🧬 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.

🧬 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 go down a road and then you realize, Ah, shoot. This was not what I expected, or Why am I doing this? you can do something else. Right? Yeah. Don't sweat it."
In this episode, Jon Chee interviews Darren Cooke, UC Berkeley’s Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer, whose journey spans engineering cochlear implants, high-stakes patent law, and leading innovation at Berkeley. Darren shares how formative moments, career pivots, and mentorship shaped his approach to entrepreneurship, offering practical wisdom and behind-the-scenes stories from working with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to building collaborative biotech communities. 
His multifaceted perspective inspires listeners to embrace change, seek hands-on experiences, and build networks that drive biotech innovation.
Key topics covered:

• Formative Experiences: Early engineering curiosity drives hands-on problem solving.
• Career Pivots: Bold shifts unlock new strengths and passions.
• Mentorship Matters: Guidance from experts accelerates growth and insight.
• Building Startup Ecosystems: Leading collaborative innovation across Berkeley’s biotech landscape.
• Lessons for Founders: Embrace change, stay humble, and unite tech and business for success.

If you enjoy The Biotech Startups Podcast, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with your friends. Thanks for listening.
Links:

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:Cal Poly San Luis Obispo "Learn by Doing" Engineering Program: https://www.calpoly.edu/learn-by-doingUCSF Department of Otolaryngology: Projects on Cochlear Implants: https://ohns.ucsf.edu/otology-neurotology/cochlear-implant-centerThe Gates Cambridge Scholarship: https://www.gatescambridge.org/apply/criteria/Columbia Law School’s Pro Bono Requirement: https://www.law.columbia.edu/careers/public-interest/pro-bono-requirement-and-programBerkeley’s BioTrack at SkyDeck Startup Accelerator: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/biohealth-track/NIH and NSF I-Corps Entrepreneurship Programs: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/i-corpsStartup Campus (How UC Berkeley became a leader in entrepreneurship) https://a.co/d/5pCg83q 
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Life Science Angels: https://www.lifescienceangels.com/UCSF: https://www.ucsf.edu/Columbia Law School: https://www.law.columbia.edu/Brown & Bain (now part of Perkins Coie): https://www.perkinscoie.com/UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/
Sonia Sotomayor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-sotomayor-6b7a56117/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro03:48 Early Life in Livermore and Lafayette07:53 Hobbies and Mechanical Curiosity10:36 Choosing Cal Poly and “Learn by Doing”13:07 Pivoting from Engineering to Medicine17:11 Early Experiences at UCSF and Mentorship22:55 Moving Toward Law and Columbia Law School27:37 Working with Sonia Sotomayor35:27 First Patent Litigation Roles in Phoenix42:10 Lessons from Brown & Bain and Team Culture44:50 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 the door's not open, it's not open. I should only be walking through doors that are open. Why am I going to knock on doors that are closed?"
Sandra Shpilberg, Co-founder and COO at Adnexi, revisits her founder’s journey, sharing how setbacks and her son’s curiosity during the COVID-19 pandemic led to the launch of Adnexi, a mission-driven platform for biopharma. 
She reveals lessons on navigating non-competes, collaborating with market forces, and building resilient teams, while highlighting the rewards and challenges of creating a lasting family business and intentionally cultivating a supportive circle for growth.
Key topics covered:

• Founding Adnexi as a family: Turning pandemic downtime into a bold biotech launch
• Navigating non-competes and reimagining business models: Pivoting fast after acquisition hurdles
• Adapting to market forces, learning from failure, and the myth of founder omnipotence: Riding market waves and owning mistakes
• Long-term, mission-driven company building and defining a sustainable legacy: Building for impact, not just the exit
• The importance of support systems, mentors, and intentional relationship building for startup success: Leveraging strong connections for growth

