Beginner's Mind – Details, episodes & analysis

What does it take to lead a global biotech company tackling diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s—and still treat every team member, from executives to production staff, as equals?

In this 20-minute highlight episode, we meet Philipp Baaske, the visionary CEO of NanoTemper. From his small Bavarian village roots to global biotech innovation, Philipp shares the leadership lessons and personal philosophies that shaped his journey.

Quotes:

• (00:01:05) “Leadership is all about emotions. It’s not about you—it’s about your people. A leader is defined by their followers, and they follow because they trust and believe in you.”
• (00:04:19) “Complaining is just an excuse not to work on what you can change. Focus on improving instead.”
• (00:15:54) “Every month counts when fighting cancer. If we release a drug even one month earlier, we save lives.”

Curious for more? Listen to the full episode here and dive deeper into Philipp’s remarkable journey. 

Timestamps:

• (00:00:00) Welcome to Spark20: Innovating Leadership
• (00:01:15) Top Leadership Lessons: Walk the Talk
• (00:02:33) From Bavaria to Biotech Visionary
• (00:06:01) Science Fiction & Physics: Philipp’s Inspiration
• (00:12:50) Launching to Space with NASA
• (00:16:00) Fighting Cancer: The Push for Better Tools
• (00:19:20) Leadership Challenges: Tough Decisions

If you’re ready to discover actionable leadership insights, hear how innovation fuels impact, and learn why values truly matter in leadership, this is your episode. Dive into Philipp’s story, and don’t miss the chance to see how he turns bold visions into real-world breakthroughs.

Listen now and be inspired.

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Startups promise innovation, but why do so many fail to secure the funding they need?

Investors demand results before committing, yet startups require resources to build. This paradox leaves founders stuck in what angel investor DC Palter calls the "pit of hell." How can startups navigate this critical gap and convince investors to bet on their vision?

🎙️ What's in the Episode:
1️⃣ Cracking the Funding Code: Learn why most pitches fail and how founders can craft stories that eliminate investor doubts and inspire confidence.
2️⃣ The Angel Investor's Playbook: Discover how to manage long-term returns and why patience is critical in high-stakes investing.
3️⃣ The Climate Tech Challenge: Explore why building billion-dollar solutions demands more than innovation—it requires grit, strategy, and understanding the full business cycle.

👤 About DC Palter:
DC Palter is a seasoned venture investor, startup founder, and award-winning author. With 25 years of experience in tech, he bridges the worlds of business and storytelling. His expertise spans hard tech, climate tech, and helping startups succeed through mentorship, scrappiness, and vision.

💡 QUOTES:
(01:01:19) "The best pitches show why failure isn’t just unlikely—it’s impossible."

(01:44:59) "Batteries are the key to unlocking sustainable energy solutions."

(02:15:58) "The biggest challenge is investors want a finished product, but startups need funds to build."

(01:19:52) "The best solutions don’t sell themselves; they solve real problems customers feel deeply."

(01:16:48) "The CEO’s role isn’t just building products; it’s creating a sustainable business.

⏰ Timestamps:
(02:40) The Power of Storytelling in High-Stakes Business and Writing

(11:49) Bridging Science and Business: The Role of Mentorship

(17:31) Balancing Angel Investing and Flexibility

(20:42) Shifting from Corporate to Startup Mindset

(39:06) The Startup Funding "Pit of Hell"

(45:49) Why Founders Must Pitch a $100M Vision, Not Just a Great Product

(53:36) Crafting a Pitch Investors Can't Resist

(01:08:58) Understanding Hard Tech: Beyond Invention

(01:19:02) The Hard Work of Product-Market Fit

(01:42:44) Batteries: The Key to Renewable Energy

(02:05:44) The Global Privacy Paradox

(02:19:48) The Long Game of Angel Investing

If you’re ready to uncover the secrets of startup success, learn how to navigate hard tech challenges, and master the art of pitching, this episode is for you.

👀 Stay Tuned: Watch the full episode to discover the tools, strategies, and stories that can transform your approach to investing and entrepreneurship.

