"If you die, all your crypto doesn't make sense. All your sustainability doesn't make sense. You have not solved the major existential issue or the major existential threat that you have."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee continues his conversation with Sergey Jakimov, Managing Partner at LongeVC, as he reveals launching a $25 million longevity fund. Leveraging relationships with top universities and a scientific advisory board featuring Nobel Prize winners, Sergey built a fund with an unconventional thesis: tackle age-related diseases one at a time, investing solely based on patient outcomes. The results—20 companies, zero write-offs in 3.5 years, with portfolio companies approaching unicorn status.
The conversation turns personal when Sergey shares his experience as a rare disease patient. At 28, a rare autoimmune neurodegenerative condition left him partially paralyzed, forcing him through a healthcare system offering only outdated treatments. This experience fundamentally reshaped his investment philosophy and cemented his belief that biotech is the most important industry. Sergey also discusses expanding his platform with Ani.vc and the Longevity Science Foundation, while reflecting on why health span and "joy span" matter more than simply extending lifespan.
Key topics covered:

• From Angel to Institution: Launching a $25M longevity fund with deal access, KOL relationships, and a science-first thesis
• Disease-by-Disease vs. Curing Aging: Why pragmatic, disease-focused investments outperform holistic longevity approaches
• A Founder's Health Crisis: How becoming a rare disease patient at 28 transformed Sergey's investment philosophy
• Exceptional Fund Performance: Achieving zero write-offs across 20 companies, with portfolio highlights in ADCs and cancer diagnostics
• Expanding the Platform: Building Ani.vc for animal health and the Longevity Science Foundation for fundamental research grants

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, Sergey Jakimov, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakimov/?originalSubdomain=lvhttps://longevc.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:Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) in Cancer Treatment: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/antibody-drug-conjugates​​ Longevity Investing and Healthy Aging Economics: https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/the-economic-benefits-of-investing-in-healthy-aging​​ Rare Autoimmune Neurological Disorders: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/autoimmune-disease​​ Blood-Based Cancer Diagnostics and Early Detection: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/screening/research/blood-testsHealth Span vs. Lifespan: Quality of Life in Longevity Research:  https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/healthy-aging/what-do-we-know-about-healthy-aging​ 
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/​ Harvard University: https://www.harvard.edu/​ Stanford University: https://www.stanford.edu/​ Insilico Medicine: https://insilico.com/​​ AOA Diagnostics (AOA Dx): https://aoadx.com/​​ Longevity Science Foundation (LSF): https://longevity.foundation/ 
Garri Zmudze https://www.linkedin.com/in/garri-zmudze-982a48138/
Alex Zhavoronkov https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhavoronkov/ 
Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:54 Transition from Founder to Investor07:46 Health Span vs. Lifespan: A Philosophical Approach10:35 Why Biotech Matters Most14:50 Personal Health Crisis and Patient Perspective23:39 Building a Science-First Investment Fund25:09 Fund One: Portfolio and Strategy28:07 Antibody-Drug Conjugates and Early-Stage Diagnostics30:46 Fund Two and Animal Health Ventures34:09 Longevity Science Foundation: Supporting Fundamental Research34:14 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.

🧬 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.
Episode Description:

"Building a deep tech company or building anything, pretty much, like being a founder in anything, it's like planning a bank robbery. It's like putting together a crew where, you know, you need a driver, you need someone to pick locks, you need someone to not sell, and you need someone who has the intellectual capacity to come up with a plan."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Sergey Jakimov, Managing Partner at LongeVC, shares his journey from uncertain graduate student in Budapest to serial deep tech founder. He discusses launching his first startup at age 22 in the conservative oil and gas industry with zero experience, pioneering drug-eluting coatings for orthopedic implants, and building Lungesys—a clinical data platform that revolutionized trial patient recruitment and helped establish the world's largest biobank.
Sergey challenges the "dropout culture" narrative while defending both formal education and learning by doing. He reveals why the least specialized person often makes the best founder and shares surprising truths about big pharma, including that only 14% of first-in-class cancer drugs are developed internally.
Key topics covered:

