Shows
Biotech HangoutEpisode 158 - October 10, 2025On this week’s episode, Tess Cameron, Brian Skorney, Sam Fazeli, Yaron Werber, and Luba Greenwood, kick off with a pop quiz on the last time the $XBI hit 105 (spoiler, it was 2021) driven by recent positive news. The co-hosts highlight a steady rate of M&A activity, including Novo Nordisk’s acquisition of Akero Therapeutics highlighting continued interest in metabolic conditions and BMS’ acquisition of Orbital Therapeutics reflecting growing momentum around in vivo CAR-T delivery platforms. The LB Pharma and MapLight IPOs are also mentioned. The conversation shifts to AI pharma deals, spotlighting AstraZeneca’s partnership with Algen Biotechnologies and Sanof...
2025-10-101h 00
The Derby Mill SeriesDrug Discovery (The Derby Mill Series ep 16)Our hosts chat with Liran Belenzon, CEO and co-founder of BenchSci. Based in Toronto, BenchSci has raised more than $215-million to date, and is backed by such funds as former U.S. vice-president Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management, private and public markets investment giant TCV, Google-backed Gradient Ventures and F-Prime Capital Partners. More than half of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies are clients of BenchSci, which is officially known as Scinapsis Analytics Inc.The company’s mission is to accelerate the speed and quality of life-saving R&D to improve patient health. This episode touches on the...
2025-08-1939 min
The Profit or Pivot PodcastFrom Startup to $660M Exit: The Wattpad Story | Allen LauJoin host Matan Hazanov for an incredible discussion with Allen Lau, co-founder of Wattpad, the global storytelling platform that sold for an astounding $660M USD.
From his roots as a software engineer to scaling Wattpad to 100M users, Allen shares hard-earned lessons on finding product-market fit, navigating startup challenges, and the critical role of timing in building a powerhouse business. Now a venture capitalist at Two Small Fish Ventures, Allen reveals common mistakes founders make when raising capital, insider tips on hiring and leadership, and why he chose to build Wattpad in Canada instead of Silicon Valley.
2025-06-111h 24
Biotech Bytes: Conversations with Biotechnology / Pharmaceutical IT LeadersHow AI Is Revolutionizing Biotech & Pharma Research With Liran BelenzonThe Future of AI in Pharma & Biotech Research #aiinbiotech #pharmaresearch #drugdiscovery AI is fundamentally changing the way biotech and pharmaceutical research happens. From analyzing vast datasets to accelerating drug discovery, AI-powered solutions are making labs smarter, faster, and more efficient. But how does it actually work? Please visit our website to get more information: https://swangroup.net/ In this episode, I sit with Liran Belenzon, CEO of BenchSci, to explore how AI reshapes pharmaceutical research. We discuss:✅ The biggest challenges of working with scientific data✅ Why big pharma companies prefer AI-powered platforms over i...
2025-04-1726 min
BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech: Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand & Malaysia Startups, Founders & Venture Capital VC (English)Startup Fundraising: Crafting the Pitch, Building Trust & Ownership Auction – E554Jeremy Au discussed how pitching, trust, and fundraising work. He explained that pitching is about expressing a future others can believe in, not just raising money. He shared how traction builds trust, why capital must be chosen carefully, and how great founders turn investor interest into leverage. Drawing on examples like Rewind.ai and BenchSci, he laid out what separates good pitches from great businesses.
Pitch to clarify thinking: Saying your plan out loud invites feedback and sharpens your logic.Traction builds trust, not slides: Focus on customer milestones first—VCs only glance at decks.Trust is built, no...
2025-03-2716 min
CanadianSME Small Business PodcastThe Future of Biotech and AIIn this episode of the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast, our host Maheen, sit down with Liran Belenzon, CEO of BenchSci, to explore how AI is transforming the biotech industry and what it takes to scale a high-impact startup in Canada’s competitive tech ecosystem.With AI-driven drug discovery projected to grow at a CAGR of 40% by 2030, BenchSci has emerged as a global leader, partnering with 16 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and securing over $200 million in funding from investors like Google’s Gradient Ventures and Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management.Key Highlights:The Future of AI...
