"There's a 15 Minute Window on a Certain Tuesday" | Why Your Biotech Can't Get Funded

"There's a 15 Minute Window on a Certain Tuesday" | Why Your Biotech Can't Get Funded

"There's probably about a 15 minute window on a certain Tuesday where you fit into the right window for an investor. You're too early. You're too late." Edwin Stone is the CEO of Cellular Origins, building robotic manufacturing for cell therapy. Erik Digman Wiklund is the CEO of Circio Holding, developing next-gen gene therapies. Both actually got funded in a market where almost no one does. Two CEOs on why investors move in herds, why you can't do vaccines right now, and why China now has more cell therapy trials than the US. In Today's Episode: * "There's a 15 minute window on a certain Tuesday": the absurd reality of biotech funding * Investors move in herds: in vivo CAR-T gets everything * "You can't do vaccines right now": the political climate * "Falling between the cracks": too early, then too late * China now has the majority of cell therapy trials * Platform vs asset: why platforms fell out of favor * Cost of Phase 1 has gone up 4x in less than 10 years * Europe is half the cost of the US * What a well-funded company looks like in 2028 Timestamps: (00:00) Cold Open: "The 15 Minute Window Becomes Five"(05:00) The Funding Environment: In Vivo CAR-T Gets Everything(10:00) Investors Move in Herds(15:00) "You Can't Do Vaccines Right Now"(20:00) Platform vs Asset(25:00) China Has the Majority of Trials(30:00) "Falling Between the Cracks"(35:00) The 15 Minute Window(40:00) What Well-Funded Looks Like in 2028(45:00) Europe Is Half the Cost SHOW NOTES Edwin Stone — CEO, Cellular Origins🔗 Cellular Origins: https://www.cellularorigins.com/ [https://www.cellularorigins.com/] Erik Digman Wiklund — CEO, Circio Holding🔗 Circio: https://www.circio.com/ [https://www.circio.com/]

"AI Won't Cut Corners" — A Hospital CIO and Community Advocate on the Digital Divide | McWilliams & Hicks

"AI is going to augment — it's going to allow things to work quicker, more efficiently. But it's not going to cut corners. It's not going to allow us to not do what's required to deliver the care people deserve." Steve McWilliams is the VP and CIO at the Georgia Hospital Association. Richard Hicks is the CEO of Inspiredu, a nonprofit providing equitable access to technology and broadband education. A hospital CIO and a community advocate on why the digital divide is a health divide. In Today's Episode: * "AI won't cut corners" — realistic expectations for healthcare AI * "Your zip code dictates your future" — geography and health outcomes * Technology deserts — when broadband access doesn't exist * "Connectivity is like breathing" — the stakes of the digital divide * Ambient listening and AI consent — the hot topic in healthcare * "Check the bag" — how to validate what AI tells you * The silver tsunami — aging population, shrinking workforce * Consistency over confetti — building community trust * "Enter to heal, depart to be well" — the mission Timestamps: (00:00) Cold Open — "AI Won't Cut Corners"(04:00) The Trust Gap — Why Patients Don't Engage(08:00) "Your Zip Code Dictates Your Future"(12:00) Technology Deserts — Broadband Access(16:00) Ambient Listening and AI Consent(20:00) "Check the Bag" — Validating AI(24:00) Cybersecurity Breaches and Trust(28:00) Hospital Economics(32:00) The Partnership Model(36:00) Consistency Over Confetti(40:00) The Silver Tsunami(44:00) "Enter to Heal, Depart to Be Well" SHOW NOTES Steve McWilliams — VP & CIO, Georgia Hospital AssociationVP and CIO at Georgia Hospital Association. Board member, Georgia HIMSS. Mission: shaping a healthier Georgia through advocacy, education, and communication.🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcwilliamssteven/https://www.gha.org/Richard Hicks — CEO, InspireduCEO of Inspiredu, a nonprofit providing equitable access to technology, training, and broadband education. Background in technology, transitioned to nonprofit work in 2007. Focus: kitchen table issues, not nice-to-haves.🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-inspiredu/ Get Involved https://www.iuatl.org/

A Former CIA Chief & Supply Chain CEO on Why Iran Just Broke Your Pharma Supply Chain | Clinton West & Mike Walker

"When you start to peel back the onion of what Iran provides to us, healthcare is at the very top." A former CIA Chief and a former Microsoft VP on what the Iran war reveals about healthcare's hidden vulnerabilities. Clinton West is the Former CIA Chief, Office of Supply Chain Risk Management — 20+ years at the agency including deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Europe. Mike Walker is CEO of Agentic Data Systems, Former Microsoft VP, Former Gartner VP — and he was nearly kidnapped in Cairo. In Today's Episode: * "I was nearly kidnapped in Cairo" — the dangers of global supply chain work * Only 3% of pharma knows their supply chain end to end * 70% of API comes from India and China — the hidden dependency * "Supply chain doesn't collapse — it erodes slowly" * What the Iran war reveals about healthcare vulnerabilities * CIA tabletop exercises — "Let's play a game" * The AI race — only two superpowers: US and China * "What's an AirTag?" — meeting people where they are * From Somalia at 19 to CIA Director — the personal journey Timestamps: (00:00) Cold Open — "I Was Nearly Kidnapped in Cairo"(04:00) What the Iran War Reveals About Healthcare Supply Chains(08:00) 70% of API Comes from India and China(12:00) "Supply Chain Doesn't Collapse — It Erodes Slowly"(16:00) Lessons from Afghanistan and Ukraine(20:00) Only 3% of Pharma Knows Their Supply Chain(24:00) How to Build a Supply Chain Risk Strategic Plan(28:00) CIA Tabletop Exercises — "Let's Play a Game"(32:00) "Family Counseling" — Emotional Intelligence in Risk(36:00) The AI Race — US vs China(40:00) What a Truly Resilient Supply Chain Looks Like(44:00) "What's an AirTag?" — Meeting People Where They Are(48:00) From Somalia at 19 to CIA Director SHOW NOTES Clinton West — Former CIA Director, Office of Supply Chain Risk ManagementPresident, Supply Chain Security Practice at Aardwolf Global Solutions. 20+ years CIA.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clinton-west-jr/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/clinton-west-jr/] Mike Walker — CEO, Agentic Data Systems | Former Microsoft VP | Former Gartner VPLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikejwalker/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikejwalker/]