• The "Bank Heist Model" of Team Building: Why founders should assemble specialists rather than be experts in everything
• Three Startup Journey: From CFD engineering to medical devices to clinical data platforms
• Education vs. Experience Debate: Defending formal education while emphasizing learning by doing
• Clinical Trial Innovation: Streamlining patient recruitment and building the world's largest biobank
• Big Pharma Reality Check: Debunking misconceptions about how the pharmaceutical industry operates

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, Sergey Jakimov, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakimov/?originalSubdomain=lvhttps://longevc.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:Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modeling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_Fluid_Dynamics Drug-Eluting Coatings for Medical Implants: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8070023/ Magnetron Sputtering Technology: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/magnetron-sputtering Clinical Trial Patient Recruitment Challenges: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41573-022-00070-5 
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Longenesis https://longenesis.com/McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/ AstraZeneca: https://www.astrazeneca.com/ LongeVC: https://longevc.com/ 
Garri Zmudze https://www.linkedin.com/in/garri-zmudze-982a48138/ 
Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:52 Student Life in Budapest03:03 The "What's Next?" Uncertainty08:39 First Company: CFD Modeling and Oil & Gas at 2212:54 Second Company: Medical Devices and Drug-Eluting Coatings17:07 The Bank Heist Model of Assembling Teams20:25 The Value of Education vs. Dropout Culture25:46 Hard Skills and Breaking Paradigms28:41 Teaching IP and Venture Capital29:52 Third Company: Clinical Data and Lungesys38:10 Selling to Big Pharma41:14 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.

🧬 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.
"Retrospectively, this was honestly the best childhood one can get, and it was absolutely without gadgets."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, we explore the formative years of Sergey Jakimov, founding partner at LongeVC, as he takes us from his childhood in post-Soviet Latvia to his graduate studies in Budapest. Sergey shares what it was like growing up in a small rural town near the Russian border, where limited resources, no technology, and long winters shaped his resilience, diplomacy, and drive to succeed.​
Sergey recounts his unlikely journey into competitive tennis under a retired national coach, training on concrete courts and turning the sport into both a discipline and a livelihood. He describes the grueling path to university admission—waking at 2 AM every Saturday for four-hour bus rides to attend prep courses in Riga—and the intense workload that followed, surviving on just three to four hours of sleep while juggling translation work and coaching gigs. A pivotal parliament internship shattered his idealistic views of government, leading him to embrace technocracy and meritocracy as guiding principles. Finally, Sergey reflects on earning his master's at Central European University in Budapest, where diverse perspectives and world-class academics further expanded his worldview and prepared him for entrepreneurship.​​
Key topics covered:

• Post-Soviet Childhood: Growing up in rural Latvia with no gadgets, outdoor adventures, and resourcefulness as survival skills
• Athletic Discipline: Training in tennis from age six on concrete courts under a retired national coach, developing grit and work ethic
• Academic Journey: Finishing school early, grueling university workload at Riga Stradiņš University, and working multiple side hustles
• Political Disillusionment: Parliament internship revealing bureaucratic inefficiency and cementing technocratic/meritocratic beliefs
• Graduate Education: Earning a scholarship to Central European University in Budapest, studying political economy and quantitative methods

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, Sergey Jakimov, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakimov/?originalSubdomain=lvhttps://longevc.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:Technocracy vs Democracy https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/technocracy.aspPolitical Economy Studies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_economy Meritocracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy Cognitive Biases https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases 
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Longenesis https://longenesis.com/Longevity Science Foundation https://longevity.foundation/ Riga Stradiņš University: https://www.rsu.lv/en Central European University (CEU): https://www.ceu.edu/ 
Timestamps:00:00 Intro03:42 Growing Up in Post-Soviet Latvia06:56 Childhood Without Technology: Tennis and Diplomacy11:20 Training on Concrete Courts14:47 Choosing University and International Relations17:49 Weekly Bus Rides to Riga for University Prep19:32 University Experience: Three-Hour Sleep Nights21:59 Side Hustles: Translation Work and Tennis Coaching22:47 University Professors and Merit-Based Learning27:02 Parliament Internship: Idealism Meets Reality31:31 From Politics to Grad School Abroad34:16 Central European University in Budapest35:26 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.

