https://www.excedr.com/, https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/

Excedr, 100 Pine Street #1250, San Francisco, CA (2026)

01/13/2026

"We don't pipette faster. We don't have magic. But it's the entire approach to how we work with biotechs and how we create the right incentives."

In Part 4 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with CTMC Chief Business Officer, Amy Hay, a major theme is rethinking partnership models to accelerate cell therapy development and democratize access to lifesaving treatments.

In this episode, they cover:

– CTMC's mission to bridge academic research and industry by providing end-to-end manufacturing, regulatory, and clinical support—getting early-stage biotechs into the clinic in under 100 days

– Disrupting traditional deal structures by focusing on milestone-based contracts and equity stakes rather than maximizing price per batch, creating true alignment between manufacturers and biotech partners

– Why the patient is literally part of the supply chain in cell therapy, and how that fundamental difference requires regional manufacturing to reduce cost, complexity, and time—especially for patients who don't have time to wait

– Building CTMC's Network Alliance to transfer knowledge and manufacturing capabilities globally, starting with Albert Einstein in Brazil and targeting high-need regions like Australia for TIL therapy in melanoma

– The importance of investing in regulatory expertise upfront to avoid financially crippling mistakes later, and how business model innovation matters as much as scientific innovation

It's a fascinating look at how aligning incentives and thinking differently about partnerships can unlock access to transformative therapies on a global scale.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

01/12/2026

"You should seek out different opinions. That's either going to make you more firm in your belief or it's going to force you to think of alternatives."

In Part 3 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with CTMC Chief Business Officer, Amy Hay, a big theme is embracing diverse perspectives and adapting to the reality in front of you.

In this episode, we cover:

– Raising $125 million for MD Anderson's Proton Therapy Center and pivoting from Wall Street investors to firefighters' and police officers' pension funds after September 11th

– The hard lesson that you can't plug and play human beings—building Einstein's oncology clinic in Brazil, demolishing it, and redesigning it to fit the culture, not just the blueprint

– Navigating the painful departure from MD Anderson after 20 years and the realization that complacency is the enemy—"the moment that you stop being curious in your job is the moment you need to run out the front door"

– Meeting people where they are, from working with a physicist in Nigeria running scans on a backup generator to understanding that achieving value matters more than the method

– Founding Evolve, selling it to Varian right before the pandemic, and full-circling back to MD Anderson's ecosystem through her work with CTMC on cell therapy

It's a powerful conversation about adaptation, resilience, and the importance of cultural intelligence in healthcare innovation.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

01/08/2026

"There are incredible people everywhere, and the human part of them is always trying to do good. It's not about what your lab coat says—it's about how you treat that patient."

In Part 2 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with CTMC Chief Business Officer, Amy Hay, a powerful theme emerges: impact transcends institutional prestige, and true excellence in healthcare lies in accessibility and compassion.

In this episode, we cover:

– Landing MD Anderson's first-ever internal administrative fellowship by differentiating herself through ground-level experience—from patient advocacy to running clinics—and showing how that understanding translates to C-suite impact

– The audacious plan to build MD Anderson's proton therapy center with zero budget, raising $125 million, and how 9/11 forced a complete pivot from Wall Street to local firefighters' and police officers' pension funds

– Opening MD Anderson's first satellite clinic in Bellaire, Texas, meeting patients where they were, and proving that convenience and world-class care aren't mutually exclusive (even after being told three times it wouldn't work)

– The power of alignment: surrounding yourself with people who fill your gaps, and creating partnerships where purpose and incentives are so aligned that "you can put the contract in the drawer and never look at again"

– Transitioning from US-centric academic medicine to global oncology work, and recognizing that only 20% of cancer patients access top academic centers—leading to her mission of providing excellence regardless of where patients live

It's a masterclass in persistence, pivoting through adversity, and building healthcare solutions that truly serve patients.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

01/05/2026

"The research teams think they define the organization because of their research. The clinical patient delivery side thinks they define the organization. They're both right because they need each other to exist."

In Part 1 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with CTMC Chief Business Officer, Amy Hay, a central theme is bridging the gap between competing priorities and recognizing the connective tissue that makes innovation thrive.

In this episode, we cover:

– Watching her grandparents navigate dementia, early exposure to crisis care, and the foundational lesson that you can't let a good crisis go to waste – focus on growth, not negativity

– Her father's career-defining advice: "behave as if you're in your next job," and how always saying "how" instead of "no" as a receptionist at MD Anderson made her indispensable from day one

– Blending her mother's artistic creativity with her father's business acumen to build novel collaborations and partnerships that shouldn't work on paper – but become a 10 when executed

– Starting as a patient advocate, learning every touchpoint of the clinical experience, and recognizing the symbiotic truth: "no margin, no mission" – business sustainability enables better patient care

– Giving yourself grace to gain real-world experience, from answering phones to waiting tables, because those skills become invaluable when applying knowledge in healthcare leadership

It's a powerful look at resilience, strategic thinking, and the art of building bridges in complex healthcare organizations.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

01/01/2026

"The Bill Gateses, Mark Zuckerbergs, Elon Musks—the guys that are 'zero to one' but also '1 to 5,000' employees—are more rare than unicorns. Know yourself. Figure out what you're good at, where you can add value, and focus there."

