Shows
Lab to StartupDesigning the Future of Drug Delivery: How AI is Solving RNA's Biggest ChallengeYogev Debbi and Prof Avi Schroeder (Technion Israel Institute of Technology), co-founded Mana bio along with Dr. Kira Radinsky and Roy Nevo. They are leveraging data, machine learning and high throughput screening to design novel Lipid NanoParticles for targeted extrahepatic delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics and vaccines. Lipid nanoparticles are microscopic fatty bubbles that deliver genetic medicines into your cells—think of them as the FedEx trucks of molecular biology. Remember the mRNA vaccines that saved millions during COVID? They used lipid nano particles as the delivery vehicle.. The little secret behind those vaccines is that we go...
2025-12-091h 27
Lab to StartupSolving the CRISPR delivery problem using a proprietary peptide-based platformDana Foss and Ross Wilson are the cofounders of Editpep, a biotech startup focused on developing CRISPR-based therapeutics. They are using a proprietary peptide-based delivery platform that enables targeted delivery to specific cell types, particularly for hard-to-reach areas like the brain. While Dana Foss is the CEO, Ross Wilson is also an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology and also the Director of Therapeutic Delivery at the Innovative Genomics Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. He is one of those very few academics that co-founded a startup and is very active in building Editpep...
2025-05-201h 05
Lab to StartupAltitude Lab Fund- Supporting healthcare founders in challenging timesChandana Haque is the Executive Director of Altitude Lab, a healthcare startup accelerator building a community of diverse entrepreneurs in Utah. Altitude Lab was cofounded in 2020 by Chandana and Chris Gibson, the co-founder & CEO of Recursion in Salt Lake City. They recently announced the launch of a pre-seed venture fund aimed at supporting early-stage biotech startups impacted by recent federal funding policy shifts. This pre-seed venture fund is dedicated to funding the highest impact ideas transitioning from basic research to industry. In partnership with Altitude Lab, they provide capital, lab space, and mentorship to high-potential S...
2025-03-1151 min
Lab to StartupPartnering to accelerate therapeutics: A primer on forming alliances and their managementMonica Rosoff, the founder and CEO of LBBAL™ Alianza. Prior to launching Alianza, Monica was a partnering executive with roles of increasing seniority at Genentech, Gilead, Kite and Exelixis. Over the course of over two decades, she had the opportunity to lead and participate in a wide diversity of deals, negotiations, diligence exercises, alliances, technology transfers, M&A integrations, dispute resolution negotiations, amendments and terminations–at all stages of the drug development and commercialization lifecycle and in multiple therapeutic areas. Dr. Rosoff earned a doctorate in Pharmacology from the University of Washington and conducted her postdoctoral work at S...
2024-12-1050 min
Lab to StartupFrom Pitches to Stories: Transforming Complex Ideas into Engaging NarrativesZack Shildhorn is an investing Partner at venture firm Lux Capital. He played multiple key roles that helped the firm scale from less than $100M to more than $4B in assets under management. After witnessing thousands of pitches, he saw that even the most disruptive startups often struggled to develop effective narratives. Having worked closely with leading technology companies as an investor and Board member, he brings a unique ability to connect with key stakeholders and distill complex ideas into engaging and relatable presentations. In order to help founders beyond Lux, He launched a firm...
2024-09-1054 min
Lab to StartupTurning great science into impactful medicine: Lessons from Corey Goodman, Pioneer in Science and Venture CapitalCorey Goodman, Ph.D., is the managing partner of venBio, a venture capital firm he cofounded in 2011. venBio already has 7 FDA approved drugs on the market, saving and improving lives. Corey spent 25 years as Professor of Biology at Stanford University and Evan Rauch Chair of Neurobiology at U.C. Berkeley, where he was a HHMI Investigator, Head of the Neurobiology Division, and co-founder and Director of the Wills Neuroscience Institute. Corey co-founded seven biotechnology companies, and led one of them (Renovis) as President and CEO from a private to public company until its acquisition by...
2024-07-161h 21
Lab to StartupPushing Boundaries: Abhishek Tripathi's Experience with NASA, SpaceX, UC Berkeley and StartupsAbhishek Tripathi, is the Director of Mission operations of the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. Abhi is also the Chair of the Air and Space track startups at Skydeck, which is UC Berkeley's startup accelerator program. For over two decades, Abhi has been at the forefront of human and robotic space exploration. At SpaceX, he spearheaded the certification of both the cargo and crew Dragon programs, a pivotal achievement in commercial spaceflight. His expertise was further showcased as Dragon Mission Director, where he orchestrated a dozen critical cargo resupply missions to the International...