2025-03-0715 min
The AI in Business PodcastUnderstanding AI's Expanding Role in Drug Discovery and Life Sciences R&D - Liran Belenzon of BenchSciToday's guest is Liran Belenzon, Co-founder and CEO of BenchSci. BenchSci is a global leader in AI solutions for preclinical R&D that helps decipher complex biomedical research using proprietary technology. Liran joins us to discuss how AI is transforming disease biology research, streamlining scientific workflows, and enabling better decision-making in pharmaceutical R&D. Liran shares insights into the biggest challenges facing drug discovery today, including the complexity of disease biology and the critical role AI plays in unraveling it. He breaks down how AI-driven knowledge graphs, ontological models, and multimodal AI systems are improving both the speed and...
2025-02-2619 min
Founder Journey | The Untold Stories of the Founder JourneyFounders Journey ft. Liran Belenzon of BenchSciIn today's episode of the Founders Journey, we welcome CEO and Co-Founder of BenchSci, Liran Belenzon. Liran shares wisdom and insights on joining the company 10 years ago, fundraising on a massive scale, and even his unique approach to fundraising conversations (and why it might be one you've never heard before).Want to chat more with Liran about what he's helping to build at BenchSci? Reach out to him at liran@benchsci.comBenchSci is also hiring! You can learn more and apply here
2025-01-2826 min
The Hard Part with Evan McCannLiran Belenzon from BenchSciLiran Belenzon is the Co-Founder and CEO of BenchSci.
BenchSci's mission is to exponentially increase the speed and quality of life-saving R&D to improve patients' health.
They do this by applying cutting-edge AI to understand how disease biology works at scale throughout the drug discovery pipeline to solve the number one reason why drug discovery projects fail — getting the biology wrong.
ASCEND, their disease biology GenAI platform, understands the entire history of biomedical experiments to create a scalable AI assistant for preclinical organizations.
Takeaways...
2024-09-3040 min
The Feed with Amber Mac & Michael BChatGPT Becoming More Human + Changing Reproductive HealthAmber and Michael discuss the following topics with their guests: changing the narrative around reproductive health and helping patients be in control of their journey; how AI is helping scientists develop new drugs; all the deets on Apple’s latest products including Apple AI; and we look at the issue of right-wing influencers under fire for taking money from Russians.Links to this week's stories and discussion:[09:05] Sylvia Kang: miracare.com[18:53] App-tastic[25:26] Liran Belenzon : benchsci.com[32:32] Geoffrey Fowler: Washington Post[43:32] Right-Wing Influencers Taking Money From RussiansYou can also find both AmberMac and Michael B on...
2024-09-1751 min
Canada’s EntrepreneurWhen fundraising make sure your deck is solid, the story is solid and you have the right investor - Toronto - Canada's PodcastLiran Belenzon is the CEO of BenchSci, a biomedical artificial intelligence company he co-founded in 2016. BenchSci’s mission is to exponentially increase the speed and quality of life-saving research, by empowering scientists to design more successful experiments.
BenchSci has grown to over 300 people and raised more than $200 million from top investors, including Google's Gradient Ventures and F-Prime. BenchSci works with 15 of the world's top 20 pharma companies, over 4,300 academic institutions, and more than 40,000 scientists. As CEO, Liran strives to inspire people to be the best version of themselves and to make a positive impact on the world. Liran em...
2024-09-1030 min
Inspiring Leadership with Jonathan Bowman-Perks MBE#329: Be a Learner not a Knower with Liran BelenzonAfter achieving his commerce and law degrees and selling his first startup, he immigrated to Canada to do his MBA at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. While at Rotman, he worked in the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), where he met three Ph.D. students—all immigrants like him—who were working to discover how AI could solve the declining productivity of drug discovery. Together, they founded BenchSci in 2015 and launched the ASCEND™ platform in 2023. Since their time at CDL, BenchSci has gone from four co-founders to a more than 350-employee operation that has raised more than $20...