🧬 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.
"Risk management is really just planning for when things go wrong."
In this final episode with Jimmy Sastra, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Monomer Bio, host Jon Chee explores how Jimmy redefines biotech leadership by treating fundraising as a strategic tool rather than a necessity. The conversation dives into building a company that combines scalable software with hands-on lab services, the importance of creativity and risk management in uncertain times, and Monomer’s bold vision for "autonomous science"—where AI and robotics revolutionize experimentation.
Alongside deep biotech insights, Jimmy shares personal reflections on balancing entrepreneurship, family, and his immigrant journey while pushing the boundaries of automation in life sciences.
Key topics covered:

• Capital Strategy in Biotech: Fundraising as a flexible tool, not a necessity
• Balancing Services and Software: Merging real-world work with scalable tech
• The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Leading through risk and uncertainty
• Building for the Future: Pioneering automation and autonomous science
• Personal Growth and Resilience: Balancing ambition, family, and new beginnings

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, Jimmy Sastra, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-sastra-phd-11a0521/Website: https://monomerbio.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:DARPA Grand Challenge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Grand_ChallengeAI Scientist Cell Culture Hackathon: https://luma.com/qe0vfc7bWaymo Autonomous Rides in San Francisco: https://waymo.com/rides/san-francisco/Charlie Munger’s Mental Models and Multidisciplinary Thinking: https://www.playforthoughts.com/blog/charlie-munger-improve-live-by-multidisciplinary-approach
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Monomer Bio: https://www.monomerbio.com/Sandy Paige: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanielsandypaige/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:12 Fundraising as a Strategic Tool03:53 The Power of Bootstrapping and Creativity in Biotech04:31 Lessons from Asimov: Why Services Strengthen Software05:41 Launching the AI Scientist Cell Culture Hackathon07:43 Balancing Investor Pressure and Founder Independence09:44 Risk Management: Planning for When Things Go Wrong11:33 Learning Through New Challenges in Business and Life14:07 Decision-Making with Limited Information16:16 Leadership, Autonomy, and Mental Models18:25 The Future of Monomer Bio and the Vision for Autonomous Science20:46 Personal Reflections, Family, and Global Journey22:34 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.

🧬 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.
"People are looking at cells, making decisions, and then acting on them—that’s a robotics loop. I felt it could be done autonomously."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee sits down with Jimmy Sastra, co-founder and CEO of Monomer, to discuss how his team transformed hands-on lab automation consulting into a breakthrough biotech robotics company. Jimmy shares how Monomer’s vertically integrated platform unites robotics, software, and biology to automate cell culture, cut reliance on animal models, and boost reproducibility. 
He also explains the company’s adaptive go-to-market strategy—ranging from software-only pilots to full robotic deployments—and reflects on the power of cross-disciplinary teamwork, global collaboration, and flexibility in navigating today’s challenging biotech landscape.
Key topics covered:

• Founding Monomer: Turning early consulting insights into a mission-driven biotech venture
• Autonomizing Cell Culture: Merging biology and robotics to automate complex lab workflows
• Vertical Integration: Unifying hardware, software, and biology into a single seamless system
• Go-to-Market Strategy: Offering tailored engagement paths—software, pilots, or full automation
• Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Using global experience to strengthen communication and leadership

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, Jimmy Sastra, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-sastra-phd-11a0521/Website: https://monomerbio.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:Clayton Christensen “The Innovator’s Dilemma”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innovator%27s_DilemmaPrime Medicine & David R. Liu’s Prime Editing Research: https://primemedicine.com/Excedr’s Equipment Leasing Model: https://www.excedr.com/leasingExecdr’s TBSP: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Transcriptic (now Strateos): https://www.strateos.com/Monomer Bio: https://www.monomerbio.com/Excedr: https://www.excedr.com/Rosebud Biosciences: https://www.rosebudbio.com/Prime Medicine: https://www.primemedicine.com/ASML: https://www.asml.com/Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/
Mark Zhang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-zhang-1726361b/Carter Allen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-carter-allen/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:13 Founding Monomer & Early Consulting Days03:31 Defining the Thesis: Automating Cell Culture05:56 The Robotics Loop: Connecting Biology with Automation07:37 Building Cross-Functional Teams & Integration Challenges08:43 Lessons from ASML & the Power of Vertical Integration12:04 Clayton Christensen’s “Innovator’s Dilemma” in Biotech12:46 Monomer’s Go-To-Market Strategy & Adaptation14:55 Targeting the Pain: Stem Cell Automation Challenges16:51 Selling to Startups, Biotechs & Big Pharma17:58 Software-Only Deployments & Fast Land Strategy19:52 Monomer’s San Francisco Lab & Pilot Projects21:29 Cross-Cultural Collaboration & Building Global Partnerships27:37 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.

