The BioHub - by Avetix Episode 70 - Paula Soteropoulos
Sep 24, 2025
In this discussion, Paula Soteropoulos, a seasoned biotech executive with over 30 years’ experience, shares her unexpected journey into the world of biotech. She delves into leadership lessons from her time at Genzyme and her role in pioneering in vivo gene therapies at Ensoma. Paula highlights the importance of mentorship, authentic leadership, and navigating funding challenges while building companies. She also reveals what makes startups attractive to investors, emphasizing validated biology and a focus on rare diseases.
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Anticipate Setbacks And Persevere
- Expect setbacks in clinical and biology work and build resilience into your team.
- Persevere through failures because impact in biotech requires grit and long-term commitment.
A Mentor Forced Her To Be Authentic
- Henry Tamir mentored Paula and pushed her toward authentic leadership by moving people across roles.
- A pivotal moment was when he told her she wasn't leading from her authentic self, which changed her leadership style.
In Vivo HSC Editing Can Broaden Access
- Ensoma aims to genetically engineer hematopoietic stem cells in vivo to enable one-time outpatient cures.
- This approach could dramatically increase access versus current ex vivo stem-cell therapies.