2024-08-2053 min
Data Product Management in Action: The Practitioner's PodcastThe Minisodes, Live from Data Connect 2024: In Conversation with Lindsay MurphyThe Data Product Management In Action podcast, brought to you by Soda and executive producer Scott Hirleman, is a platform for data product management practitioners to share insights and experiences. We've released a special edition series of minisodes of our podcast. Recorded live at Data Connect 2024, our host Michael Toland engages in short, sweet, informative, and delightful conversations with five prevelant practitioners who are forging their way forward in data and technology. In this minisode, Michael reconnects with his former colleague Lindsay Murphy as she delves into a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of data management—cost co...
2024-08-0713 minThe Hard Part with Evan McCannAntoine Nivard from Blank VenturesAntoine Nivard is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Blank Ventures, a $65M inaugural fund, where he invests in seed-stage enterprise and fintech software.
Prior to founding Blank, he had the opportunity to help raise funds and establish Inovia Capital in Silicon Valley and was fortunate to partner with founders building companies like LightspeedCommerce (NYSE:LSPD), 1Password, Magical, BenchSci, Momentum, Vital Biosciences, Poka (acquired by IFS), DarwinAI (acquired by Apple), and many more.
Takeaways
-Early days joining Inovia.
-Launching and growing the Inovia office in SF.
-Dis...
2024-05-2350 min
The Captain’s CabinS1E7 - Ashley Zucchet Logan, Director of Talent Development at BenchSci🏴☠️ In this episode, I interview Ashley Zucchet Logan, a proven HR leader with experience in talent development and coaching. We discuss a wealth of subjects such as the role of a global talent development manager, the importance of growth and support in the workplace, leadership principles and styles, dealing with imposter syndrome, balancing ego and humility, and many others 😎
Ashley emphasizes the need for a growth mindset, empathy, and elevating others in leadership roles. Our conversation highlights the importance of continuous learning and embracing different perspectives.
Takeaways
A global talen...
2023-12-1933 min
Production Value Matters: The Business Event PodcastFostering Emotional Connections at Business Events: Advice from Matt SweetIn this episode of Production Value Matters, host Matthew Byrne is joined by Matt Sweet, Manager of Events & Employee Engagement at Perseus Group, Constellation Software.Join them as they:Get into the emotional impact of putting on eventsHighlight the importance of fostering connectionsExplore how to translate emotions into event elementsAnd more!Matt is the Manager of Events & Employee Engagement at Perseus Group, an operating group of Constellation Inc. which help good companies become great through data-driven guidance, permanent capital, and the accumulation of knowledge from over 800 acquisitions. Prior to this, he was the Senior Event Manager at BenchSci...
2023-11-2142 min
TechTO Quick Takes | Canadian tech news and analysisA name change (and a raise), Outgrowing the competition, BenchSci makes headlines with a BIG raise, and more on the current market and what to expect | June 1, 2023Alex Norman and Alexandra Reilly of TechTO return to break down the latest news, trends, and analysis from the past few weeks in Canadian Tech.
A special guest also joins the podcast today to discuss a recent raise and how it all came together.
Scott Stevenson of Spellbook discusses their recent news and all the learnings and takeaways for the community.
Alex and Alex also chat through:- A large round from Hostaway and the recovery of the travel industry (Marcus Rader of Hostaway spoke at a 2019 TechTO, watch it h...
2023-06-0142 min
The Making of a MarketerThe Making of a Marketer - Employer Branding 101This week kicks off our Employer Brand series, with Chris Malin! Chris is a marketer who built the employment marketing program at Google and has focused on that work at Rivian and most recently BenchSci.Chris boasts an amazing marketing career, spanning over 20 years working with Apple, eBay, and Google, among others. An expert in Employer Branding, Chris specializes in creating experiences for brands that meet candidates where they are in their journey. How can marketing and HR come together to create an Employer Brand experience that scales? How can we not only scale but attract the...
2023-05-041h 02
Finding Genius PodcastUsing AI To Empower Scientists | How To Expedite The Clinical Experimentation ProcessIn this episode, we sit down with Luigi Gentile, the Chief Revenue Officer at BenchSci, a company that uses advanced biomedical artificial intelligence to empower scientists all around the world. He joins us today to discuss their preclinical R&D platform that uses patented machine learning technology to extract experiment evidence from internal and external data sources. The R&D process behind clinical experimentation is often challenging and time-consuming. BenchSci seeks to expedite this process by cutting down on trial and error procedures – and thus, empowering scientists across therapeutic areas with cutting-edge biomedical knowledge… Offer: Magn...