2024-06-251h 01
Lab to StartupLessons from Evolution of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem at UC BerkeleyRichard Lyons, Ph.D., is the Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer, at the University of California, Berkeley. Rich is an economist and the former dean of the business school. Rich will become the next chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley. We talk about a wide variety of topics around the Evolution of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem at Berkeley. We covered topics like paradigm shifts, cultural transformations, overcoming inertia; global impact and many others. I hope you get some insights from this story, and walk away with appreciation and potentially actionable steps...
2024-04-3058 min
Lab to StartupCivilization Ventures: Lessons learned from founding, exiting and applying them to support founders as an investorShahram Seyedin-Noor is the founder and managing partner at Civilization Ventures. Shahram received a JD from Harvard and worked at Wilson Solsinis and Cooley before going into investment banking at firms like Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. He then entered the startup world co-founding several startups. He eventually ended up Angel investing and in 2017, launched Civilization Ventures, focused on supporting cutting-edge innovations in health tech and biology. Shahram has over a dozen exits under his belt, which is a phenomenal achievement. Here are some of his investments: Rewrite (acq. by Intellia), Replace (acq. by Tome), Lemonaid...
2024-04-0954 min
Lab to StartupHumba Ventures: Investing in Deep Tech Startups with Engineering Focus Leo Polovets is the Co-founder and General Partner at Susa Ventures. Leo focuses on enterprise software and technical products at Susa. About two years ago, He also started Humba Ventures, a fund that invests in deep tech and critical national sectors like energy and defense at Humba. Leo led Susa's investments in Mashgin, People Data Labs, Scalyr, and Treasury Prime. Having been a software engineer for 10+ years, Leo approaches challenges with an engineering mindset and supports portfolio companies in vetting and hiring technical talent. Prior to Susa, Leo was the second engineering hire at Linkedin, where h...
2024-02-2753 min
Lab to StartupBerkeley Skydeck- Catalyzing the growth of deep tech startups at the world's number one ranked public university.Caroline Winnett is the Executive Director of Berkeley Skydeck, a startup accelerator at the University of California, Berkeley. Skydeck started as a mentoring space in 2012 and soon translated into one of the leading startup accelerators in the world. SkyDeck was Formed as a partnership between UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, the College of Engineering, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. While it offers all the benefits of a traditional accelerator, what makes Skydeck special is the vast resources of the world's number one ranked public university. The robust and vibrant ecosystem includes a deep...
2024-02-1352 min
Lab to StartupMedtech Innovator and Biotools Innovator: accelerator for medical device, digital health and diagnostic companiesPaul Grand is the founder and CEO; Ayelet Marom is the Program Director for BioTools Innovator, which focuses specifically on biotools; and Jim West is the Associate Director, BioTools Innovator, who was previously the Co-Founder and CEO of, Clara Biotech, which was founded in 2018 and was acquired by Innovaprep in the summer of 2023. Jim was the first founder to go through the biotools program. In this episode of lab to startup, we first discuss some of the challenges that affect medtech and biotool technology startups, and then go into ways that medtech innovator, an accelerator program is...
2024-01-161h 12
Lab to StartupMetcela - Treating chronic organ diseases using a novel fibroblast-based technologyKenichi Nogami is the co-founder and CEO of Metcela, a clinical-stage biotechnology startup pioneering the research and development of fibroblast and stem cell-based therapy for chronic heart diseases that currently have limited therapeutic options. We talk about the current treatments for heart failure and how the fibroblast technology could help this space. We explore the founding story; setting smaller milestones and fundraising to meet those goals; the role of recruiting firms in hiring in japan; building a flat structure at the startup, as opposed to a hierarchical system that Japan is generally known for; and how Ken's...
2024-01-0258 min
Lab to StartupLessons learned from a scientist entrepreneur turned investorCaleb Bell III, Ph.D., is a venture partner at Corundum Systems Biology and also the President of Corundum convergence institute. We talk about the founding story of Bell biosystems; how they were able to work at various labs around the country with very little money; building teams, culture; raising money, interacting with investors, leadership transitions; and also how the company filed for bankruptcy, although after he left the startup;. Kalub agreed to dip into his experiences both as a founder and investor, and share some of the lessons learned around all these topics, which I believe...
2023-11-281h 16
Lab to StartupNAMUH - Attempt at closing the gap between infant formula and human breast milkChaeyoung Shin was the Co-founder and CEO of NAMUH, a startup focused on developing yeast fermentation technologies to produce human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). HMOs are crucial, fiber-equivalent macronutrients that are currently lacking in most formulas. Integrating them in sufficient amounts could significantly close the nutritional disparity between human milk and formula. We talk about the story behind the origin of NAMUH; transformation of Chaeyoung from a freshly minted Ph.D. to a CEO; lessons learned in that process; fundraising efforts; lessons learned from building the team; experimenting with business models; partnerships developed; realities of the markets and t...
