Talking HealthTech: 322 – BioTech Investment – AusBioInvest 2022 Feature Episode

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In this episode of Talking HealthTech, host Peter Birch sits down with some of the top minds in the biotech industry at the AusBioInvest 2022 event in Perth. 

Join in as Pete interviews Dr Nilay Thakar, Principal of ARCH Venture Partners, and goes inside the mind of a venture capitalist and how to build an innovative biotech company. 

Then, hear from Dr Daniel Getts, Co-Founder and CEO of Myeloid Therapeutics, as he talks about leveraging opportunities to accelerate innovation in Australia and the US. 

Finally, check out Pete’s conversation with Dr. Arjun Goyal, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Vida Ventures, as they discuss translating groundbreaking science into new medicines in the 21st century. Tune in for a glimpse into the current state of biotech and how investors should think about it.

Dr Nilay Thakar, Principal of ARCH Venture Partners

First Up Pete sits down with Dr Nilay Thakar, Principal of ARCH Venture Partners, to discuss the process of building innovative biotech companies. Dr Thakar, who is based in Boston and originally from Brisbane, explains that Arch Venture Partners is a life science and physical science-focused venture capital fund currently operating their 12th fund, with close to $3 billion total and $9 billion assets under management. He highlights the importance of building new companies in the biotech space, and emphasizes that relationships and credibility are key when building a biotech company. Dr Thakar also mentions that the biotech industry is relatively small, and that one can connect with anyone in the biotech space within three degrees of connection. He stresses the importance of maintaining credibility, integrity, and doing it for the right reasons whether it’s to get drugs in the clinic or to generate billions of dollars in revenue.

Dr Daniel Getts, Co-Founder and CEO, of Myeloid Therapeutics

Next up Pete speaks with Dr Daniel Getz, Co-Founder and CEO of Myeloid Therapeutics, to discuss his experiences building biotech companies in the United States. Dr Getz, who is originally from Sydney and now lives in Massachusetts, talks about the company’s efforts to increase its footprint in Australia, and how they are looking to work with governments and local companies to leverage expertise, tax incentives, and do good things for the Australian biotech community. He emphasizes that relationships and building credibility are key to success in the biotech industry, and shares that it was hard for him to find people to help him build relationships as he did not have any in the United States when he moved there. He talks about the importance of building trust and how his first biotech company was the hardest to build. He also mentions that it’s important to be in the US if you are looking to get US funding, and advises Australian companies to take technologies that are being developed in the US.

Dr. Arjun Goyal, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Vida Ventures

Dr Goyal, whose firm is a life sciences focused investment firm based in the US, talks about how they transform science into new medicines and why this is a golden age for scientific innovation in biotech. He mentions that while there are headwinds in the short-term such as the cost of capital, global interest rates and concerns around drug price reform, the long-term view in biotech is positive. He emphasizes the importance of people and how it takes a village to raise a medicine and how the industry is becoming increasingly regulated, making it hard to find people with the right skillset to manage these companies.

_{Source talkinghealthtech.com}