Building Biotech Ecosystems | Tony Kulesa, Pillar VC

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 influences5:40 Path to journalism and early career after university10:45 Transition to biotech journalism and key lessons16:00 Book “Hood” 20:55 Founding the Timmerman Report25:40 Launching The Long Run podcast30:05 Future projects outlook32:00 Traits of a successful biotech founder 37:05 Role of VCs in biotech innovation40:05 Luke's perspective on AI in drug discovery45:50 Launching the Timmerman Traverse, blending passion for mountaineering, biotech journalism and philanthropy52:00 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 Biotech5:10 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 entrepreneurs20:30 Fiona’s role at Bayer Co-lab24:15 Fiona’s advice for entrepreneurs applying for the Co-lab29:00 Fiona’s view on trends in Biotechnology34:00 Discussing diversity in biotech and ways to improve representation

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]

Part 2Using 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]

Check out Episode 8 of the Nucleate Podcast. We were honored to have Sean McClain, the founder and CEO of AbSci speak about generative AI for developing novel therapies. The potential to accelerate development of therapies for patients is astronomical.

[02:15] Bobby Gaspar’s background[05:10] The science of haematopoietic stem cell therapy[12:30] Spinning out Orchard Therapeutics[21:15] Reverse partnerships with pharma[25:55] Balancing regulatory compliance and innovation[29:45] Value based payments [35:15] Recent approval of Casgevy and gene therapy regulation[39:45] Failures in a biotech’s journey[43:00] Impact and meaning in therapeutics companies

On this episode of the podcast, Signal hosts Michael Retchin and Ursule Demael interview Prof. Lee Cronin from Chemify. Lee Cronin is a Professor at the University of Glasgow, where he leads a research group focused on digital chemistry, automating chemical synthesis and origin of life. Lee Cronin is also the co-founder and CEO of Chemify, a startup advancing digitization and robotics for chemistry. In this episode, we discuss the idea of building a search engine for chemistry, the founding story of Chemify, and important differences between running an academic lab and a successful Series A stage startup. Lee Cronin shares how unique aspects of his personality and persistence were critical to build Chemify. Lee Cronin is an outspoken scientist, who is active on Twitter and has appeared on the Lex Fridman podcast, making for a fascinating and engaging episode!

Trevor talks about his inspirations for his career path [1:22]How to choose his PhD advisor and lab [3:51]Career trajectory, handling moments of uncertainty, and learning from mistakes [9:56]Trevor discovered a niche at the intersection of biology, physics, and computer science [11:54]Mammoth is uniquely positioned as an innovative science-focused company that delivers for patients [18:36]Trevor's key leadership advice he has learned as a CEO [24:43]CRISPR technology has the potential to revolutionize healthcare [27:55]