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, Sandra Shpilberg, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-shpilberg-b7b334/Website: https://adnexi.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:PubMed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PubMedClinicalTrials.gov: https://clinicaltrials.gov/Open Payments Data: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/Horizon (Case Study: Acquired by Amgen): https://www.amgen.com/newsroom/press-releases/2023/10/amgen-completes-acquisition-of-horizon-therapeutics-plcDaiichi Sankyo (Case Study): https://www.daiichisankyo.com/files/investors/library/annual_report/index/pdf/16.pdf
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Adnexi: https://adnexi.com/Seeker Health (by EVERSANA): https://www.eversana.com/teams/seeker-health/BioMarin Pharmaceutical: https://www.biomarin.com/Horizon (now part of Amgen): https://www.amgen.com/Daiichi Sankyo: https://www.daiichisankyo.com/
Sheryl Fox: https://www.linkedin.com/in/futurehealthstrategies/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:47 Pandemic Pause and Family Curiosity Spark Adnexi02:53 Identifying the Market Gap: Building a Platform for Biopharma Stakeholders05:02 Reflecting on Post-Acquisition Challenges and Market Lessons06:45 Learning from Failure: The Value of ‘Ashes’ and New Beginnings10:42 Bootstrapping Adnexi: Early Growth and Pivots13:20 The SPAC Detour: Risks, Regrets, and Realizations17:59 Understanding Market Forces and Founder Humility20:56 Deciding to Go ‘Full-Time’ on Adnexi23:53 Today’s Adnexi: Platform Evolution and Ambitions27:48 Gratitude and Advice: The Importance of People and Energy38:59 Closing Advice for Younger Self: Intentional Relationship Building41:39 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.
“There is something that happens when we create expectations that are actually realistic, that we have a chance to delight ourselves. And then that creates this motivation to keep going and be like, Oh, this is working out much better than I expected.”
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Sandra Shpilberg, Co-founder and COO at Adnexi, shares her remarkable founder’s journey, launching Seeker Health from her living room, landing her first customer on LinkedIn, and scaling a mission-driven startup without outside funding—all while balancing family life and navigating the emotional challenges of entrepreneurship and acquisition offers. 
Her story challenges Silicon Valley myths, showing that pragmatic optimism, real customer traction, and staying true to one’s values can drive both personal and professional success.
Key topics covered:

• Bootstrapping Seeker Health: Building a digital recruitment platform from scratch.
• Customer Acquisition Tactics: Winning early clients and validating demand fast.
• Building and Leading a Team: Evolving from solo founder to culture builder.
• Navigating Acquisitions: Facing offers, learning, and sealing a strong exit.
• Balancing Family, Growth, and Resilience: Juggling work, life, and relentless change.

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, Sandra Shpilberg, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-shpilberg-b7b334/Website: https://adnexi.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:The Harry Potter Series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_PotterPlaid & Visa Acquisition Story: https://fortune.com/2020/01/14/visa-plaid-acquisition-fintech/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Adnexi: https://adnexi.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/Bain & Company: https://www.bain.com/Nora Therapeutics: https://noratherapeutics.com/Syneos Health: http://www.syneoshealth.com/
Mark Joing: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markjoing/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:47 Founding Seeker Health: The Early Days02:58 Launching and Naming the Company06:20 Landing First Customer & Mindset Shift08:53 The Power of Startup Networking09:46 Transitioning to Real Team Building11:57 Family Life & Involving Children13:36 Becoming a Syneos Health Supplier18:02 Growing Through Serious and Rare Disease Trials20:35 First Acquisition Offer and Lessons24:32 Structuring the Ideal Deal and Due Diligence35:29 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 have an entrepreneurial spirit, what was exciting at BioMarin was that we were doing new things, innovating and creating from scratch.”
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Sandra Shpilberg, Co-founder and COO at Adnexi, shares her journey from leading commercial launches at BioMarin to discovering the pivotal market gap in digital patient recruitment while at Nora Therapeutics—a realization that sparked her leap into founding her own company. 
Her story weaves together the drive for innovation, deep patient connection, and the blend of professional ambition with personal priorities that shaped each career move.
Key topics covered:

• Launching Rare Disease Therapies: Lessons in pioneering, patient-focused drug launches
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Navigating teams through complex development milestones
• The Value of Patient Connection: How proximity to patients sparks real biotech innovation
• Entrepreneurship & Risk: Leaving security for startup life and bold decision-making
• Identifying Market Gaps: Spotting unmet digital enrollment needs and seizing opportunity

