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• Jake Becraft, the co-founder and CEO of Strand Therapeutics, discusses his journey from pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering and synthetic biology at MIT to starting a biotech company focused on developing programmable mRNA therapeutics.
• At MIT, he worked on developing nanoparticles for DNA delivery and became interested in the challenges of mRNA delivery and therapeutic index. This led him to co-found Strand to engineer mRNA to amplify its signal in target cells while degrading quickly in non-target cells.
• Becraft discusses the importance of finding mentors and advisors, like his PhD advisor Ron Weiss, to help navigate starting a company as a graduate student. He emphasizes the need for more formalized programs and funding to support scientists in translating their research.
• Key skills he recommends for scientists interested in the business side include strong communication, the ability to build coalitions, and understanding the principles and goals that drive you rather than just pursuing a specific career path.

The Vagina Business, by Dr Marina Gerner, covers key issues in women's health and the novel solutions in development to address them. The book has already been getting attention with grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and The Society of Authors. Kirkus Reviews has praised the book as "energetic, thoroughly engaging reading" and emphasized its potential to improve women's health outcomes worldwide. It has also been recommended as a must-read business book by the Financial Times.

As a journalist, Marina has written about books and arts, as well as finance and tech for over a decade. Her range of expertise has led to Marina being called "a Renaissance woman of the modern age." ​Marina has won several awards and written for The Economist, Jewish Chronicle, Guardian, Financial Times, Wired, the Times Literary Supplement, The Times, and the Wall Street Journal. She has been a contributing editor at The Sunday Times Raconteur, the i newspaper and MoneyWeek.

Before that she was a Staff Writer at Money Observer, where she wrote a column called “Marina’s Imaginary Millions.”​ She is an Adjunct Professor of Commerce & Culture at the NYU Stern School of Business (on their London campus) and she has a PhD from the London School of Economics, which was funded by merit-based scholarships.​

Show Notes:

• 00:00 Dr. Gerner discusses her background as a refugee from Ukraine and how that has influenced her journalism and focus on women's health innovation.
• 02:40 Dr.Gerner explains how her dual backgrounds in journalism and academia prepared her to write "The Vagina Business" and the challenges she faced with the provocative title.
• 08:24 Dr. Gerner describes the specific events and stories that inspired her to write the book, including learning about gender differences in heart attack symptoms and the lack of innovation in women's health.
• 14:18 Discussion of the business case and broader societal benefits of investing more in women's health innovation.
• 16:53 Dr. Gerner talks about uncovering taboos around women's health issues and the need to challenge normalized biases and pain tolerance for women.
• 21:01 Examination of the gaps in sex-disaggregated research and sex education, and the role the femtech industry can play in addressing these issues.
• 25:38 Exploration of how a family-integrated approach to women's health, as seen in the Saathealth app example, could be applied more broadly, and the importance of engaging men as allies in the women's health movement.

00:53 Michael discusses his background and inspirations for pursuing an intersectional career in biotech investing and film-making
6:24 Michael shares about taking time away from college to backpack in places like Fiji and New Zealand, and how that impacted his personal growth 12:43 Michael reflects on his experience at Pear Therapeutics, including lessons learned about business model risk and bridging different teams
16:26 Michael discusses how his Pear experience influenced his approach to investing in tech bio companies at Gold/Silver VC
19:49 Michael talks about starting a new fund, TRX Capital, and the focus areas they will be investing in
21:54 Michael shares his perspective on the importance of storytelling in entrepreneurship and investing, and provides tips for effective storytelling

In this episode, Anastasia Janas interviews Leo Grady, founder and CEO of Jona. With over 20 years in AI and healthcare, Leo has made a profound impact on the field, including leading the development of the first FDA-approved AI system in pathology at Paige.AI. Together, they dive into the journey that led him to create Jona, a company focused on using AI to analyze the gut microbiome for personalized health insights.

Leo shares his thoughts on AI's role in healthcare today, from emerging trends to its transformative potential in improving patient outcomes. Drawing on his own experience building Jona, he offers practical advice for those looking to enter healthcare AI, touching on the unique challenges and opportunities in biotech. With over 100 peer-reviewed papers and 300 patents to his name, Leo’s contributions to AI-driven healthcare are significant. This episode is packed with insights and inspiration for anyone interested in the future of healthcare innovation!

