-property-guide How to Protect Your Intellectual Property in the Life Sciences https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-protect-your-intellectual-propertyÂ
People Mentioned:Sharon Sintich https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-sintich-2033462a/Â Stephen Miller https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/faculty-profiles/az/profile.html?xid=14949Â
Timestamps:00:00 Intro03:26 Kate's background growing up as the youngest of six children05:36 Kate's leadership style and approach to management07:33 Early exposure to science and developing an interest in chemistry09:27 Exploring different scientific fields in university11:56 Considering career paths and deciding on graduate school12:54 Undergraduate lab experiences and summer research program15:29 Choosing Northwestern for PhD and focus on immunology18:29 Challenges and triumphs during graduate studies21:43 Serendipitous introduction to patent law as a career path25:05 Changing perceptions of non-academic career paths in science27:22 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.