In Part 2 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with Ori Biotech CEO and Executive Director, Jason Foster, a central theme is understanding your unique strengths and building businesses that match your zone of genius rather than chasing the Silicon Valley founder archetype.

In this episode, we dive into:

– Landing in London with no network, learning to listen more than speak, and navigating the cultural complexities of building a business across 37 countries from zero to 1,100 employees

– Why culture eats strategy for breakfast—the power of autonomy, mastery, and purpose over KPI-driven bonuses, and how mission-driven teams do incredible things against the largest odds

– The reality that cures for cancer existed but patients couldn't access them because they were too expensive and too hard to make, and why that became Jason's mission at Ori

– Designing the business you always wanted to work for, refusing to put values on the wall where they become performative, and living culture in the hard meetings and at the water cooler

– Moving beyond vendor relationships to trusted advisor status, making decisions for long-term business continuity over short-term profit optimization, and building an ecosystem around next-generation cell therapy manufacturing

Jason's journey from startup operator within a large pharma to angel investor to CEO is packed with hard-won insights on leadership, commercial viability, and what it really takes to scale life-saving therapies.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

12/29/2025

"If you think about what we do as human beings, the vast majority of the value we create is through communication. Oral, written, increasingly through email, text message, website, marketing copy, social media."

In Part 1 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with Ori Biotech CEO and Executive Director, Jason Foster, a central theme is the power of communication in building value and driving entrepreneurial success.

In this episode, we cover:

– Early lessons in creativity and communication from growing up as an only child surrounded by adults, and the entrepreneurial ethic developed through paper routes, lawn care, and door-to-door sales

– Finding the healthcare spark during policy work at the House Commerce Committee on FDA reform, and the realization that private sector innovation drives patient impact faster than the public sector

– Columbia MBA lessons that still resonate: working with diverse international teams, choosing the "least worst option" when there's no perfect answer, and understanding that people aren't rational beings making rational decisions

– Making decisions without complete information, avoiding analysis paralysis, and why the worst choice is indecision itself

– The human side of sales and business development – understanding that every transaction is simply one human being talking to another, and building relationships based on matching value to real needs

It's a fascinating journey filled with practical wisdom for scientists, first-time founders, and anyone navigating the biotech startup world.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

12/25/2025

"There's a reason that throughout history, people have invested so much time in art as a method of communication of ideas... You're convincing them in two separate routes to reach a part of the mind that detects images."

We’re revisiting some of our previous episodes over the holidays this year. Our next re-release is Part 4 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with Centivax Founder, CEO & Chairman, Jacob Glanville, where a big theme is the power of effective communication in fundraising—and why visual storytelling matters just as much as the science.

In this episode, Jake and Jon Chee dive into:

– The culture shift from pitching antibody discovery to venture capital, finding mentors willing to share their time, and learning what VCs really care about (simplicity, ex*****on, and massive inflection points)

– Why graphic design isn't superficial—art communicates to a different part of the brain and establishes truth in ways words alone cannot

– The dating game of fundraising: being respectful, handling rejection gracefully, not being clingy, and understanding that life is long

– Choosing the right VCs based on their networks, expertise, and who you actually want in the boardroom for the next few years (not just who writes the biggest check)

– Negotiating with balance—don't get played, but don't waste energy fighting over a couple points when the real difference is between amazing success or nothing getting done

It's a masterclass in navigating the venture capital world with authenticity, strategic thinking, and a healthy dose of perspective.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

12/22/2025

"Nobody wants to fold the laundry. But that's an important step on business growth."

We’re revisiting some of our previous episodes over the holidays this year. Our next re-release is Part 3 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with Centivax Founder, CEO & Chairman, Jacob Glanville, where a central theme is the unglamorous reality of building and scaling a successful biotech—it's not just innovation, it's obsessive attention to operational excellence.

In this episode, we cover:

– Building Distributed Bio with no traditional venture capital, starting with a napkin business plan and bootstrapping through licensing revenue before scaling to 36 people and 35+ programs

– The critical importance of protocol discipline and avoiding "drift" as teams grow—even the best people's processes can drift over time, and catching it requires constant vigilance

– Managing founder dynamics when risk tolerance differs, being present during critical ex*****on phases, and knowing when to pull the Band-Aid if team members aren't aligned

– The "Respiration Model" of leadership: encouraging open debate and ideas during planning, but demanding unwavering ex*****on once decisions are made—balancing innovation with operational discipline

– Strategic leasing and thoughtful instrumentation to scale at inflection points, growing from half a JLABS bench to a 7,500 sq ft facility, and knowing when to transition from scrappy to strategic

It's a masterclass in the practical, often boring work that transforms a promising idea into a thriving business.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

12/18/2025

"If you're doing something you're excited about, you're naturally going to exceed all the other people around you, and you're gonna become exceptional."