2023-10-241h 05
Lab to StartupNASA fueling innovation through SBIR/STTR, Awards & PrizesJenn Gustetic is the Director of Early Stage Innovations and Partnerships at NASA. In this episode of Lab to startup, we will learn about various funding mechanisms that NASA provides to support innovation, primarily to support NASA space missions. We talk about the funding process through contracts; differences between grants and contracts; NASA's involvement once they fund to support researchers and startups; funding dual use technologies; surprising speed of their funding process; partnership opportunities they offer; procurement of technologies by NASA and end with learning about how one can license technologies from NASA. Jenn shared so many stories like...
2023-08-0148 min
Lab to StartupIndependent directors for startupsRyan Caldbeck, is the COO of Dune, a powerful analytics platform for blockchain research. It can be used to query, extract, and visualize vast amounts of data on the Ethereum blockchain. Ryan was previously the founder, and CEO of CircleUp, a technology platform focused on finding and evaluating private companies. He is also an angel investor in several high-growth technology companies. In this episode of lab to startup, we talk about the role of independent directors at startups; how to find them and work with them; how they can mediate between the other board directors like investors...
2023-07-0449 min
Lab to StartupFeeding our astronauts - Reflections of a NASA food scientistVickie Kloeris is a food scientist with an out of this world career. She worked at NASA in space food systems for 34 years. She served as the NASA manager of the Shuttle first and then the International Space Station food systems. She and her teams worked through the complex challenges of creating tasty, nutritious, long-lasting, easy-to-prepare meals that support the dietary and psychological needs of astronauts living on the space station. Vickie has worked with 100s of astronauts to plan their favorite meals and holiday specialty meals for space travel. We talk about the history of feeding...
2023-06-201h 08
Lab to StartupDeveloping foundational tools for engineering metabolism inside cells to solve important societal problems.Jay Keasling, the CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). He is also a Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and also the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley.. He's also a Senior Faculty Scientist @ Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and also holds other prestigious positions around the world. We talk about Jay's initial foray into startups; working with grad students and postdocs; challenges translating lab research to startups; funding; partnerships; equity splits; lessons learned from failures and other topics. Shownotes: - Jay Keasling CV: https://www.jbei.org/wp-content/u...
2023-06-0657 min
Lab to StartupPCDworks: Hardtech Basecamp Incubator for building hardware productsDonna Rainone and Mike Rainone are the founders of PCDworks. PCDworks is a technology development company that helped develop hardware for over 50 big companies in the oil and gas, transportation, healthcare and several other industries; and now helping startups with a new incubator model. We first talk about lessons learned from building innovative hardware products for big companies; how they use principles of epistemology while developing new products; how they borrow lessons from their training in psychology, architecture and engineering in this process; challenges with innovation at big companies; and then talk about their transition to helping...
2023-04-181h 00
Lab to StartupVeriSIM Life: Using AI to build translational indices to push better drug moieties into clinicalsJo Varshney, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of VeriSIM Life, a startup developing disease-specific simulation software designed to replace animal drug testing by using artificial intelligence. We talk about translational gap in drug discovery, the technology VeriSIM is developing, especially their virtual mouse models; some of the mathematical models being used in the process of drug discovery, challenges building partnerships with big pharma; How FDA is evolving their thought process about accepting data from AI; acquiring another startup while being a startup; and finally about spinning out a pharma company as a subsidiary. ...
2023-04-041h 09
Lab to StartupOsage University Partners- Funding university spinoutsManny Stockman is a Partner at Osage University Partners. OUP exclusively invests in startups spun out of university research. We talk about the investment thesis of Osage University Partners; technology readiness challenges; lessons learned from investing in early stage technologies at universities; challenges with the current market research used to evaluate product market fit; and spend some time talking about equity splits involving non-operating faculty members that co-founded startups. Shownotes: - https://oup.vc - No better time to launch a startup in the deeptech space - Startup hubs - Fund b...
2023-03-2155 min
Lab to StartupLucira HealthDebkishora Mitra and John Waldeisen are the co-founders of Lucira Health. Lucira Health, which was originally founded as Diassess, is the first company to get an FDA approval for at-home PCR based test for COVID. We talk about the story of Lucira from its founding stage to raising; the technological and market based pivots; raising over $250M (including an IPO); COVID; leadership transition; regulatory affairs; ups and downs of the journey; FDA approval of at-home flu and covid test and the unfortunate bankruptcy. Shownotes: - https://www.lucirahealth.com - Educational backgrounds of t...
2023-03-072h 07
Lab to StartupLegal 101 for deeptech founders; Understanding the basics; dilution, and safeguarding employee equityNick Dorsey and Amanda Gold are partners at Cravath, Swaine and Moore, LLP. Cravath has been known as one of the premier law firms in the US for more than two centuries. We talk about a wide variety of topics involving legal aspects for startups from incorporation to exit- incorporation, picking a law firm, equity split, vesting, hiring first employees or consultants, creating the right incentive structures using equity, valuation, negotiating with investors, dilution of equity and safeguarding founder and employee equity. This is meant to be a primer on legal aspects for aspiring founders and also ea...
