Leading Through COVID and Layoffs

Time Stamps

[00:00] Laurence explains biotech to a five-year-old 

[01:55] Early life in the UK and first steps toward biotech 

[02:47] How The Double Helix and Celltech shaped his path 

[07:15] Moving from bench science to Cell and a wider view of research 

[13:04] Learning business development at Millennium

[15:30] Why relationships matter in biotech deals 

[17:43] How Millennium changed from platform company to drug developer 

[28:01] Joining Alnylam and building around RNAi 

[39:19] Becoming a CEO at Warp Drive Bio 

[44:36] Novel antibiotics, molecular glues, and the RevMed merger

[52:07] What founders should know about building to make a lasting impact

[54:50] Joining Decibel during restructuring and COVID 

[58:55] Rebuilding culture and sharpening strategy 

[1:09:49] Why Decibel focused on gene therapy for the inner ear

[1:25:05] Advice for founders raising money in a hard market