🔔 Subscribe, comment, and share to support the show and bring more transformative insights from leaders like DC Palter to light.

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Ever wondered what it takes to build a tech giant from the ground up? Is it just about having a great idea, or is there a secret formula for success? In this episode, we dive into Jimmy Soni's The Founders, uncovering the key principles that propelled PayPal from a fledgling startup to a cornerstone of the digital economy.

In the world of investing and entrepreneurship, having a visionary idea is just the beginning. "The Founders" reveals that it’s the combination of vision, timing, and an unrelenting focus on execution that separates successful companies from the rest.

Throughout my career, I’ve learned that building a business is like solving a complex puzzle. Each piece—whether it’s hiring the right people, navigating market challenges, or building a sustainable business model—needs to fit perfectly. Drawing on my experience as an entrepreneur and investor, I’ll break down the stories and strategies from PayPal’s early days to help you understand what it really takes to create a company that lasts.

This episode dissects 10 crucial lessons from the book, each one offering valuable insights into leadership, innovation, and resilience. From taking calculated risks and building trust, to the power of culture and strategic partnerships, we’ll explore how these principles can help you build a winning team and a sustainable business.

Book on Amazon

[Link to Amazon]
[Interview with Jimmy Soni]

Problems This Solves:

• Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of business books? This concise summary delivers the most impactful lessons from "The Founders."
• Unsure how to translate entrepreneurial principles into action? We'll provide actionable takeaways and reflection questions to guide your journey.
• Curious about the minds behind PayPal and its lasting impact? Gain insights into the challenges, strategies, and collaborative spirit that fueled their success.

Why Listen:

• Discover the 10 Lessons for Success: Uncover the strategies that turned PayPal into a tech powerhouse.
• Learn from Real-World Examples: Hear stories from the book and my own experiences that illustrate these principles in action.
• Apply the Lessons to Your Own Ventures: Reflect on how you can foster innovation and build a resilient business.

Quotes:

• “On the eve of its IPO, a prominent trade publication declared that the country needed PayPal ‘as much as it does an anthrax epidemic.’”
• “Properly understood, PayPal’s story is a four-year odyssey of near-failure followed by near-failure.” 
• "PayPal started off as a product with no use case. Then we had a use case but no business model. Then we had to build a sustainable business."
• "Your life will be shaped by the things you create, and the people you make them with." 

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(03:03) Jimmy Soni

(06:28) Overview of the Book

(10:42) Vision, Persistence, and Hiring the Right People

(17:08) Elon Musk's Bold Moves: Risk and Reward

(23:07) Peter Thiel's Contrarian Thinking: Market and Monopoly

(30:20) Max Levchin’s Obsession with Security: Building Trust

(35:36) PayPal's Viral Growth: User-Centric Design

(41:54) Surviving the eBay Wars: Strategic Partnerships

(48:10) The IPO and Beyond: Timing and Execution

(54:00) The Role of Culture: From Chaos to Cohesion

(59:42) PayPal Mafia: Legacy and Impact

(01:05:30) Entrepreneurship Cha

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What are decentralized clinical trials? 

What are the benefits of decentralized clinical trials?

Why are decentralized clinical trials the way of the future?

Emily Mitchell,  Executive Director of ICON’s DCT team, discusses the benefits of these trials and what needs to be considered to ensure these benefits are realized. 

Emily Mitchell has over 15 years of experience working in the CRO industry in Data Management, Project Management, and Clinical Operations. During her tenure at ICON, Emily partnered with an actigraphy vendor to run a pilot study with employees on the wear compliance and comparison of a medical grade activity tracker to a commercial grade version. 

Before the pandemic, Emily helped set up and support the first fully decentralized trial at ICON. She has continued to present at various conferences around the best practices for decentralized studies, ensuring minimized patient and site burden while optimizing data capture. Emily is an active member of the Society of Clinical Data Management (SCDM) and has presented about decentralized trials at numerous conferences.

ICON is the only CRO to offer all services (without the need to contract third-party services or technology) and deliver end-to-end integrated decentralized clinical trial solutions.  