2023-02-211h 18
Lab to StartupCuberg- Next generation Lithium metal battery technology for the electric mobility industryRichard Wang, Ph.D., is the Founder and CEO of Cuberg, a startup building the world's first aviation-certified lithium metal battery pack. Robert is also the CEO at Northvolt America, which acquired Cuberg in 2021. We talk about the current challenges around battery innovation and solutions that are being worked on followed by Richard's journey from being a PhD student at Stanford where he also picked up his startup education; the technology behind the lithium metal battery they developed; lessons learned from customer discovery exercise; and also from Validation of battery performance claims by the Department of Energy...
2023-01-171h 13
Lab to StartupGradient- Building smart heat pumps that use better coolants to cool and heat the worldVince Romanin, Ph.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Gradient. They are developing a new heat pump technology to address the impact that air conditioners impose on our climate. We talk about the problem with the current HVAC systems and air conditioners, the energy consumption and pollution they cause, history of heat pumps, and then learn about the new heat pump technology that gradient has developed to address some of those challenges. We then get into the details about the founding story; lessons learnt from grant writing; working with policy makers; crucial lessons learnt from customer...
2023-01-0358 min
Lab to StartupValitor- Engineering better medicines by leveraging its multi-valent biopolymer technologyWesley Jackson, Ph..D., is the co-founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Valitor. Wes was the founding CEO and led the startup through its Series B financing where they raised over$30M to date. Valitor is a biotech startup that uses a novel protein-biopolymer conjugation technology that was licensed from the University of California, Berkeley. Professors Kevin Healy and Dave Schaffer were the inventors of the technology and ended up co-founding the startup. We talk about Wesley's decision making process to launch the startup, the conjugation technology and the problems it is capable of solving; customer...
2022-12-1357 min
Lab to StartupTranslating lessons learnt on diversity from academia to startups and the tech world.Freeman A. Hrabowski, III is the President Emeritus of UMBC (The University of Maryland, Baltimore County) who served as president from 1992 to 2022. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance.. He was named in 2012 by President Obama to chair the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. In 2022, Dr. Hrabowski was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. In Addition, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) also launched the Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program, a $1.5 billion fund to help build a diverse scientific workforce. We talk a...
2022-11-2959 min
Lab to Startup[REPLAY] Building the startup muscle for academic founders.Martin Casado is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a pioneer of software-defined networking, and a co-founder of Nicira Networks. We cover the lessons learnt from Martin's journey as an academic entrepreneur founding Nicira and factors that aspiring entrepreneurs planning to translate their research to products should consider. - Story of an accidental Ph.D., turned into an accidental but very successful entrepreneur - Shares how working with others during grad school helped his entrepreneurial efforts later - Titles don't mean anything- Forget titles and make sure decision makers are responsible for their...
2022-11-1550 min
Lab to StartupNucleate Bio- A collaborative student-led organization that facilitates the formation of pioneering life sciences companiesAnjali Ramaswami, Tobias Schmid and Miroslov Gasparek, are leaders at Nucleate Bio, a nonprofit educational organization that empowers the next generation of bio-entrepreneurs to launch successful life sciences ventures. Their program connects early-career scientists with business students and provides a structured educational framework with one-on-one mentorship that leverages their world-class network & resources. In this episode of lab to startup, we talk about the pain points this group is addressing; understand how they match co-founders, their application process; guidelines and challenges for others considering launching a chapter of this organization at their universities; and subjects like diversity, cross...
2022-11-011h 06
Lab to StartupActivate- Empowering scientists to bring their research to marketMatt Price is the co-founder and President of Activate, a program teaching scientists how to bring their research to market. He was previously the Managing Director of Cyclotron Road, and comes with experiences in the Renewable Energy space , Materials Science, and Venture Capital industry. In this episode of lab to startup, we talk about the Activate fellowship program, its origins, especially how they navigated carving out a niche but much needed space for supporting scientists to build startups. We will discuss details about the application process, challenges that the fellows generally face in this space, the support t...
2022-10-161h 04
Lab to StartupNational Security Innovation Capital (NSIC)- Funding dual-use hardware startupsSalvador Badillo-Rios, an Associate at the National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC). We talk about the origins of the National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC); funding priorities; criteria for funding; application process; and insights into best practices for applicants. Show Notes: - Website: National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) - Building hardware is hard - A new DoD initiative that enables dual-use hardware startups - Help product development by addressing the shortfall of private investment from trusted sources. - Some of the founders were looking to China for funding innovations - Areas of interest: A...