2023-04-1428 min
Software Engineering Radio - The Podcast for Professional Software DevelopersSE Radio 557: Timothy Beamish on React and Next.jsTimothy Beamish of BenchSci discusses React and Next.js, two of today's most popular front-end frameworks. Host Philip Winston speaks with Beamish about components, routing, JSX, client-side and server-side rendering, single-page applications, automatic code-splitting, image optimization, and more. Beamish also details his experience moving a real-world application to Next.js.
2023-03-281h 03Software Engineering Radio - the podcast for professional software developersSE Radio 557: Timothy Beamish on React and Next.jsTimothy Beamish of BenchSci discusses React and Next.js, two of today's most popular front-end frameworks. Host Philip Winston speaks with Beamish about components, routing, JSX, client-side and server-side rendering, single-page applications, automatic code-splitting, image optimization, and more. Beamish also details his experience moving a real-world application to Next.js.
2023-03-281h 03Software Engineering Radio - the podcast for professional software developersSE Radio 557: Timothy Beamish on React and Next.jsTimothy Beamish of BenchSci discusses React and Next.js, two of today's most popular front-end frameworks. Host Philip Winston speaks with Beamish about components, routing, JSX, client-side and server-side rendering, single-page applications, automatic code-splitting, image optimization, and more. Beamish also details his experience moving a real-world application to Next.js.
2023-03-281h 03
The Emerging PodcastE1: From soldier to building data science teams | Sean Kennedy @BenchSciIn this first episode, Alex and Sofiane talk to Sean Kennedy, Talent Acquisition Specialist at BenchSci.
Sean gives us an overview of his journey from education to employment - from soldier to tech recruiter.
We then talk about some of his more memorable experiences, what candidates do to stand out, and things to consider while looking your next role.
Finally, we touch a bit on the potential impact of a looming recession on graduate recruitment - how do employers think and what can you do to prepare.
Follow...
2022-11-2144 min
B2B Leadership PodcastHow Internal and External Sounding Boards Make You a Better Leader with Mike EganGrowing your leadership skills is not something you do in a vacuum…
If you’re pushing yourself to become a better leader, you will run into questions that you can not answer…
Acknowledging that you don’t know how to handle a situation is a real gift because it forces you to ask questions and find someone who has been through the challenge you are facing…
In this episode of the B2B Leadership Podcast, Mike Egan, Vice President of Customer Success and Integrations at BenchSci, and best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje talk...
2022-06-2232 min
Ask AIE45 Check-In: How is AI accelerating the science behind pharmaceutical research?Catch the Ask AI interview with Liran Belenzon, co-founder & CEO of BenchSci, the AI-assisted application accelerating science at 16 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and over 4,500 research centers worldwide.
Visit our episode post to get all the links.
2022-06-1318 min
TechTO Quick Takes | Canadian tech news and analysisRaise Galore! Recent Funding Market News: Shoplazza, BenchSci, Caribou - January 27, 2022It’s Thursday, January 27th, 2022, and today we’re talking about: what's happening with funding markets, centralized crypto banking is becoming more competitive in Canada, easiest way to enter new geographies can be via acquisition, SHOPLAZZA raises $150m USD from SoftBank Group Corp., BenchSci raises $50m USD, and Caribou raises $3m USD.
2022-01-2725 min
The Peak DailyBills, bills, bills 📜 — Google doesn’t like Canada’s new internet laws. BenchSci raised $50 million. And activist investors are getting active.Canadian lawmakers prepare to pursue internet-related legislation next week, a Canadian Google executive has cautioned that such proposals could dramatically worsen people’s online experiences, per The Globe and Mail. Toronto-based startup BenchSci raised US$50 million to expand its AI-enabled platform that makes drug research less of a hassle. activist investors that have built stakes in consumer goods giant Unilever, Kohls and Peloton are now pushing for corporate changes to improve performance.
Celebrating something? Let us know for a shoutout here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/GuHjLDoa
The Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Ho...