ICON supported the delivery of the first decentralized clinical trial that has had positive published results in a medical journal – Nature Medicine

We are talking about

⭐ Decentralized clinical trials
⭐How they benefit patients
⭐The impact on budgeting
⭐Successful deployment of clinical trials an
⭐ Much, much more

Youtube

🕛 Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:30) Kick off with Summer Weather
(06:30) What are Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT)
(07:30) Benefits of DCT
(08:45) Real-Life Example for a DCT from ICON Plc
(11:48) What was the Motivation to Develop the DCT Model before the Pandemic?
(14:30) Logistics in Clinical Trials
(16:20) Managing DCT
(17:45) Patient Response to DCT
(18:35) Benefits of DCT in Increasing Diversity in Patients Population
(22:30) More Diversity in Patient Population Equals More Valuable Data
(26:00) The Role of Social Media in Patient Recruitment
(27:22) Data Management in Decentralized Clinical Trials
(29:25) Improvement in Data Collection With AI/ML, Tablets, And Wearables
(31:07) DCT and associated cost
(34:08) Which Indications are suitable for DCT?
(37:30) How do decentralized clinical trials impact the duration of a trial?
(40:15) How long does the planning phase in a DCT model take?
(43:30) ICON’s Partnership Model
(47:13) The Demographics of Social Media as a Recruitment Tool for Clinical Trials
(50:10) Patient Experience in DCT
(52:57) How to Keep Patients Motivated Through a DCT
(56:00) Data Collection by Patients
(57:40) Long-term follow-ups in the DCT Model
(01:00:55) Patient Empowerment in Decentralized Cli

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What is the best approach to starting a novel deep tech life science company?

In this episode, I am talking with Samatha Dale Strasser, CSO, and co-founder of Pepper Bio, about her academic career at the University of Cambridge and MIT and the process of starting Pepper Bio.

Backed by VC firm NFX, Pepper Bio uses proprietary lab methods and computational abilities to unlock a new level of sophistication in drug discovery.
Called the "Google Maps for drug discovery" Pepper Bio helps partners find the safest, fastest route to new, effective drugs in clinical trials by analyzing transomics data.
So far, the company has already identified applications of its technology for rare diseases in oncology, neurology, and inflammatory.

Samantha Dale Strasser, PhD, is CSO and co-founder of Pepper Bio. Samantha co-founded Pepper Bio based on foundational work she pioneered during her PhD studies at MIT.  Her development of the first trans-omic machine learning platform revolutionizes how we discover drugs and treat disease.  This approach has already identified and validated previously unseen insights in inflammatory diseases and undruggable cancers.  She paved the way to Pepper’s first commercial partner, eager to apply this approach to central nervous system diseases. 

We are talking about:
⭐The Eco-Systems in Boston
⭐ The Importance of Aligning Vision – Mission – Goals – Actions
⭐ Challenges in Drug Development
⭐ Fundraising strategies for the United States
⭐The Story Behind Pepper Bio
⭐ And Much, Much more

Youtube

🕛 Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction Pepper Bio and Samantha Dale Strasser
(02:30) Start of the recording
(03:00) Heatwaves, Paintings, and the Sky Above Boston
(05:00) Culture in Boston/Cambridge and Cambridge, UK – MIT and the University of Cambridge
(16:08) Samantha's Motivation to Start Pepper Bio
(19:20) The Startup Eco-System in Boston, Massachusetts
(21:27) The 3 Critical Key Success Factors of the Deep Tech Eco-System in Boston
(24:40) Starting Points for Global Founders to Connect to the Eco-System in and around Boston
(26:40) Real Life and Digital Meetings – The Best of Two Worlds
(29:55) Fundraising in the United States – 3 Key Success Factors 
(33:17) Relationship-building with Investors and Duration of Fundraising in 2022
(31:08) The 3 Do's and Don'ts When Fundraising with US-Based Investors
(44:05) Vision Statement – Pepper Bio
(47:10) The Story Behind Pepper Bio's Foundation
(51:12) Challenges in Drug Development to Improve Success Rates
(55:49) Novel Solutions for Making Sense of Scientific Data
(01:00:15) Pepper Bio's Team
(01:03:30) The Importance of Aligning Vision – Goals – Actions
(01:05:00) Hiring Strategy
(01:05:30) Fundraising at Pepper Bio in 2022
(01:09:10) What is the Best First Step Towards Entrepreneurship?