Episode Notes:

• Leo's background and experiences in the medical AI space [00:00]
• Founding of Jona: personal story [03:30]
• Science behind Jona [07:30]
• AI in healthcare: ethical considerations, problems & potential [29:30]
• Potential of AI in medical practice: case study with Paige.AI [36:00]
• Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs [42:30]

In this episode, Sam Kessel and Anastasia Janas interview Luke Timmerman, an award-winning biotech journalist and founder of the Timmerman Report, as well as host of The Long Run Podcast. They explore Luke's non-traditional background, his curiosity, and his openness to learning, which shaped his journey to becoming a prominent figure in the biotech space. Luke shares insights into his career, discussing his book Hood, the founding of the Timmerman Report, and his podcast. He also offers his perspective on the key qualities of biotech founders and VCs, the importance of diversity, and how to unlock individuals' full potential. Additionally, Luke discusses his passion for mountaineering and how he combined it with his work, creating the Timmerman Traverse, a series of fundraising expeditions that have raised over $12M for causes such as cancer, poverty, and sickle cell disease.

Episode Notes:

2:05 Luke's upbringing and early influences

5:40 Path to journalism and early career after university

10:45 Transition to biotech journalism and key lessons

16:00 Book “Hood” 

20:55 Founding the Timmerman Report

25:40 Launching The Long Run podcast

30:05 Future projects outlook

32:00 Traits of a successful biotech founder 

37:05 Role of VCs in biotech innovation

40:05 Luke's perspective on AI in drug discovery

45:50 Launching the Timmerman Traverse, blending passion for mountaineering, biotech journalism and philanthropy

52:00 The importance of diversity and strategies to promote it

In this episode, Sam Kessel speaks with Irene Blat, Senior Director for Search and Evaluation at Servier. Dr Blat discusses her lifelong fascination with science and inspiration to take her Oncology studies to industry to develop new therapies for patients. She discussed the intersection of science and business in Search and Evaluation identifying promising technologies. She talks about the key aspects of early-stage biotechs she evaluates for partnerships with Servier and the emphasis on the patient experience at every stage of the R&D process. Dr Blat also touches how the biotech industry can improve in diversity and how she has integrated her work and family life together.

0:50 Irene's background and path to biomedical sciences career 

1:45 Transition from academia to industry during PhD 

4:40 Advice for those considering industry careers 

7:20 Irene's role in oncology team: bridging science and business 

13:03 Servier's vision and support for early-stage biotechs 

19:00 Guidance for entrepreneurs interested in Servier's programs 

21:30 Irene's most rewarding experience at Servier 

23:45 Future plans for Servier's early-stage biotech partnerships 

25:30 Significant biotech trends with long-term impact 

28:50 Mentors and their influence on Irene's career 

32:10 Improving industry support for underrepresented minorities in biotech 

36:00 Balancing family life with a demanding career

0:00 Background and inspiration for pursuing a career in Biotech

5:10 Pivoting from academia to industry

 8:30 Growth in industry from a scientist role into business development 

16:15 The inspirational mission and vision for Bayer Co-lab to support early stage entrepreneurs

20:30 Fiona’s role at Bayer Co-lab

24:15 Fiona’s advice for entrepreneurs applying for the Co-lab

29:00 Fiona’s view on trends in Biotechnology

34:00 Discussing diversity in biotech and ways to improve representation

Part 2

• Using TikTok to develop scientific communication skills [0:00]
• Advice for entrepreneurs starting a company [6:00]
• Guardian's Series A Fundraise and how they are navigating VC Fundraising [10:30]
• The long-term vision of Guardian Bio for novel cell therapies treating [14:30]
• The importance of Diversity in Biotech [17:20]
• Exciting trends in Biotech that Ananya and Ricky are following [25:40]
• Passions outside of biotech and staying centered with a busy career [30:30]

• Origin Stories and path to Biotech [00:00]
• Taking the leap to entrepreneurship [07:30]
• The formation story of Guardian Bio [20:25]
• The methodical process Ananya used to identify a co-founder [26:00]
• The core thesis of Guardian Bio- Dendritic Cells for Solid Tumors [29:00]
• The key pivots Guardian made early on [34:15]