🧬 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.
"Life is amazing, but it’s also very fragile. I could not think of a more important mission than trying to understand how life works."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee continues his conversation with Jimmy Sastra, CEO and co-founder of Monomer Bio, tracing his evolution from a self-taught PhD student to a Silicon Valley engineer at the forefront of robotics and biotech innovation. Jimmy recounts his time at Willow Garage during the rise of ROS, his groundbreaking work at Transcriptic—where he helped build the world’s first robotic cloud lab—and how those experiences shaped his vision for Monomer Bio. 
He also explores the power of hiring for personal mission alignment and shares how a life-changing moment involving his brother inspired a career dedicated to understanding life through technology.
Key topics covered:

• From Academia to Industry: Lessons in grit, self-teaching, and applied innovation
• Willow Garage Era: Entering Silicon Valley’s robotics scene and shaping ROS
• Transcriptic and Strateos: Creating the first robotic cloud lab uniting bio and automation
• Leadership and Mission: Building teams around shared purpose and passion
• Founding Monomer: Turning personal inspiration into a biotech automation vision

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, Jimmy Sastra, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-sastra-phd-11a0521/Website: https://monomerbio.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:(HBR) Case Studies – Pandemic Entrepreneurship Meetup: https://hbr.org/2024/01/how-the-pandemic-rebooted-entrepreneurship-in-the-u-sASML and Philips – Stories of Innovation in Engineering: https://www.asml.com/news/stories/2024/asml-founding-story
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/Willow Garage: https://www.willowgarage.com/Transcriptic (now Strateos): https://www.strateos.com/Monomer Bio: https://www.monomerbio.com/Ginkgo Bioworks: https://www.ginkgobioworks.com/Built Robotics: https://www.builtrobotics.com/Robust AI: https://www.robust.ai/
Sachin Chitta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachinchitta/Rodney Brooks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodney-brooks-1a137517/Mark Zhang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-zhang-1726361b/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:03 Grad School Challenges & Learning Grit05:51 Self-Teaching and Confidence in Coding06:48 Willow Garage Opportunity & Culture08:39 Engineering Impact at Willow Garage11:39 Transition to Transcriptic and Robotics Cloud Lab15:35 Mission and Inspiration: Family Influence18:24 Challenges and Focus at Strateos18:42 Scaling Startups and Raising Capital21:36 Short Stints: Built Robotics, Robust AI, Ginkgo22:55 Pandemic Meetups and Finding a Co-founder23:32 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.

🧬 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.
"Maybe because of that experience, we still keep in touch. I feel fortunate that my friends and I built something together back then—even if it started with murals and late nights, it taught me about creativity, risk, and teamwork."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Jimmy Sastra, CEO and co-founder of Monomer Bio, unpacks his global journey from The Netherlands and Japan to transforming lab automation in biotech. Shaped by his father’s engineering legacy at Philips and ASML, Jimmy recalls lessons in creativity, rebellion, and resilience that guided his path from the University of Pennsylvania to a PhD in robotics. 
His story reveals how curiosity and systems thinking became the foundation for Monomer Bio’s mission to empower scientists through smarter, automated lab solutions.
Key topics covered:

• Early Influences: Growing up in an engineering household sparked Jimmy’s lifelong curiosity and drive to build.
• International Perspective: Moving between The Netherlands, Japan, and the U.S. taught adaptability and openness.
• The Rebellious Years: Graffiti turned creative defiance into problem-solving instincts.
• Academic Foundations: UPenn and his robotics PhD honed discipline and innovation.
• Engineering Meets Biology: The vision to automate labs and empower scientists was born.