2022-01-2511 min
Think FASTTJames Malone, Senior Director of Engineering, Data, and Machine Learning, on Bioinformatics' Past and FutureIn this episode of the Think FASTT podcast, we speak with James Malone, BenchSci’s Senior Director of Engineering, Data, and Machine Learning. Topics include:Malone’s deep experience in bioinformatics, ontologies, and machine learningBig challenges in life sciences driving continued investment in computationExperimenting with new technologies and ensuring data quality within the healthcare spaceAlgorithmic transparency, and when it’s worth the tradeoff to not have itHow COVID research has benefited from advances in bioinformatics and data gatheringYou can learn more about Malone on his LinkedIn profile.To learn more about BenchSci, its culture, and op...
2021-12-0850 min
Think FASTTFrom India to the Yukon: Remote-first Experiences at BenchSciBenchSci is now a remote-first company. In this episode of the Think FASTT podcast, four BenchSci team members talk about their remote experiences:Senior Data Engineer Jasmine Alkin moved to a cottage in the wilderness, writing code while deep in naturePrincipal UX Designer Matan Berson became somewhat nomadic, working while traveling through Canada and beyondSenior Scientific Liaison Stef Lucarelli moved across the country, switching locations and time zones without missing a beatSenior Data Partnership Manager Pratiek Matkar traveled to India to organize and then have his wedding, surrounded by familyLike what you heard? Be sure to...
2021-11-1535 min
Think FASTTBrad Suisham, Experience Designer and Working Traveller, on Mastering the Remote-first LifestyleBenchSci is now a remote-first company. In this episode of the Think FASTT podcast, experience designer and working traveller Brad Suisham provides guidance on remote work based on living in more than 30 cities over five years. Topics include:Misconceptions about remote workThe importance of introspection and experimentation to designing your remote work lifestyleBecoming aware of what you give up without an office, and taking steps to consciously fill those gapsKey factors to keep in mind when considering which cities to work fromTips for maximizing success while combining work and travelEthical and environmental considerations of working travelCOVID, its impact...
2021-10-1347 min
Think FASTTCasandra Mangroo, SVP of Product & Science, on a Career at the Intersection of Biology and AIIn this episode of the Think FASTT podcast, BenchSci SVP of Product & Science Casandra Mangroo talks about her career path and approach to product leadership on technology involving both biomedicine and machine learning. Topics include:How she got interested in science, and the life event that stopped her becoming a doctorLack of female role models in STEM and her passion to fix thisWhy networking is critical and how it helped her land a job at BenchSciHow she learned to stop always saying yes—and what to do insteadPrioritizing, breaking through barriers, and having tough conversations to drive product su...
2021-09-1451 min
Fine Tune with Corby FineEP30 - BenchSci Wants to Bring New Medicine to Patients 50% Faster with Simon SmithFor anybody who is not familiar with it, there is a real productivity crisis in the pharmaceutical industry and they have even given it a name, which is Eroom's law, the opposite of Moore's law. Moore's law states that every 18-24 months, the amount of transistors you can get for the same or lower price doubles. In pharmaceutical, R&D is the opposite. Every 18 months, the price of getting a new drug to market DOUBLES! The goal of BenchSci is to help bring new medicine to patients 50% faster by 2025. They are solving the problem that about 80% of...
2021-09-1328 min
Product Innovation Series with Aram MelkoumovChief Platform Officer @ BenchSci talks challenges of managing a product teamFollow me on Linkedin for similar content and personal updates.Highlights: - Eran’s unconventional path to product management - Challenges of managing product team- What didn’t work when Eran was trying to scale his team - What Eran has learned as a product leader in the last 5 yearsAbout EranEran is an experienced B2C & B2B executive leader, with a proven track record in defining successful products, building cohesive cross functional teams, and improving product development processes. Eran is currently the Chief...
2021-09-0846 min
Think FASTTVanessa Ribreau, Chief People Officer, on Human Resources in HypergrowthIn this episode of the Think FASTT podcast, BenchSci Chief People Officer Vanessa Ribreau talks about human resources with a perspective informed by more than a decade’s experience in fast-growing companies. Topics include:Why she’s so passionate about HRHow HR has evolved over the past decadeUnique HR challenges of hypergrowth companiesLong-term implications of the pandemic on the workplaceThe benefits of mindfulness and meditation for focusBest practices for work-related learningIncreasing hiring speed without sacrificing qualityFinding the right balance of transparency and privacyBuilding resilienceYou can learn more about Ribreau on her LinkedIn profile at www.linkedin.com...