We’re revisiting some of our previous episodes over the holidays this year. Our next re-release is Part 2 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with Centivax Founder, CEO & Chairman, Jacob Glanville, where a big theme is how following your excitement leads to extraordinary results—in both career advancement and groundbreaking science.

In this episode, we dive into:

– Landing at Pfizer's Rinat site post-Berkeley, turning a garbage laptop into antibody(.)pfizer(.)com, and using bioinformatics tools as a "passport to knowledge" across teams

– The innovation paradox: why hierarchical organizations are efficient but terrible at innovating, while organic biotech cultures excel at breakthrough discoveries despite the chaos

– Rising from entry-level to Principal Scientist with just a BA through four rapid promotions—by solving real problems and publishing cutting-edge work on phage display libraries

– Taking the entrepreneurial leap: launching Distributed Bio before starting his Stanford PhD, balancing church and state, and why timing matters when you have "an idea burning a hole in your pocket"

– The critical distinction between finding work that fascinates you versus doing what you love, and why industry experience provides a "more sane" perspective than jumping straight into a PhD

It's an inspiring look at how passion, strategic risk-taking, and cross-disciplinary thinking can accelerate both scientific innovation and career trajectories.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

12/15/2025

"He lowered the sense of what is impossible because these guys, they did it in their generation. They accomplished the impossible. So I think that can-do attitude makes it a little easier to imagine things that haven't been done yet."

We’re revisiting some of our previous episodes over the holidays this year. Our next re-release is Part 1 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with Centivax Founder, CEO & Chairman, Jacob Glanville, in which a big theme is how formative experiences shape an entrepreneurial mindset and the audacity to tackle humanity's biggest health challenges.

In this episode we cover:

– Growing up in Guatemala during a civil war, witnessing the transformative power of medicine firsthand, and how his grandfather's work on the Apollo moon mission instilled a belief that science can accomplish the "impossible"

– Running his parents' restaurant as a teenager, and the surprising parallels between hospitality and building biotech companies—from managing inventory and people to juggling priorities like "eggs and bouncing balls"

– Learning Mayan negotiation principles in village markets, the importance of win-win deals over extractive tactics, and building lasting relationships in business and life

– Cross-training in art, computer science, and molecular biology at UC Berkeley, and why following general principles with broad applicability creates unique career advantages

– The "lost opportunity of illness" and his vision for a post-pathogen humanity where people spend less time fixing broken bodies and more time creating new things

It's a fascinating look at how diverse life experiences—from civil war Guatemala to Berkeley's HLA Population Genetics Lab—forge the mindset needed to build transformative biotech companies.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

12/11/2025

"If you're a master of your craft, you should be able to explain anything in a way that's conducive for everybody to understand. That's how I actually know if somebody doesn't know what they're talking about."

In Part 4 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with AIX Ventures Partner, Krish Ramadurai, a major theme is cutting through the noise to understand what actually creates value—whether you're building AI products, backing tech-bio companies, or simply trying to be a human being worth working with.

In this episode, they cover:

– The state of AI-native ventures, why efficiency gains haven't translated to enterprise value yet, and why the foundation layer is being commoditized while defensibility lives in full-stack applications

– The reality check for tech-bio founders: biotech is a drug business, and there's a massive difference between a $10 million software budget and a $10 billion drug budget

– Where AI is actually making material impact in life sciences, from Insilico's first AI-developed drug in human trials to why most founders confuse painkillers with vitamins

– The surprisingly simple competitive advantage in venture capital: being technically proficient and not an as***le (and why that combination seems like Mount Everest in this business)

– The importance of "tactical suffering," EQ alongside IQ, and why being the same person inside and outside the office is a massive edge

It's a refreshingly honest look at what it takes to succeed in AI-native biotech investing, with wisdom that applies far beyond venture capital.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

12/08/2025

“VC is a very human-centric business. It's high touch and everything, and it's a very hyper-niche space, so everybody knows each other.” — Krish Ramadurai

In Part 3 of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Krish Ramadurai of AIX Ventures shares how being embedded in tight networks isn’t just a lifestyle—it’s a strategic edge that fuels breakthrough deals and rapid growth.

In this episode we cover

– The power of intentional relationship-building in venture capital and why “high touch” beats dry diligence

– The flywheel of deal flow: sourcing, diligence, and backing top founders to accelerate portfolio success

– Navigating the balance between speed, depth, and the opportunity costs of intense career moves

– Lessons from Krish’s Oxford and Harmonics experiences shaping a practical, ex*****on-driven approach

– How a boutique, AI-native focus creates durable value without chasing scale-at-any-cost

This episode illustrates how perspective, discipline, and the right people around the table can turn a niche into a lasting competitive advantage. It’s packed with actionable takeaways for founders and investors alike.

Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell!

Excedr

01/13/2026

01/12/2026

01/08/2026

01/05/2026

01/01/2026

12/29/2025

12/25/2025

12/22/2025

12/18/2025

12/15/2025

12/11/2025

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