Podcast Links:
Podcast Community: https://lsg2g.substack.com/
Community Partner: https://linktr.ee/lsg2g
Christian Soschner: https://linktr.ee/soschner
LSG2G Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-science-get2gether
Podcast Episodes: https://pod.link/1493847125

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What is the best methodology for presenting your Company to investors, industry partners, and public funding organizations?

Here is the answer:

In this episode, Donna LaVoie presents her famous “15-slides-methodology” in great detail.

Donna is a proven strategic communications leader in health and science innovation. She is a trusted advisor on strategic communications issues, especially around complex problems affecting multiple stakeholders. She brings a unique combination of public and investor relations expertise, including product launch experience.

LaVoieHealthScience was launched in 2001 after a corporate career with signature biotech companies leading strategic communications functions during tremendous growth, product and business launches, and international geographic expansion.

As an acknowledged leader in health science communications with public and investor platforms, LaVoieHealthScience is recognized as a top 30 independent healthcare agency in the US. The agency has received more than 35 awards for its client work. It is recognized by INC.5000 Hall of Fame – Fastest Growing Private Companies, Boston Business Journal’s top Massachusetts PR firms, PharmaVOICE 100, and O’Dwyers.

We are talking about:
↪️ Why 15 slides are sufficient in corporate presentations
↪️ Why you should have an Agenda slide
↪️ Why an Appendix is important
↪️ What is Better? Detail or Simplicity?
↪️ The interplay of Problem and Solution
↪️ Why the Team slide matters
↪️ Why you need to adapt the presentation to your audience
↪️ And much, much more

Youtube Video

🕛 Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(00:45) Donna LaVoie and LaVoieHealthSciences
(02:35) Content of the Episode
(03:00) Review of #bio2022 in San Diego
(04:04) The 15 Slides Presentation Methodology
(08:42) Why is the 15 Slides Methodology Relevant for Experienced Presenters?
(12:15) Why are you here – What is your ask?
(14:00) Why are conventions important?
(16:05) Should Presenters consider the different cultural backgrounds when preparing for presentations?
(16:51) The Importance of Colours
(19:33) Storytelling, Simplicity, Novelty, and Clarity – The Ingredients of Successful Pitch Decks
(24:00) Industry Dilemma
(24:30) What’s Your Story? – 15 Slides Topics Overview
(27:45) Title Slide
(31:15) Company Snapshot
(32:12) The Agenda  Why Creating Anticipation as a Hook Matters in Presentations
.(33:00) Describing the Problem and the Solution – Why it Matters
(37:15) The Market and Target Product Profile
(40:00) Competitive Positioning
(42:20) The Team
(46:45) The Pipeline and Clinical Data
(50:00) Regulatory Strategy
(51:00) Manufacturing Strategy
(52:35) Commercial Strategy
(55:00) Financials
(56:45) Summary of the Presentation
(58:30) How Specific Should Deal terms be in a Pitch Presentation?
(01:01:45) Ending Slide – Cultural and Diversity Considerations
(01:03:00) How Much Time Should Executives Take to Prepare their Corporate Story for Fundraising?
(01:05:00) How LaVoie Health Science Helps Life Science Entrepreneurs and Investors

Podcast Links:
Podcast Community: https://lsg2g.substack.com/
Community Partner: https://linktr.ee/lsg2g
Christian Soschner: https

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Happy Birthday, Inits. Today 20 years ago – July 27, 2002 – Inits – Vienna’s most important high Tech Incubation Program was created.

In this episode, I am talking with Irene Fialka, CEO of Inits. In 20 years, Inits has supported over 300 high-tech #startups with the necessary tools for a successful and sustainable market entry.