2021-08-1859 min
Think FASTTEran Ben-Ari, Chief Platform Officer, on Product Management Best PracticesIn this episode of the Think FASTT podcast, BenchSci Chief Platform Officer Eran Ben-Ari provides insights into product management from his anthropology academic career and experience leading product development for some of the country's biggest technology success stories. Topics include:Why anthropology is extremely relevant to product managementKeeping product teams focused while capitalizing on unexpected opportunitiesThe importance of listening to customers as the foundation of product management successWhere the best ideas for new products and features come fromRest and rejuvenation as essential and underappreciated factors in long-term team effectivenessA simple technique to give product teams key context in...
2021-07-201h 03
Founder Journey | The Untold Stories of the Founder JourneyBenchSci and F-Prime CapitalThis episode originally aired on: July 10, 2020.
Liran Belenzon, Co-founder & CEO of BenchSci, and Shervin Ghaemmaghami, Investor at F-Prime Capital.
2021-06-2547 min
Think FASTTLeidy Klotz, Author of Subtract, on Our Bias to Add, the Value of Subtracting, and How to Do It MoreIn the third episode of the Think FASTT podcast, we dig deep into a topic important to our values of focus and advancement: subtraction. Leidy Klotz, author of Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less, talks about:Subtractive problem solving, including concrete examplesThe human bias to add and overlook opportunities to subtractHow frequent and widespread the bias is, including across culturesSome possible origins for our additive tendenciesWays to increase your use of subtractionYou can learn more about Leidy Klotz and Subtract at https://www.leidyklotz.com.Like what you heard? Be sure to...
2021-06-1546 min
Think FASTTKari Sulenes, Leadership Director, on Leadership Traits, Myths, Development, and MoreIn the second episode of the Think FASTT podcast, BenchSci Independent Director of Leadership Kari Sulenes talks about:Her home in the mountains (and why she moved there)Three levels of leadershipThe importance of self-awareness to leading peopleUnexpected examples of great leadersDamaging myths about leadershipSelf-organizing companies, and whether they can workAnd more!Like what you heard? Be sure to learn more about BenchSci at www.benchsci.com, and about our culture at www.benchsci.com/careers.
2021-05-1953 min
Think FASTTLiran Belenzon, CEO of BenchSci, on Hypergrowth Startup Culture and ValuesIn the inaugural episode of the Think FASTT podcast, BenchSci CEO Liran Belenzon talks about:Entrepreneurship nature versus nurtureFinding domains you can dominateThe importance of dedicated business-oriented cofoundersThe essential role of culture in scaling startupsThe importance of BenchSci's FASTT values ("Focused Advancement with Speed, Tenacity, and Transparency") to its successAnd more!Like what you heard? Be sure to learn more about BenchSci at www.benchsci.com, and about our culture at www.benchsci.com/careers.
2021-04-1353 min
Customer Success LeaderProviding Value to Skeptical Customers w/ Mike EganDo you struggle with providing long-term value for skeptical customers? Mike Egan, VP of CS & Integration at BenchSci, suggests driving every single conversation and customer interaction with the outcomes most important to the individual.
In this episode of Customer Success Leader, Mike offers even more tips for winning over skeptical customers. Plus, he and Eric discuss…
- Why it’s essential to always keep customer outcomes in mind
- Obstacles he faces when working with some of the world’s top scientists
- Why...
2020-12-2918 min
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch20VC: Why Now Is The Hardest Time To Raise an Institutional Pre-Seed in the Last Decade, What To Do When The Founder and VC Interests Do Not Align & The Rise of Pre-Emptive Rounds with Gaurav Jain, Founder & Managing Partner @ Afore CapitalGaurav Jain is Co-Founder & Managing Partner @ Afore Capital, one of the west coast's leading pre-seed funds with a $124M fund focused purely on pre-seed. To date, they have backed the likes of Petal, BetterUp, BenchSci and Modern Health to name a few. Prior to co-founding Afore, Gaurav was a Principal @ Founder Collective where he was directly involved with some incredible companies including Cruise (Acq. by General Motors for $1B+), Periscope (acq. by Twitter), Airtable and Dia & Co. Before venture, Gaurav spent time in operations both at Google as one of the first engineers for Android and then also founding his...