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, Sandra Shpilberg, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-shpilberg-b7b334/Website: https://adnexi.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:Naglazyme Case Study: https://www.naglazyme.com/about-mps-viKuvan and the National PKU Alliance Advocacy: https://www.kuvan.com/#:~:text=What%20is%20KUVAN?,Black%2C%20tarry%20stoolsPatient-Centered Drug Development: Principles and Practice: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6508534/Clinical Trial Recruitment Challenges in Rare Diseases: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3964003/Facebook Advertising for Clinical Trial Recruitment: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30409765/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:BioMarin Pharmaceutical: https://www.biomarin.com/Nora Therapeutics: https://noratherapeutics.com/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:56 Early BioMarin Experiences and Growth02:39 Marketing and Launching Rare Disease Therapies05:07 Patient Connections and Advocacy Impact06:55 Leading Cross-Functional Teams for Drug Development09:00 Strategic Leadership and Challenges in Biotech13:42 Core Lessons from BioMarin18:32 Making the Leap to Nora Therapeutics21:16 Family, Relocation, and Work-Life Balance in Startup Life22:40 Drug Trial Challenges and Discovering Digital Enrollment Gaps26:48 Building Solutions for Clinical Trial Recruitment33:17 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.
"I walk around the world wanting to tell everyone that healing is possible. All types of healing are possible: physical healing, mental healing, spiritual healing. Healing is possible."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, we explore the remarkable journey of Sandra Shpilberg, Co-founder and COO at Adnexi, from her early childhood in Uruguay to becoming a serial entrepreneur in biotech. Sandra shares the profound experiences that shaped her leadership philosophy, beginning with her family's Holocaust survivor background and her grandparents' courageous decision to start over in a new country with nothing but hope.
Sandra opens up about the defining moments that forged her resilience - from a traumatic accident at age four that sparked her lifelong belief in healing, to her family's immigration to Brooklyn when she was 16. She describes navigating American education without knowing English, watching her parents rebuild their careers, and her own journey from Wall Street to Wharton to discovering her true calling in biotech during a transformative internship at Genentech. The conversation reveals how these experiences instilled the entrepreneurial mindset and fearless approach to starting over that continues to drive her success.
Key topics covered:

• Holocaust Legacy & Immigrant Entrepreneurship: How family history shaped her fearless approach to starting over
• The Power of Childhood Trauma: How a severe burn accident instilled her belief that healing is always possible
• Immigration at 16: Rebuilding life in Brooklyn and learning resilience through adversity
• Wall Street Foundation: Early career lessons about mentorship and strategic positioning
• Healthcare Calling: MBA experience and Genentech internship that confirmed biotech as her purpose

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, Sandra Shpilberg, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-shpilberg-b7b334/ Website: https://adnexi.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:Remicade (infliximab) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infliximab Xolair (omalizumab) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omalizumab 
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:JPMorgan Chase & Co.: https://www.jpmorganchase.com/ Citigroup Inc.: https://www.citigroup.com/ Pace University: https://www.pace.edu/ Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania): https://www.wharton.upenn.edu/ Genentech: https://www.gene.com/ Johnson & Johnson: https://www.jnj.com/ BioMarin Pharmaceutical: https://www.biomarin.com/ 
Amy Burroughs https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyburroughs/ 
Timestamps:00:00 Intro04:59 Early Life and Family History08:09 Childhood Accident and Healing13:43 Immigrating to the United States19:49 Family Adjustments and Resilience23:53 Navigating U.S. High School and College Application28:49 First Job and College to JPMorgan31:46 JPMorgan Career Lessons33:59 Transition to Citigroup and Management37:35 Applying and Attending Wharton MBA41:09 Interning at Genentech and Career Pivot55:09 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 our real mission is to truly help companies get drugs to patients faster and cheaper, the amount of complexity we have to solve goes way beyond science.”
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Jon Chee talks with Andrey Doronichev about his leap from tech at YouTube and Google to launching OPTIC and reinventing it as BIOPTIC, an AI-powered drug discovery startup. 
Andrey shares the ups and downs of projects like AIorNot, the pivotal link between big data and drug development, and how “agentic AI” now drives BIOPTIC’s rapid progress—proving that real biotech breakthroughs require humility, adaptability, and big-picture thinking.
Key topics covered:

• Entrepreneurial Pivots: Navigating market shifts, spin-offs, and bold new directions
• Large-Scale Data Screening: Leveraging AI to rapidly unlock drug discovery
• Holistic Innovation: Fusing science, business, and regulation through agentic AI
• AI in Drug Discovery: Accelerating screening, evaluation, and clinical workflows
• Personal Reflections: Staying mission-driven, prioritizing health, and leading with humility

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, Andrey Doronichev, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doronichev/Website: https://bioptic.io/ 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:AlphaFold: https://deepmind.google/science/alphafold/Enamine REAL Database: https://enamine.net/compound-collections/real-compounds/real-databaseSchrödinger (computational chemistry & drug discovery software): https://www.schrodinger.com/platform/OpenAI: https://openai.com/index/introducing-deep-research/Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-perplexity-deep-research
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:OPTIC: https://bioptic.io/Google: https://www.google.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AIorNot: https://aiornot.com/Insilico Medicine: https://insilico.com/Atomwise: https://www.atomwise.com/BenevolentAI: https://www.benevolent.com/Schrödinger: https://www.schrodinger.com/PureTech: https://puretechhealth.com/
Artem Cherkasov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artem-cherkasov-155165b/?originalSubdomain=caDavid Thacker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thackerd/Anna Kostikova: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annakostikova/?originalSubdomain=nlEric Elenko: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-elenko-560b1b44/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:45 OPTIC’s Market Collapse and AIorNot Spinout07:02 Startup Pivots and Lessons from Tech History09:42 TED Inspiration: Moving OPTIC to Drug Discovery10:36 Winning a Kaggle Protein Function Challenge15:20 Pivot to BiOptic and New AI Mission16:35 Surfing Metaphors and Startup Timing21:22 BiOptic Platform’s Early Technology Roadmap26:18 Research Collaborations and Platform Expansion36:29 Holistic, Agentic AI Vision for Biotech46:55 Search/Evaluation Agent and Industry Strategy55:50 Surviving Pivots, Focusing the Next Phase59:15 Shout-outs, Mentors, and Advice01:02:45 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 as a leader of a startup—no matter how small—or you as an employee of a big organization, you could be the agent of change."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Andrey Doronichev traces his path from launching mobile content in Russia to transforming YouTube for mobile, overcoming fierce Google-Apple rivalry to deliver the iOS app, and pioneering VR at Google. He candidly shares lessons in resilience, startup highs and lows, and the critical role of personal influence behind major milestones, culminating in his pivot to AI-powered biotech with OPTIC. 
Listeners get practical insights into team-building, dealmaking psychology, and the dynamic realities of entrepreneurship in fast-changing industries.
Key topics covered:

• The Power of Personal Agency: Individuals spark big change
• Navigating Corporate Rivalry: Launching YouTube iOS amid fierce competition
• Transitioning to VR at Google: Scrappy teams driving breakthrough ideas
• Embracing Entrepreneurial Hardship: Surviving the startup ups and downs
• Finding the Next Frontier: Pivoting from blockchain to AI biotech innovation

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, Andrey Doronichev, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doronichev/Website: https://bioptic.io/ 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:Google Cardboard (VR and AR project): https://vr.google.com/cardboard/Oculus VR (now Meta Quest): https://www.meta.com/quest/Google Earth VR: https://www.meta.com/experiences/pcvr/google-earth-vr/1513995308673845/?srsltid=AfmBOoowOgA142QolPTP6W8-r4HUczHdvqIEoSi_s3VtWBDsWRXyO0tmGoogle Expeditions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_ExpeditionsStadia (Google’s cloud gaming platform): https://stadia.google.com/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:OPTIC: https://bioptic.io/Google: https://www.google.com/Apple: https://www.apple.com/Kleiner Perkins: https://www.kleinerperkins.com/Greylock: https://greylock.com/
Eric Schmidt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-e-schmidt/
Timestamps:

00:00 Intro01:43 The Power of Personal Experience and Early Insights03:42 Hypergrowth at YouTube and the Mobile Internet Explosion05:15 Leading YouTube Mobile: Challenges and Triumphs07:11 The Google-Apple Rift and Negotiating the YouTube iOS App08:39 Focusing On User Experience to Resolve Corporate Rivalry10:44 Lessons in Change-Making and Deal Psychology12:38 Post-YouTube: Entrepreneurial Yearning and VR Vision at Google18:02 The Reality of Starting Over (Again and Again)21:06 Entrepreneurial Mindset: Why You Should Join a Startup22:37 Leaving Google: Seeking the Next Big Thing and Exploring AI27:31 The OPTIC Journey: Blockchain Bet, Pivot, and Investor Lessons31:36 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 genuinely passionate and curious about things, people will feed that curiosity. Do not underestimate that."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Andrey Doronichev takes us from his formative years hustling in post-Soviet Russia to launching a mobile startup amid economic chaos, emigrating as political tides shifted, and boldly landing a role at Google—all powered by grit, curiosity, and risk-taking. 
Andrey reveals how bootstrapping in Russia’s early Internet boom, betting on mobile YouTube before smartphones were mainstream, and championing innovation at Google transformed both his life and the way billions interact with online video.

• Grit and Adaptation: Turning setbacks into fuel for ambition
• Early Internet Entrepreneurship: Bootstrapping and thriving in Russia’s nascent digital market
• The Power of Curiosity: Letting eagerness and adaptability spark growth and opportunity
• Betting on Mobile: Doubling down on YouTube’s mobile potential before it was obvious
• Emigration and Perspective: Escaping Russia’s constraints to embrace global possibilities

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, Andrey Doronichev, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doronichev/Website: https://bioptic.io/ 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 Art of Computer Programming: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Computer_ProgrammingJAVA Programming for Mobile Devices: https://www.java.com/en/download/help/java_mobile.html
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Google: https://www.google.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/Picasa (archived): https://picasa.google.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Redfin: https://www.redfin.com/Nokia: https://www.nokia.com/BlackBerry: https://www.blackberry.com/
Hugo Barra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hbarra/Eric Schmidt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-e-schmidt/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:42 Early Career Hustle and Academic Setbacks05:34 Entering Russia’s Early Internet Industry08:15 Breaking Into Tech Through Curiosity12:40 Balancing Work and Study14:28 The Shift Toward Entrepreneurship16:40 Betting Big on Mobile Apps20:47 Bootstrapping a Startup and Finding Success23:43 Emigrating from Russia for a Better Future26:25 Getting Hired by Google with a Cold Email29:48 Taking the Risk on YouTube Mobile33:55 The Transformation to Mobile-First Platforms34:57 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.

"If you leave the queue, you lose your place, and you wait for, like, four hours outside in winter in Moscow to buy some butter, literally. So those kinds of things, it's a massive change."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee speaks with Andrey Doronichev, Founder and CEO of OPTIC, about his journey from surviving the chaos and scarcity of the collapsing Soviet Union to leading a cutting-edge AI-powered drug discovery platform. 
Andrey reveals how his upbringing amid upheaval and restricted information, paired with a strong science-driven family, forged his resilience and bold approach to leadership—traits that now drive his ambitious efforts at the intersection of technology and biotech entrepreneurship.
Key topics covered:

• Formative Experiences: Growing up amid chaos, building resilience
• Information Control: Living under censorship and its impact
• Entrepreneurship Mindset: Thriving through uncertainty
• Tech Roots: Turning coding passion into opportunity
• Transition to Biotech: Navigating the jump from software to drug discovery

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, Andrey Doronichev, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doronichev/Website: https://bioptic.io/ 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:Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/130440.Doctor_ZhivagoRambo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambo_(franchise)ZX Spectrum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_SpectrumEnterprise 128: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_(computer)BASIC Programming Language: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASICThe Challenges of Crystallizing Proteins: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2992350/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Google: https://www.google.com/Silicon Valley Bank: https://www.svb.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro03:31 Growing Up in the Soviet Union: A Different Story05:30 Country Disappearing: USSR to Russia Transition07:21 Bread Lines and Economic Collapse: Building Resilience08:51 Information Control and Censorship: The Rambo Incident11:49 Entrepreneurship as a Path of Uncertainty12:59 Silicon Valley Bank Crisis: Childhood Trauma Revisited15:29 Bootstrapping vs. Venture Capital: Different Paths18:53 Post-Soviet Academia: From Elite to Struggling21:24 Early Computing: Enterprise 128 and BASIC Programming25:13 Finding Your Tribe: The Lyceum Experience26:45 Math vs. Biology: Choosing Certainty Over Chaos30:05 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.