Dr. Irene Fialka is CEO of INiTS, Vienna’s University Business Incubator (UBI), supporting entrepreneurs with R&D-based business ideas serving all academic institutions in Vienna. She has a genetics/molecular biology background and has worked with deep-tech startups since 2004.

Under her leadership, INiTS was awarded three times by UBI Globalas, one of the TOP ranked UBIs in the world. INiTS’ startups have proven to be extremely successful in raising funds (12 x the average UBI-supported startup according to UBI Global) and finding strategic partners. She worked with the founders of, e.g., Apeptico, Blue Danube Robotics, Lexogen, Lithoz, Marinomed, mySugr, and many more. Marinomed is the first of over 300 companies that went public in 2019 (IPO on the Vienna Stock exchange).

In collaboration with partners such as Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, and Uniqa, Dr. Fialka and her team launched the HealthHubVienna (healthhubvienna.com) in 2018, an acceleration program for international health startups to drive innovation and change in the healthcare industry in Europe.

In this episode, we are talking about:

• Success Story of Inits from 2002 to 2022
• Development of the Startup Eco-System in Europe
• 3 Major Developments of Inits in the last 20 years
• Inits Vision for the coming two decades 
• Female Founders and
• Much more

Youtube Video

I wish the team of Inits all the best for their birthday celebration. Keep up your great work – it has a huge positive impact on the startup ecosystem in Europe

🕛 Timestamps
(00:00) Kick Off
(03:00) Birthday Wishes
(04:00) When Did Inits Start?
(05:30) From 2002 to 2022 – How Did the Eco-System in Vienna Evolve?
(07:40) Early Days of Life Science in Austria – Intercell in 1997, Alexander von Gabain, Werner Lanthaler, Max Birnstiel
(08:25) What was Inits Starting Point in 2002?
(09:20) Tech Transfer in Austria Early 2000 – The Days of the “Ausseninsitut”
(12:32) Business Models of Academic StartUps and Their Challenges – from 2002 to 2022
(15:20) Impressive KPIs of Inits
(19:00) Companies are About Making Revenues
(21:16) Inits For Academic Startups in 2022
(26:35) Public Funding in Austria
(27:32) How the Campus in St. Marx Developed since 2006 – Vienna Bio Center, Start-Up Labs, Inits. 
(29:45) INits Support in 2004
(31:00) Coaching, Mentoring, and Advising for Startups
(32:30) The 3 Major Developments at INITS Since 2002
(38:20) INiTs StartUps In Africa
(43:20) Challenges and Opportunities in the Global StartUp Eco-System
(45:05) StartUp Success Stories from the Inits Universe – MySugr, Shpock, Zoho, Marinomed, Origimm, Lithos, Ecop
(52:05) Consistency between Strategy and Action – Aligning Interests
(55:05) 3 Avoidable Mistakes in Startups  
(58:52) Patience and Endurance as Ingredients For Success
(01:00:05) Digital Health – Health Hub Vienna
(01:01:50) Inits Vision for the Coming Two Decades
(01:02:15) Diversity and Female Founders
(01:03:25) Integrating Circular Economy Concepts & Sustainability
(01:04:00

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What is happening in all things digital assets, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and alike? The market crashed. Is it all over now? 

Investing with experts is always the best idea when investing in new areas. This episode was recorded in February 2022, and I am happy that I had the chance to speak with two experts in digital assets from Austria:

Astrid Woollard and Christian Niedermüller, SMAPE Capital

Astrid is the CIO of Smape Capital. Their slogan is: We invest beyond mission-driven tokenized economies. She is also working as an independent consultant in
digitalization, digital business models, blockchain technology applications,
and IP strategy

Christian Niedermüller has been 15+ years in banking/traditional finance in very challenging roles, but finally went full time into the DLT/Blockchain and digital asset universe after being 6+ years massively involved anyway.