2020-01-0639 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 29: The First 100 Days as a Finance Leader of a Venture-Backed Startup w/ Bryn Knox @ BenchSciOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Bryn about: His journey into tech including stints at Walt Disney Studios, Century Fox and Wave Financial, prior to his current role at BenchSci. Benchsci and what is it all about. His first 100 days and what he prioritized as a set up the finance function as the first finance hire at BenchSci, after the company had raised $8M Series A round. Effectively fulfilling a finance leader’s role as the “gatekeeper”, while optimizing for ROI. The importance of the finance function at a technol...
2019-02-0626 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 29: The First 100 Days as a Finance Leader of a Venture-Backed Startup w/ Bryn Knox @ BenchSciOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Bryn about:
His journey into tech including stints at Walt Disney Studios, Century Fox and Wave Financial, prior to his current role at BenchSci.
Benchsci and what is it all about.
His first 100 days and what he prioritized as a set up the finance function as the first finance hire at BenchSci, after the company had raised $8M Series A round.
Effectively fulfilling a finance leader’s role as the “gatekeeper”, while optimizing for ROI.
The importance of the finance function at a technology company.
We close things...
2019-02-0626 min
Artificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryNick Lynch of the Pistoia Alliance on AI as a Strategic FocusOn this episode, I speak with Nick Lynch of the Pistoia Alliance ( www.pistoiaalliance.org ), a global nonprofit community of life science stakeholders that works to lower barriers to R&D innovation. A new area of strategic focus is artificial intelligence, which Nick oversees. On this episode, you'll learn challenges with AI that the Pistoia Alliance aims to address, why education and data are key to doing so, and how you can get involved.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the time, uncertainty, and cost of scientific experiments. Use...
2018-08-0732 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryLucas Siow of ProteinQure on AI for Protein-Based DrugsOn this episode, I speak with Lucas Siow, Head of Business Operations at ProteinQure ( www.proteinqure.com ). ProteinQure uses artificial intelligence and quantum computing to design protein-based drugs such as antibodies and peptides. On this episode, you'll learn the benefits of protein-based drugs, challenges with discovering them, and how ProteinQure has combined emerging technologies in what may be the most science fiction-sounding drug discovery startup I've seen yet.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the time, uncertainty, and cost of scientific experiments. Use it to find research antibodies up...
2018-08-0733 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryRegina Barzilay, AI Small Molecule Discovery and SynthesisOn this episode, I speak with Regina Barzilay of MIT's Machine Learning for Pharmaceutical Discovery and Synthesis consortium ( http://mlpds.mit.edu ). Regina is a prolific researcher with many highly cited papers in machine learning. On this episode, you'll learn what drove the need for the consortium, the importance of standards and benchmarks for AI drug discovery research, and the progress researchers are making in applying machine learning to chemical synthesis.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the time, uncertainty, and cost of scientific experiments. Use it to find...
2018-07-3028 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryTim Guilliams and David Brown, Healx, AI for Rare DiseasesOn this episode, I speak with Tim Guilliams and David Brown of Healx. Healx uses AI to repurpose existing drugs for rare diseases. They claim their approach can bring new treatments to patients 80% faster and 90% cheaper. On this episode, you’ll learn how rare diseases are surprisingly common, why drug repurposing holds promise to treat them, and how Healx uses AI to do it. And you will, I hope, be inspired by a powerful example of AI's potential in healthcare.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the time, uncertainty, an...
2018-07-2637 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryJohn Cassidy, CEO, Cambridge Cancer Genomics, AI in OncologyOn this episode, I speak with John Cassidy, CEO of Cambridge Cancer Genomics ( www.ccg.ai ). CCG aims to transform oncology by combining liquid biopsy with genomics and artificial intelligence to predict disease progression and improve treatment. On this episode, you’ll learn about the challenges with chemotherapy that CCG is tackling, the role that liquid biopsy and artificial intelligence play in their solution, and how their approach could forever change the way we treat cancer.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the time, uncertainty, and cost of scientific ex...