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, Jimmy Sastra, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-sastra-phd-11a0521/Website: https://monomerbio.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:Good to Great: https://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/good-to-great.htmlThe Innovator’s Dilemma: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=46The World Is Flat: https://www.thomaslfriedman.com/the-world-is-flat-3-0/Emotional Intelligence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_IntelligenceMark Yim’s Robotics Lab at UPenn: https://www.grasp.upenn.edu/people/mark-yim/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:HKUST: https://hkust.edu.hk/TileDB: https://tiledb.com/MIT: https://www.mit.edu/Intel: https://www.intel.com/Boston Dynamics: https://www.bostondynamics.com/Xerox PARC: https://www.parc.com/University of Pennsylvania: https://www.upenn.edu/Robot Operating System: https://www.ros.org/Strateos: https://strateos.com/
Parul Bordia Doshi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parul-b-doshi/Sachin Chitta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachinchitta/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro04:34 International Upbringing and Three Defining Traits06:05 Growing Up in Eindhoven: Philips and ASML Stories07:46 Moving to Japan at 15: A Cultural Reset08:34 Early Exposure to Business Strategy Books11:14 Rebellious Phase: Graffiti Crew and Getting Arrested14:07 High School Years and Academic Interests15:41 Choosing Bioengineering: An Endless Frontier17:47 Wet Lab Experience and Manual Labor Reality19:22 PhD Journey: Robotics and Parameter Optimization23:04 Simplifying Complex Systems Through Mathematical Models26:34 Graduate School Mentorship and Peer Support27:35 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.

🧬 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.
"If anyone comes to me and says, 'Hey, I’ve got this idea. I think we could do something with it,' I’m like, 'You gotta take the I-Corps class first... it really changes your mindset.'"
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Darren Cooke, Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer and Executive Director of the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals how 100 discovery interviews turned a $3 million campus experiment into a powerhouse for biotech innovation. 
He shares the creation of Berkeley’s flagship fellows program, the launch of speed teaming and venture grants, and how simple ideas like fostering connection and collaboration transformed campus culture. Darren also reflects on the leadership of Chancellor Rich Lyons and offers candid lessons on perseverance, mentorship, and the art of “showing up.”
Key topics covered:

• Launching the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center: Transforming a blank-slate idea into a thriving biotech launchpad
• Building Transformative Programs: Creating standout tracks like fellows, I-Corps, speed teaming, and venture grants
• Changing Campus Culture: Flipping Berkeley’s outlook to embrace innovation and collaboration
• The Power of Connection: Sparking new partnerships and opportunities across the campus ecosystem
• Reflections and Advice: Actionable mentorship lessons and founder tips for real-world impact

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, Darren Cooke, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddcooke/Website: http://berkeley.edu/ 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:How UC Berkeley Became an Unexpected Leader in Entrepreneurship and Startups: https://iande.berkeley.edu/StartupCampusStartup Campus (How UC Berkeley became a leader in entrepreneurship) https://a.co/d/5pCg83q Berkeley SkyDeck Demo Day: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/tag/demo_day/Bakar Faculty Fellows Program: https://bakarfellows.berkeley.edu/QB3 Speed Teaming program: https://qb3.org/event/bio-startup-speed-teaming/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley Haas): https://haas.berkeley.edu/Venture Capital Fund: https://tinyurl.com/29dnsjpbBerkeley SkyDeck: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/QB3 (California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences): https://qb3.org/Bakar Labs: https://bakarlabs.berkeley.edu/Rich Lyons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-lyons-30332b1/David Kirn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkirnmd/Tobias Schmid: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taschmid/Paul Alivisatos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-alivisatos-4b313b6/Ariel Notcovic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-notcovich/Justin Reese,: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-reese-3419b24/Hannah Weber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-weber001/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:01 Darren’s Berkeley Faculty Journey03:03 The $3 Million Startup Experiment05:24 Launching the Fellows Program08:43 The I-Corps Mindset Shift10:25 Signature Berkeley Showcase Event11:51 Speed Teaming for Startup Connections14:17 Haas & Life Sciences Cross-Campus Partnerships17:18 Startup Success Story: Reese & Weber20:10 Berkeley’s Shift Toward Entrepreneurship24:45 Chancellor Lyons’ Impact & Venture Fund27:38 Scaling Programs and Entrepreneur in Residence32:24 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.