Topics we discuss in this episode:

• Smape Capital
• Satoshi Nakamoto 
• NFTs
• DAOs 
• The Metaverse and 
• Much much more

Youtube Video

🕛 Timestamps
(00:00) Kick Off
(01:07) What is Smape Capital?
(04:15) The History of Digital Assets
(05:05) Who is Satoshi Nakamoto
(07:07) Next Generation Token
(09:53) Use Cases for NFTs
(12:40) What Is DAO?
(14:10) Astrid Woollard’s and Christian Niedermüller’s First Steps Into the Crypto Market
(21:13) The Driving Forces Behind the Digital Asset Revolution
(25:10) The Bitcoin Pizza Day
(26:11) The Tokenized Economy
(28:02) Use Cases for the Token Economy
(33:10) Useability of Tokens for Investments in Equity, Real Estate, and other Asset Classes
(37:00) Unbanking the Banked, and Banking the Unbanked
(40:11) Digital Assets and Inflation.
(42:55) The Remittance Network – An Opportunity for Digital Assets?
(46:50) Money Laundering and the Blockchain
(51:27) Digital Assets in the Metaverse – Why, What, And How
(54:42) NFTs in the Metaverse
(56:08) How NFTs Will Change the Gaming Industry
(59:00) The Availability of Capital for Digital Asset Projects
(01:01:51) New Funds in the Digital Asset Eco-System
(01:06:01) Why Should Family Offices and High Networth Individuals invest in Funds Rather Than Bitcoin
(01:12:42) The Future of Investing in Digital Assets

Podcast Links:
Podcast Website: https://www.lifescienceget2gether.com/
Podcast Community: https://lsg2g.substack.com/
Community Partner: https://linktr.ee/lsg2g
Christian Soschner: https://linktr.ee/soschner
LSG2G Twitter: https://twitter.com/LGet2gether
LSG2G Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-science-get2gether
Podcast Episodes: https://pod.link/1493847125
Episodes on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlZfrwd6iXrQ3LIANISUpP22seS2CsCEV

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It is the 80th episode on my podcast channel. In 2020 I wanted to try how podcasts can bring value to my life science business community.

One of the first speakers on the podcast was Alexander Belcredi, Phagomed. He and Co-CEO Lorenzo Corsini started their Company in 2015 and developed Alternatives to Antibiotics.; which was also the title of Episode #9 - Alternatives to Antibiotics.

In April 2020, Alexander and Lorenzo were fundraising for their Company. Two years later, they signed an acquisition deal with the german Company BioNTech.

After the acquisition, I sometimes heard on the market that Alexander and Lorenzo's success story came a bit unexpected.

That's why I asked Alexander and Lorenzo to come back to the show to highlight how entrepreneurs create unexpected results in business.

Topics we discuss in this episode:

➡️ The Decision-Making Process to Start a Company
➡️ How to Build Processes, Structures, and Teams
➡️ The Reality of Fundraising
➡️ The 5 Key Learnings of First-Time Founders
➡️ And much, much more...

Connect with the experts on the show:
Alexander Belcredi
Lorenzo Corsini

Youtube Video

🕒  Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction

(06:30) How Easy is it to Create an Overnight Startup Success?

(09:07) The Defining Moment of a New Company

(12:10) Is the Ideation Phase the Right Time to Found a New Company?

(16:19) Some Thoughts on Why 9 out of 10 Startups Fail

(17:45) From Ideation to Market – How Much Time is Needed in the Pharma Industry?

(21:16) The Complexity of Founding and Developing Life Science Companies

(25:40) The Early Days of a Company Formation – Structures, Teams, Processes

(31:33) Dealing with adversity

(36:15) Operating in a B2B Environment

(39:45) The 3 Major Obstacles During the Phagomed Journey

(44:40) Adapting the Own Expectations as an Entrepreneur

(47:10) Finding the Right Business Case for the Company

(58:10) How Important is Relationship Building During Fundraising?

(01:06:47) Finding the Right Balance Between Dilution, Control, and Fundraising.

(01:12:42) Why Downsrounds Are a Danger for the Motivation

(01:15:43) How Plannable Are Acquisitions from the Seller's Perspective

(01:24:46) 5 Key Learnings From the Phagomed Journey

(01:31:00) What is the first step towards founding a company?

