Investing in biotech is hard for non-experts, because it's easy to get sucked in by a good story, only to find out later the tech or team is not up to the challenge. Or to run into regulatory or IP issues which crash the project. At the same time, clever groups go un- or under-funded because they have complicated stories, or are working across 2 or 3 areas (example: machine learning + genomics) that investors don't understand well enough to confidently jump in to.
I know what it takes to turn science projects into products, and love finding and working with teams who do too.
My work with organizations like Singularity U and Berkeley SkyDeck, as well as accelerators and hackerspaces located world-wide, gives me exposure to early stage teams, and opportunities to invest before companies reach later stage, expensive rounds.
Find me on LinkedIn:
I'm fortunate to have access to networks through Singularity University, Berkeley Skydeck, BOMA, and the biohacking movement. Helping to found some of these institutions has given me personal access to incredible teams who are working on projects with massive impact and promise, and early access to dealflow.
I typically look for:
* Biotechnology sector, but beyond therapeutics -- diagnostics, medical devices, research tools, agriculture, new food, materials, consumer products
* Early stage -- pre-seed or seed, where small investments have great leverage in helping worthy startups succeed
* Good, real, credible tech -- a crucial proof of principle or prototype stage reached, especially tech that is information enabled, or leveraging exponential technologies like genomics or genetic engineering
* Low regulatory burden -- groups that have at least the option of being successful without squeezing through the FDA gauntlet
* Business models that scale significantly and realistically, that exploit the best kinds of unfair advantages
* Licensable IP -- groups that, even if they miss their moonshot, have another chance to create value
* Teams with high integrity
I plan on syndicating all of my deals (basically, any deals to which I get access, where the round size is big enough to include the syndicate).