🧬 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.
"If you’re not challenging what you’ve always done, you’re not going to move forward or innovate."
In this episode, Darren Cooke, Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer and Executive Director of the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals how he’s navigated the fast-changing world of financial advice by embracing regulatory shifts, championing innovation, and building trust through integrity and open communication, sharing hard-won lessons on personal growth, resilience, and finding new opportunities amid uncertainty and change.
Key topics covered:

• Embracing Regulatory Change: Adapting to new rules and compliance
• Client Trust and Communication: Building and rebuilding relationship credibility
• The Innovation Mindset: Challenging routines for growth
• Technology in Practice: Staying ahead with smarter tools
• Leadership Lessons: Cultivating resilience and empathy

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, Darren Cooke, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddcooke/Website: http://berkeley.edu/ 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:The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41881472-the-psychology-of-moneyThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slowThe Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26160019-the-innovator-s-dilemma(FCA) Guidance Papers: https://www.fca.org.uk/publicationsTRAP: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/trap-the-real-adviser-podcast/id1648027651Startup Campus (How UC Berkeley became a leader in entrepreneurship) https://a.co/d/5pCg83q 
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/Genentech: https://www.gene.com/NSF I-Corps (National Science Foundation I-Corps): https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley Haas): https://haas.berkeley.edu/
Errol Arkilic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/errol-arkilic-350b8/Rhonda Schrader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondashrader/
Timestamps:00:00  Intro02:09  Building a Solo Law Practice03:46  University Tech Transfer – Bayh-Dole and Licensing05:31  Demystifying License Agreements07:46  Investor Perspectives & Startup De-Risking08:42  Transition to Mentorship and Teaching at Haas09:31  First Encounter with NSF I‑Corps10:39  Becoming a National I‑Corps Instructor14:26  “The Magic of Showing Up” in Academia15:41  Volunteering, Guest Lecturing, and Faculty Careers17:18  Student Stories: Breaking Into Top Biotech Labs19:55  Navigating Networking Barriers23:32  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.

🧬 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.
Episode Description:

"If you ever find yourself in a situation where you’re busy and bored, you really should be doing something else."
In this episode, Darren Cooke, Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer and Executive Director of the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center at the University of California, Berkeley, traces his bold path from high-stakes law firm litigation to in-house IP leadership at Bio-Rad Laboratories, eventually launching his own practice to guide biotech startups. 
He dives into career pivots, lessons from Berkeley’s entrepreneurial scene, startup investing, and why simply showing up is often the secret to transformative opportunities and growth.
Key topics covered:

• Career Lessons: How rigorous mentors and big-law rigor fueled personal growth
• Life at Bio-Rad: Unique culture and hands-on IP leadership at a family-founded biotech
• Pivot to Startups: Startup exposure—and a key acquisition—sparked Darren’s leap to entrepreneurship
• Building Networks: Persistence and showing up lead to game-changing connections
• Angel Investing & IP Strategy: The real ingredients behind investable, resilient biotech startups

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, Darren Cooke, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddcooke/Website: http://berkeley.edu/ 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:The Recorder: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recorder/Patent Prosecution Fundamentals: https://www.uspto.gov/patents/basicsStartup Campus (How UC Berkeley became a leader in entrepreneurship) https://a.co/d/5pCg83q 
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Bio-Rad Laboratories: https://www.bio-rad.com/Covington (Covington & Burling LLP): https://www.cov.com/QuantaLife: https://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/category/life-science-research/pcr/plastic-consumables-for-pcr/ddpcr-plastics?ID=OERYLNYQYBerkeley Angel Network: https://berkeleyangelnetwork.com/Life Science Angels: https://lifescienceangels.com/Berkeley SkyDeck: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/
Alan Blankenheimer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-blankenheimer-a6761194/Rich Lyons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-lyons-30332b1/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:46 Key Lessons from Law Firm Experience04:32 Moving to Covington in San Francisco08:56 Balancing Big Law with Family Life10:39 How the Bio-Rad Opportunity Came About14:00 Going In-House: Culture and Day-to-Day Life17:19 Learning Patent Prosecution and Working with Inventors21:09 The QuantaLife Acquisition Sparks Startup Interest25:08 Launching a Solo Practice and Finding Zero Clients28:48 Joining Life Science Angels and Berkeley Angel Network32:33 Running LSA Investment Meetings: Trial by Fire34:42 What Makes Life Science Startups Investable37:38 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.