Podcast Links:
Podcast Website: https://www.lifescienceget2gether.com/
Podcast Community: https://lsg2g.substack.com/
Community Partner: https://linktr.ee/lsg2g
Christian Soschner: https://linktr.ee/soschner
LSG2G Twitter: https://twitter.com/LGet2gether
LSG2G Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-science-get2gether
Podcast Episodes: https://pod.link/1493847125
Episodes on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlZfrwd6iXrQ3LIANISUpP22seS2CsCEV

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These days many sources are highlighting the shocking scale of the global mental health crisis and how this affects approx—a staggering one billion people worldwide - over one-seventh of the global population.

“Unfortunately, as harrowing and monstrous this number is”, the investor Christian Angermayer wrote in a blog post, “it is my belief this is a gross UNDER-estimate.”

Ultimately, the number of people needing mental health support is arguably all 100% of the world's population.

I invited Dr. Jonathan Sporn, CEO of Gilgamesh Pharmaceutical, to gain more insights into the unmet medical need in mental health and the promising novel psychedelic drug development sector

Jonathan Sporn MD is a Board Certified Psychiatrist, assistant professor at Columbia University, and CEO of Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, based in NYC, which is developing novel psychedelic-related or inspired medicines to treat mental illness.

Topics we discuss in this episode:

➡️ Global Mental Health Situation
➡️ The History of Psychedelic Drug Development
➡️ Investors in this promising area
➡️ The Background Story to the foundation of Gilgamesh Pharmaceutical and
➡️ And the Different Ingredients Needed to Structure a Novel Game-Changing Drug Development Company

Connect with Jonathan Sporn on Linkedin
Youtube Video

🕒  Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction to Topic, Speaker, and Company
(04:00) Life in New York in 2022
(07:15) The Global Mental Health Pandemic 
(10:39) Mass Shootings in the United States as a result of the Mental health Situation
(14:05) Why is it Necessary to Develop Novel Drugs to Fight Mental Health Issues in Society 
(19:00) The History of Drug Development for Mental Health Patients
(24:00) How Effective Are Psychedelic Drugs to Tackle Mental Health Questions?
(25:05) Psychedelic Drugs in Pop Culture
(26:40) What Inspired Jonathan Sporn to Dedicate His Professional Life to Advance R&D in Psychedelic Drugs
(29:30) Psychedelic Drugs Help to Observe Own Behaviour
(32:30) Root Causes of Mood Disorders like Maniac Depression, Bipolar Disorder
(34:05) Psychedelic Drugs Enhance Neuroplasticity
(36:50) From Basic Research to Drug Development in the Pharma Industry
(40:10) Mental Health R&D at J&J
(43:40) S-Ketamine vs. K-Ketamine – Difference and Similarities
(46:35) Early-Stage Research in Big Pharma
(49:00) Big Pharma and Small Biotechs
(51:50) The decision to Start A New Company
(57:00) Foundation of Perception Neuroscience – From Early Stage Research to Clinical Phase 2 to Exit 
(59:05) Atai Life Science – Continuing Development of the Compounds against Depression
Supporting links: 
(01:00:00) Reasons for Becoming a Serial Entrepreneur After a Successful Exit Deal
(01:06:00) Drug Development is Simple – Given an Experienced Drug Development Team
(01:08:00) What is the unique approach of Gilgamesh Pharmaceutical?
(01:10:15) Target Product Profile of Psychedelic Drugs 
(01:20:30) Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals Mission and Vision
(01:23:20) Patents in Psychedelic Drug Development
(01:24:45) Business Model of Gilgamesh Pharmaceutical
(01:29:00) Artificial Intelligence in Psychedelic Drug Development
(01:33:14) Investing in the Psychedelic Drug Development Industry
(01:37:22) Life Science VCs in the Psychedelic Drug Development Industry
(01:39:00) Christian Angermayer, Peter Thiel, Mike Novogratz – Investors in Psychedelic Drug Development

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