BioVenture VoiCes with Chris Garabedian

Corey Goodman, co-founder and managing partner at VenBio and serial biotech founder, reflects on moving between academia, startups, pharma, and venture. He talks about translating basic science to medicines. He recalls founding Exelixis and Renovis, leading Pfizer’s biotherapeutics, and shaping VenBio’s disciplined investment and incubation approach.

Bruce Booth, a venture capitalist and science-first company creator known for LifeSciVC, discusses Atlas Venture's structure and its move into venture creation. He covers how Atlas sources and incubates companies, platform vs asset decisions, the role of AI/ML in drug discovery, and building long-term pharma and talent networks.

Srini Akkaraju, founder and Managing General Partner of Samsara Biocapital and former Genentech scientist, investor and MD–PhD, discusses his journey from academia to industry. He talks about multi-stage, patient-focused investing; lessons learned at Genentech and venture firms; Samsara’s opportunistic evergreen fund model; case studies in deal-making; and views on China and first-in-class innovation.

Vineeta Agarwala, a physician-scientist and general partner at a16z who previously worked at GV, Flatiron Health, and the Broad Institute. She recounts her path from biophysics and MD-PhD training to building clinical-genomic data products. Conversations cover a16z’s founder-first investing approach, platform vs product trade-offs, the Lilly partnership, and how biotech and AI-driven consumer health are converging.

Glenn Rockman describes the introduction to impact investing he gained from working for J.P. Morgan and along with the Gates Foundation on the Global Health Investment Fund, and how the idea of investing for public good ultimately sparked Adjuvant Capital in 2019. Armed with a $300M+ fund that was raised from numerous foundations and for-profit funds in 2021, Adjuvant has been investing in public health technologies, post proof of concept, to help accelerate their development and ultimately make them more accessible to those around the world who need them.

Aaron Kantoff describes the road on the public markets side that eventually led him to venture, and recalls successful investments he helped lead at firms like Apple Tree Partners and Medicxi, such as Stoke Therapeutics, Akero Therapeutics, Centessa Pharmaceuticals, and RayzeBio. He discusses founding Scion with his partner, Samuel Hall, and describes raising their first fund and how the firm has a longer outlook than is traditionally thought of in venture.

Lindy Fishburne describes her educational background and career, and transitioning from the philanthropic Breakout Labs within the Thiel Foundation to Breakout Ventures, a traditional venture firm that has a diverse set of limited partners. Plus, how she is navigating these challenging times in healthcare and biotech.

Christoph Westphal, a biotech pioneer and founder of Longwood Fund, shares his inspiring journey from an immigrant background to leading venture capital in the biotech arena. He discusses the challenges and rewards of founding companies like Momenta and Alnylam. Westphal emphasizes the vital role of collaboration in the Boston biotech ecosystem and the importance of resilience in tough economic times. He also highlights the critical components for biotech success and reflects on the balance between professional ambition and community engagement.

Jory Bell, former Apple product designer and co-founder of OQO turned Playground Global partner, blends hardware engineering with venture investing. He describes Playground's engineered biology focus, integrating wet lab and in‑silico methods, and argues for underwriting scientific risk while keeping market risk manageable. He also discusses funding milestones, team composition, and what makes tech‑bio different from traditional biotech.

Tiba Aynechi, a General Partner at Norwest Venture Partners with over 20 years in biotech, shares her fascinating career journey entirely centered in the Bay Area. She reflects on her early days in business development, the thrill of the genomics revolution, and her transition from academia to venture capital without formal training. Topics include innovative biotech investments like iRhythm's ECG technology, the impact of extended remote health monitoring on patient care, and the vital relationship between data quality and funding success in the industry.