2022-10-0437 min
Lab to StartupMarket intelligence reports for startups - Arkady HagopianArkady Hagopian is an experienced professional in the market intelligence reports space both in industry and academic startup sectors. In this episode of lab to startup, we will talk about what market intelligence reports are; the building blocks of these reports; how startups could build one; mistakes to avoid; how to decide on hiring a firm if you are looking to do so. This is going to be a master class for startups on this subject Shownotes: - What are market intelligence reports? - Breakdown of a typical market report - Good reports and n...
2022-09-2048 min
Lab to StartupRevolutionizing organ preservation and transplantation by mimicking antifreeze proteins of Arctic fishXiaoxi Wei, Ph.D (CEO) and Mark Kline, Ph.D. (CTO) are the cofounders of X-Therma, a biotechnology startup developing a breakthrough technology for regenerative medicine and organ preservation. In this episode of lab to startup, we talk about the challenges around organ preservation and transplantation; and how a technology they developed at Lawrence Berkeley National laboratory is being used to increase the life of organs to up to a week.We will talk about the inspiration to launch the startup, unique success around raising non-dilutive funding; creating a culture, and the importance of freedom to take d...
2022-09-061h 17
Lab to StartupBuilding the Bay Area Life Sciences Startup EcosystemRegis Kelly and Doug Crawford have been instrumental in building the Bay Area life sciences startup ecosystem over the past two decades. They continue to grow this ecosystem, making it easier for aspiring founders to translate their research to products at startups. In this episode of Lab to Startup, we talk about the story behind building QB3 that started over two decades ago; the challenges they had to overcome; the evolution of academia and biotech startups from 1970's to the current day; macroeconomic conditions that are shaping the funding and growth of this sector; government policies; lessons...
2022-08-231h 13
Lab to StartupRH Capital (a Rhia Venture Fund): Investing in reproductive and maternal healthAlice Zheng is a Principal at RH Capital, a venture fund investing in early-stage high-impact companies across the reproductive and maternal health landscape. Alice holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and MD and MPH from the University of Michigan. Alice was previously a women's health practice leader at McKinsey & company. In this episode of lab to startup, we talk about femtech and women's health which is gathering some momentum of late; investment thesis of RH Capital and ways they work with founders; opportunities and challenges in this space; and also try to cover...
2022-08-0952 min
Lab to StartupCaribou Biosciences- Developing CRISPR based genome-edited, off-the-shelf immune cell therapies for the treatment of cancer.My guest today is Rachel Haurwitz, co-founder, President and CEO of Caribou Biosciences. Caribou is a CRISPR genome editing company spun out of Jennifer Doudna's lab at the University of California, Berkeley. In this episode of lab to startup, we will talk to Rachel about how she built Caribou right after finishing her PhD in Jennifer Doudna's lab, and went all the way to taking the company public last year in the midst of a pandemic. We will talk about how she took a very nascent idea of CRISPR, built a team, raised funds, built collaborations with...
2022-07-261h 09
Lab to StartupNodexus- Benchtop single cell sorting and dispensingKarthik Balakrishnan (CEO) and Anand Kesavaraju (Chief Strategy Officer) are the co-founders of Nodexus, a Biotechnology startup that is developing scientific tools to accelerate biological workflows and make them universally accessible. Their first product is a single cell sorting and dispensing machine. In this episode of lab to startup, we talk about the problems around single cell sorting and the solution they have come up with; the evolution of technology, challenges and advantages of growing a lean operation; identifying markets, mentors, and investors; and some of the lessons learnt building a scientific tools company.
2022-07-1255 min
Lab to StartupRaydiant Oximetry- Preventing unnecessary C-Sections and making childbirth saferDr. Neil Ray is the Founder and CEO of Raydiant Oximetry, a medical device company that has developed a safe and non-invasive technology that directly monitors babies' oxygenation during childbirth. This prevents unnecessary C-sections for women during childbirth, while keeping the newborn safe. Neil is a clinical anaesthesiologist by training, who gave up his medical practice to build this startup. We talk about the underlying technology, the challenges Nail had to face while transitioning to the role of a founder; naive assumptions he made; innovation in women's health; Interactions with investors and fundraising; challenges that entrepreneurs in...
2022-06-2852 min
Lab to StartupIgnite Immunotherapy- Success story of novel "build to buy" business model with PfizerDr. David Kirn MD, is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of 4DMT, a clinical gene therapy company, and was founder and CEO of Ignite Immunotherapeutics, recently acquired by Pfizer. David is a Physician-scientist and serial biotech entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the industry with a focus on viral vector-based therapeutics including gene therapy and oncolytic virus cancer immunotherapy, and is also a Professor at UC Berkeley actively teaching and mentoring students in biotech entrepreneurship. We talk about acquisition models in the pharma and biotech industries; the origins of the idea behind Ignite, how the relat...
