
Yet Another Value Podcast Adam May on investing in biotech $NKTR $ABVX
Mar 23, 2026
Adam May, a practicing dermatologist and former small-cap biotech fund manager, explains how he finds mispriced biotech opportunities. He discusses NKTR’s trial nuances, maintenance data, and commercial vs buyout paths. He also covers ABVX’s skeptical backstory, the decisive slide that changed the math, and why maintenance results made it acquirable.
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Running A Biotech Fund During Residency
- Adam May launched a tiny biotech fund called Rare Life Capital while working 80-hour medical residency shifts.
- He and a partner raised seed money from Tiger Management, reached ~$12M AUM, then closed after a ~50% drawdown post-2021 peak.
Biotech Has Big Sentiment-Driven Beta
- Small-cap biotech shows large sector beta tied to liquidity and sentiment despite being often uncorrelated with broad markets.
- Positive readouts can fall during liquidity crunches and scams can rocket in euphoric markets, so sector moves are amplified.
Run High Throughput Screening Before Deep Dives
- Do screen biotech ideas at high throughput and then narrow to a few deep-dive names.
- Adam keeps a concentrated portfolio (5–10 names) after scanning hundreds, using corporate decks, X feeds, and sell‑side calendars to triage.