2018-07-1824 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryKristen Fortney, CEO of BioAge Labs, on AI Aging ResearchOn this episode, I speak with Kristen Fortney, founder and CEO of BioAge Labs ( www.bioagelabs.com ). Kristen leads one of just a few companies focused explicitly on aging itself, rather than the diseases for which aging puts people at greater risk. In this episode, you’ll learn how BioAge combines unique data sources with in silico analysis and lab experimentation to expedite the search for novel interventions that might just help you live healthier, longer.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the cost of scientific experiments. Use it to...
2018-07-1025 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoverySam Cooper, CEO of Phenomic AI, on Automated HCS and MoreOn this episode, I speak with Sam Cooper, cofounder and CEO of Phenomic AI ( www.phenomic.ai ). Sam and his team use machine learning for automated image analysis to study cell biology and screen drugs. But that’s just the beginning. In this episode, you’ll learn about Phenomic’s distinct approach to drug discovery, its use of machine learning for high content screening, and how they plan to scale from a technology company to a full stack biotech business.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the cost of scient...
2018-06-2823 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryShai Shen-Orr, Chief Scientist, CytoReason, AI in ImmunologyOn this episode, I speak with Shai Shen-Orr, cofounder and chief scientist of CytoReason ( www.cytoreason.com ). CytoReason has created a machine learning model of the immune system. This model can integrate data from multiple sources to support drug discovery, the creation of diagnostic tools, and more. In this episode, you’ll learn about systems immunology, its potential in medicine, and how CytoReason applies artificial intelligence to make sense of the growing body of immune-related data.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the cost of scientific experiments. Use it to...
2018-06-2031 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryLeila Pirhaji, CEO of ReviveMed, on AI for MetabolomicsOn this episode, I speak with Leila Pirhaji, founder and CEO of ReviveMed ( www.revive-med.com ). ReviveMed uses artificial intelligence to unlock the therapeutic potential of metabolomics. Before learning about ReviveMed, I knew little about metabolomics. Leila is an articulate and enthusiastic teacher, and her passion is infectious. In this episode, you’ll learn about metabolomics, its potential for disease diagnosis and treatment, and how ReviveMed uses artificial intelligence to realize the opportunities.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the cost of scientific experiments. Use it to find research an...
2018-06-1128 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryMostapha Benhenda of Startcrowd on AI Drug Discovery HypeOn this episode, I speak with Mostapha Benhenda of Startcrowd ( http://www.startcrowd.club ). In January, Mostapha wrote a controversial article critiquing several research labs ( https://bit.ly/2qINvQ9 ). Some accused him of using the article just to promote his service. Others agreed with his criticisms. A few took steps to address them. I caught up with Mostapha to learn what prompted the article, how the field evolved since he wrote it, where he sees things going, and more.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the cost of scientific...
2018-05-2920 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryMauro Cozzi, Researchably, AI for Better Biomedical SearchOn this episode, I speak with Mauro Cozzi, co-founder of Researchably ( www.researchably.com ). Researchably is a biomedical search engine that uses artificial intelligence to save researchers time—Mauro says up to 90%—searching for scientific papers. I spoke with Mauro about how Researchably got started, how it helps researchers find relevant literature faster, and the challenges they’re working to overcome to continue their growth.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the cost of scientific experiments. Use it to find research antibodies up to 24x faster than using PubMed or Goo...
2018-05-2229 minArtificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryDekel Gelbman, CEO of FDNA, on "Next-Generation Phenotyping"For the inaugural episode of Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery, I spoke with Dekel Gelbman, CEO of FDNA ( https://www.fdna.com/ ). FDNA enables precision medicine by using artificial intelligence for next-generation phenotyping. Their technology links genetic traits with phenotypic characteristics such as facial structure. Listen now to learn what inspired the technology, the problems it solves, how it can help in the drug discovery process, and where FDNA plans to take it.
This episode is brought to you by BenchSci ( https://www.benchsci.com ). BenchSci uses artificial intelligence to reduce the cost of scientific experiments. Use it to find...
2018-05-1430 min