2022-06-1448 min
Lab to StartupUbiQD- Leveraging quantum dots to improve crop yield & harvesting sunlight to generate electricityMy guest today is Hunter McDaniel, the founder and CEO of UbiQD, a startup exploiting quantum dots to improve agricultural yield in greenhouses and generating electricity by embedding them into windows. In this episode of Lab to startup, we talk about how non-toxic quantum dots were developed at Los Alamos; the evolution of the use cases; fundraising trials and tribulations; the complications of convincing multiple stakeholders in the solar space; and how Hunter's grit and persistence helped in building this startup. Show Notes: - UbiQD: https://ubiqd.com - Using quantum dots to modify sunlight t...
2022-05-311h 03
Lab to StartupCalwave Energy- Unlocking the power of ocean by harvesting energy from wavesIn this episode of lab to startup, we talk to Marcus Lehmann, the Co-founder and CEO of Calwave Energy. Calwave is unlocking the power of the ocean by harvesting the dense energy packed in waves, which is about 30-60 times more dense than solar or wind! We will talk about the underlying technology development, engineering challenges, partnerships that helped them learn faster and how they are currently testing their product under water near San Diego, California. One of the biggest surprises for me and their team is how reliable the product has been since it was installed...
2022-04-1259 min
Lab to StartupHorizon Partners- M&A for bootstrapped technology companiesSandy Kory is a Managing Director and co-founder of Horizon Partners; and most recently announced a new Seed Stage Venture Capital Fund HorizonVC, where he is a General Partner. Sandy has been advising bootstrapped technology companies for over 15 years and co-leads every client engagement. HIs approach is informed by actively investing in technology startups such as Palantir, Canva, and Zoox that went on to become unicorns. This episode is going to be an M&A 101 class for startups. Show notes: - Horizon Partners: https://horizonpartners.com; Horizon VC: https://horizon.vc - High-touch, "Arti...
2022-03-2949 min
Lab to StartupUniversity of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners- Investing and supporting startups from the seed/early stages in academia in Japan and abroad.Keis Ide is a partner at UTEC, a Japanese Venture capital firm investing in deep tech across the world. Keis focuses on innovative technologies as well as IT-enabled solutions. He spent 15 years in the US, half of which in Silicon Valley. He was awarded Forbes Japan Midas List (2017, 2020), Japan Venture Award (2021). UTEC has been working with academia in Japan and abroad including the University of Tokyo. They have supported technology ventures that are pioneering frontiers to solve global issues of humankind, by bringing together capital, talent, and knowledge; around science and technology. Their latest fund, UTEC 5, raised o...
2022-03-0846 min
Lab to StartupAyar Labs: Disrupting semiconductor and computing industries while dramatically reducing energy usageAlexandra Wright Gladstein is the founding CEO of Ayar Labs. Alex met her co-founders, Chen Sun, and Mark Wade at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was pursuing her MBA. We talk about the research that resulted in launching Ayar labs, the learning curve that she had trying to master the technology while being a non-technologist and successfully driving the company; licensing, fundraising trials and tribulations; being a woman in tech; Me too movement; how to differentiate between good and bad advice; leadership transition; leadership lessons; and future goals. Show Notes: - Ayar...
2022-02-221h 01
Lab to StartupBakar Bioenginuity Hub- Accelerating research to realizationProf. Amy Herr is the Executive Director of the Bakar Bioenginuity Hub (BBH) and Prof. Regis Kelly is the Director of Bakar Labs at the University of California, Berkeley. BBH is a new campus initiative that aims to launch the startups at Bakar Labs, a world-class incubator. The facility is open to teams from around the world — a space where anyone can leverage all that Berkeley has to offer. Bakar labs will rent labs and offices to as many as 80 startup companies. The incubator will also provide extensive equipment with additional access to core facilities at UC Berkeley, so start...
2022-02-081h 11
Lab to StartupNelumbo: Keeping the world cool by mitigating frost and corrosion challenges with heat exchangers in Air ConditionersLiam Berryman (CEO) and Lance Brockway, Ph.D. (CTO) are the co-founders of Nelumbo, a startup developing an advanced materials platform focused on improving the energy performance and minimizing corrosion challenges with heat exchangers in Air Conditioners and also mitigating icing on outdoor units and refrigeration. They are also developing water repellent material to replace PFAS in millions of products. We talk about the need for anti-icing technologies, the solution they have developed; and the impact the adoption of this technology could have on the environment. Since this is a problem that the whole world is trying...
2022-01-251h 09
Lab to StartupNew Sun Road- A startup building technologies to provide energy (renewable energy) and internet access to remote and developing communities.Jalel Sager, Ph.D. (CEO), Austin Cappon (Networks & hardware), and Jonathan Lee (Senior R&D Engineer) are the co-founders of a California based startup, New Sun Road (NSR). They develop cloud-based technology systems designed to distribute energy (clean technologies), and internet connectivity issues for off-grid communities around the world. We talk about how New Sun Road originated from a class at UC Berkeley that led to the evolution of various products that now is able to provide renewable electricity and internet to several communities around the world for the first time in their lives. The founders share...
