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Part 2 of 2: Jon Chee hosts Michael Chen, the Co-Founder and CEO of Nuclera, a biotech company that focuses on bringing rapid protein access to other labs.
Michael is a seasoned scientist and entrepreneur who brings a rich background and valuable insights to our podcast. Before co-founding Nuclera, Michael did extensive research as an undergrad student at both Georgia tech and Emory and eventually got his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge. He has also published nine scientific papers and worked with several leading scientists in their field.
Michael’s experiences at the lab bench and as a CEO make this conversation one you don’t want to miss.
Join us this week to hear about:
- Michael’s journey from graduate studies to co-founding Nuclera
- The unique challenges scientists encounter in the business world
- The importance of adaptability and key lessons in developing/marketing a breakthrough product
- Michael’s insights into navigating big pharma’s lengthy sales cycles and building successful partnerships
- Creating a Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy for a biotech and identifying early adopters
Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Michael Chen.
Links:Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994
Find Our Guest, Michael Chen, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chenmc/?originalSubdomain=ukhttps://www.nuclera.com/company/board/michael-chen/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncheehttps://www.excedr.com
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Enriched Notes:Topics Mentioned:Nuclera: https://www.nuclera.com/Academic Research vs. Industrial Research: https://www.colabra.ai/blog/difference-in-scientific-research-in-academia-vs-industry/Nuclear’s Protein Platform: https://www.nuclera.com/technology/Protein Engineering: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4931902/Gene Synthesis: https://www.biomatik.com/blog/the-basics-of-gene-synthesis-a-comprehensive-guide/eProtein Discovery Instrument: https://www.nuclera.com/system/instrument/Go-Market Strategy (GTM): https://www.coursera.org/articles/go-to-market-strategyMarketing & Sales Tools for Biotechs: https://www.excedr.com/blog/marketing-sales-strategies-for-biotechsBiotech Partnerships: How Partnering with Big Pharma Can Support R&D: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-researchHow to Bootstrap a Biotech Tools Startup: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-bootstrap-biotech-startup
People Mentioned:Timestamps:00:49 Intro02:44 Key differences between graduate studies and entrepreneurship06:21 Succeeding as a startup: idea vs. ability to execute07:43 Nuclera's mission and the importance of de novo DNA synthesis11:09 Where the DNA synthesis market is headed and Nuclera's evolution14:19 Do you want to compete with or empower the protein maker?16:35 Conceptualizing Nuclera's Go-to-Market strategy21:20 Figuring out how to explain and market Nuclera's technology31:52 Building successful partnerships with Big Pharma39:21 Excedr's leading indicators of commercial success45:40 Nuclera's sales enablement and focus on in-person events55:29 Michael's goals for Nuclera and improving operations, sales, marketing, etc.58:31 Shout-outs and advice to younger self01:03:00 Outro
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