"The Best Companies Start in the Worst Times" | Mike Goguen & Rob Williamson

"Some of the best companies were founded during some of the worst times. It's almost Darwinian." That's Mike Goguen — founder of Two Bear Capital, 20 years as a general partner at Sequoia Capital. With him is Rob Williamson — serial entrepreneur and 35+ years in drug development. A 30-year venture capitalisst and a serial drug developer on surviving biotech's worst times, the AI bubble, and why founders should "beware the kindness of strangers." In Today's Episode: * "The best companies start in the worst times" — Darwinian survival * "Where's the beef?" — spotting real AI vs window dressing * Biotech can't compete for AI talent — half a million out of school * Are we in an AI bubble? Lessons from multiple crashes * Quantum AI — the revolution after the revolution * "Thank you for giving me another Christmas" — why it's worth it * "I've called it my vow of poverty" — why biotech over tech Timestamps: (00:00) Cold Open — "I'm Not Sure I Want to Say What I'm Really Thinking"(04:17) The Current Investment Landscape — Capital Efficiency Matters(08:00) Minimizing Dependence(12:00) First-Time Founders vs Experienced Operators(16:00) Product-Market Fit in Biotech — What Pharma Wants(20:00) M&A Is Slower Than Expected — Why Deals Are Stalling(24:00) The AI Revolution in Drug Discovery — What's Real(28:00) AlphaFold, Digital Twins, and the In Silico Loop(32:00) "Where's the Beef?" — Real AI vs Window Dressing(36:00) Biotech Can't Compete for AI Talent(40:00) Are We in an AI Bubble?(44:00) Quantum AI — The Next Revolution(48:00) "Thank You for Giving Me Another Christmas"(52:00) The Hardest Decision — Going All-In SHOW NOTES Mike Goguen — Founder & Managing Partner, Two Bear Capital20 years as General Partner at Sequoia Capital (1996-2016). Two Bear Capital invests at the intersection of tech and life sciences.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-goguen-23314/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-goguen-23314/] Rob Williamson — Founder & CEO, Traverse Therapeutics35+ years in drug development. Multiple drugs to market. Former BCG partner. AI-enabled drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robwilliamson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/robwilliamson/] Description

"We Signed Her Out Against Medical Advice" — It Saved Her Life | Tom Whitehead & Tori Lee

"Our transplant doctor at Hershey wrote us off and never spoke to us again. We signed her out against medical advice. And it saved her life." Tom Whitehead is the co-founder of the Emily Whitehead Foundation and father of Emily Whitehead — the first pediatric patient in the world to receive CAR-T cell therapy. In 2012, when Emily was 6 years old and facing end-stage leukemia after two relapses, they defied medical advice, enrolled in an experimental trial at CHOP, and Emily became cancer-free 23 days later. She's now 21 and 14 years cancer-free. Victoria (Tori) Lee was the 10th pediatric patient to receive CAR-T at CHOP. Diagnosed at 5, she went through four years of chemo and radiation before receiving CAR-T in 2013. Now 13+ years cancer-free, she's a health policy student presenting at ACRP on the bioethics of CAR-T access. In Today's Episode: * "We signed her out against medical advice — it saved her life" * Only 20% of eligible patients get CAR-T — 80% don't * "You're not sick enough yet" — when can patients get CAR-T? * 45,000 lives saved — from one patient to tens of thousands * Under $50K, under a week — manufacturing is advancing * Trials leaving the US — patients going to Italy, Beijing * Fighting insurance denials with AI * "Emily is as famous as Taylor Swift to my daughter" * "It's hard to talk about the worst days of your life" * Advice for parents and patients seeking cell therapy SHOW NOTES Tom Whitehead — Co-Founder, Emily Whitehead FoundationFather of Emily Whitehead, the first pediatric CAR-T patient. Author of "Praying for Emily." * Emily Whitehead Foundation (Co-Founder)LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-whitehead-08ba32102 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-whitehead-08ba32102] Victoria (Tori) Lee — CAR-T Survivor | Health Policy StudentThe 10th pediatric CAR-T patient at CHOP. 13+ years cancer-free. * Emily Whitehead Foundation (Patient Advocate)Story: https://www.emilywhiteheadfoundation.org/patient-stories/tori-lee/ [https://www.emilywhiteheadfoundation.org/patient-stories/tori-lee/] Resources:Emily Whitehead Foundation: https://www.emilywhiteheadfoundation.org/ [https://www.emilywhiteheadfoundation.org/]CHOP Cancer Immunotherapy: https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/cancer-immunotherapy-program [https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/cancer-immunotherapy-program]"Praying for Emily" (Book): Free to patients and caregivers ✨ Support the Mission: The Emily Whitehead Foundation helps families find life-saving trials and advocates for wider access to cell and gene therapies.👉 Learn more or donate: https://www.emilywhiteheadfoundation.org/donate [https://www.emilywhiteheadfoundation.org/donate]