2022-01-111h 13
Lab to StartupNitrase Therapeutics: Story of a scientist turned entrepreneur whose persistence led to the discovery of a new class of enzymes and potential therapeuticsIrene Griswold-Prenner, Ph.D., is the founder and CSO of Nitrase Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company deploying its unique NITROME platform to unlock the therapeutic potential of nitrases, a new class of enzymes discovered in-house that offer the promise of a pipeline of therapies against a broad variety of diseases. Their breakthrough discovery of the enzymatic nature of protein nitration by nitrases, as well as our understanding of their exquisitely selective and specific mechanism of action, enables the identification of novel and differentiated small molecule drugs that target the core biologic processes of many diseases, starting with Parkinson's Disease.
2021-12-211h 01
Lab to StartupScalmibio: An oncology biotech (antibody prodrugs) startup from idea to exit that originated from the founder's own fight with cancerSummary: Marija Vrljic, Ph.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Scalmibio, an early-stage biotechnology startup that developed a transformational technology focused on oncology applications. We talk about the inspiration for launching the startup, how she was able to bootstrap the company, raised non-dilutive funds which ultimately led to being acquired in October, 2020. Show notes: - ScalmiBio is a startup that was born when Marija was diagnosed with thyroid cancer - Technology: Antibody prodrugs that could target only cancer tissues and remain inactive around healthy tissues. - Startup was based on unique insights (around pr...
2021-12-141h 22
Project Purple PodcastEpisode 183 - Researching to Save Lives with Dr. Vasu Sunkara, MD PhDThis week, we're joined by practicing physicain and conductor of potentially life-saving research, Dr. Vasu Sunkara, MD PhD. Learn more about Dr. Sunkara's work in the groundbreaking field of duct ligation which may slow the spread of tumors in some pancreatic cancer cases on episode 183 of the Project Purple Podcast.
2021-12-0350 min
Lab to StartupEnabling Awesome through MBC Biolabs, Mission Bio Capital & Mission Bay CapitalDouglas Crawford, Ph.D., is the General Manager of MBC Biolabs, Managing Partner of Mission BioCapital, a VC fund investing in life sciences startups at the seed and Series A stages. We talk about the facilities that help scientists at MBC Biolabs, how to get accepted to the labs, partners, golden tickets and stories of startups; funding hypothesis, the impact, and investment criteria to get funded. Show Notes MBC Biolabs Mission Bay Capital - Started with a realization that nothing that is discovered in a lab at a university by itself cannot benefit a pa...
2021-11-231h 05
Lab to StartupRocket Fund- helping academic innovators in the cleantech and sustainability space turn their technologies into commercial realities through grants, mentoring and education.Rocket Fund: https://rocketfund.caltech.edu/ Email: Stephanie.yanchinski@caltech.edu Application process and background information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19ubtkD1ziVeXqDChnL00gP6wDFWTsQGb/view?usp=sharing Application: https://platform.younoodle.com/competition/caltech_rocket_fund_2022 - A program that has a way to introduce startups to decision makers at utility companies, who can help discuss their needs and adopt new technologies. - They grant $25,000- 75,000 to startups that provide much needed support for designing prototypes, buying equipment, and getting certifications, which other grants don't cover. Prefer...
2021-11-1659 min
Lab to StartupDesigning hardware: "Idea to prototype"Mark Brinkerhoff is the President of Fusion Design, a consultancy that has helped design over 1500 hardware products from concept to creation stages. We cover the concept of design, building the requirement documents (MRD, PRD), prototyping, iterations, costs and timelines for prototype development, stories of successful products developed and end with future of outsourcing and local sourcing. Show Notes: Fusion Design: https://www.fusiondesigninc.com - Products that don't succeed are generally technologies looking for applications - Design starts with necessity followed by the idea that supports the need. - Successful models- licensing out a...
2021-11-0939 min
Lab to StartupMission Bio- Startup providing cancer researchers with the only multi-omics single-cell technology solution that simultaneously detects SNV, CNV, and protein data from the same cell.Mission Bio is a startup that pioneered high throughput single cell sequencing. We talk about how they are helping researchers and clinicians unlock single-cell biology to enable the discovery, development, and delivery of precision medicine; the underlying technology; how they decided between single cell RNA sequencing vs single cell DNA sequencing; founding story till the recent change in leadership, and future goals. Show Notes - Adam questions his students- "take a step back and tell me why you are doing this research?" "Why are you spending your life, 5-6 years of your life working on this...
2021-11-021h 22
Lab to StartupLessons learnt from designing electronics, firmware, and software with a focus on wearable devices.Voler Systems - Most challenging projects are the ones where the customer/client doesn't listen. - Current and future states of wearable industry and future - Remote monitoring of patients is here to stay (thanks to COVID) and wearables are going to play a big role. - Advances in low power communication direct to the internet - Phases of product development - Risk management in prototype development - How to respond to an investor when she/he asks an entrepreneur about the price of a product - Not having complete requirements...
2021-10-2648 min
Lab to Startup4DMT- Gene therapy company that customizes AAV vectors to target specific tissues associated with the underlying diseases.4D Molecular Therapeutics: https://www.4dmoleculartherapeutics.com - Gene therapy was risky, but Dave took the leap of faith counting on a few things- gene therapy becoming big one day; AAV is going to play a big role; and that the natural forms of AAV were not going to cut it. - 14 years of research in academia before launching the startup - AAV has passed through several boom and bust cycles, and the current timing is great. - Three products in the clinic and more n the way - Di...
2021-10-191h 16
Lab to StartupUnshackled Ventures- VC firm investing in immigrant entrepreneursManan Mehta is the founding partner of Unshackled ventures. We cover the thesis behind funding immigrant entrepreneurs- more specifically about their process for funding startups and how they help them with their visa issues. - A high conviction "friends and family" investor that removes immigration hurdles & gives you a network to succeed faster. -- Connecting the unconnected and supporting the startups with capital and customers - Quick decision process and communication with founders even if they decide not to invest. - Focus on customer (entrepreneur) service - Questions...
2021-10-1245 min
Lab to StartupBuilding the startup muscle for academic founders.Martin Casado is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a pioneer of software-defined networking, and a co-founder of Nicira Networks. We cover the lessons learnt from Martin's journey as an academic entrepreneur founding Nicira and factors that aspiring entrepreneurs planning to translate their research to products should consider. - Story of an accidental Ph.D., turned into an accidental but very successful entrepreneur - Shares how working with others during grad school helped his entrepreneurial efforts later - Titles don't mean anything- Forget titles and make sure decision makers are responsible for their...
2021-10-0549 min
Lab to StartupIllumina accelerator for genomics startupsMy guest today is Amanda Cashin, the Co-Founder and Global Head of Illumina Accelerator, which focuses on building genomics-driven startups. We talk about: Accelerator program, sequencing support, seed funding, training and the selection process. Partnering with leading angel and venture capital investors to help the startups Latest partnership with Sequoia Capital to support an incubator in China. Role of storytelling Future vision and how next generation sequencing is going to advance healthcare. Upcoming application deadline to the accelerator due October 1, 2021 Application form: https://miseqmyfocus.wufoo.com/forms/qgby2411drpybc/
2021-09-2837 min
Lab to StartupMolecular Foundry: Nanoscience research facilityIn this episode of Lab to Startup, I speak with Shannon Ciston and Branden Brough. Branden is the Deputy director of Molecular Foundry at the Lawrence Berkeley National Labs and Shannon is the Director of the User Program. We explore various resources that Molecular Foundry offers like: World-class scientists with expertise across a broad range of disciplines and state-of-the-art instrumentation. How to get accepted to the program Cost to users (mostly free) Intellectual property rights from using their support Examples of startups that benefited from the program Learn more about Molecular...
2021-09-1436 minLab to StartupXCell Biosciences - Cell culturing technology to enhance drug screening and the performance of cell therapiesIn this episode of Lab to Startup, I speak with Brian Feth and James Lim, co-founders of XCellBio. We explore the startup story and learn about: The founding story- the initial hypothesis behind the product they wanted to build and how the technology evolved since then based on customer feedback Fundraising trials and tribulations How there was a lesson hidden in every "No" they received from potential customers and investors Role that partnerships played Traits like flexibility, open communication and co-founder chemistry Learn more about XCell Biosciences: https://www.xcellbio.com
2021-09-141h 19Lab to StartupWelcome to the Lab to Startup PodcastThis podcast is focused on stories from founders in deep tech space building startups from their research at universities and national labs. Also want to cover resources (investors, tech transfer offices, advisors, industry alliance offices, etc.) that helped those startups. The goal is to provide these stories to others considering this route. We almost never hear those stories of transition from lab to market.
2021-09-0702 min
ExpertsConnectUnderstanding Colorectal CancerDid you know that colorectal cancer is the third most leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world (Rawla, et al., 2019)? More specifically, Rawla et al., (2019) have elucidated the role of dietary (e.g., red meat consumption) and lifestyle behaviours (physical inactivity, smoking tobacco, and excessive alcohol use) in addition to obesity as driving factors behind the development of colorectal cancer.In this episode of ExpertsConnect, we had a conversation concerning colorectal cancer with a medical doctor specializing in family medicine, Dr. Sheree Sharpe.Our discussion points included answers to the following questions. What...
2020-10-0521 min