Larry Hamann, co-founder, president, and CEO of Interdict Bio, speaks with Venrock Vice President Mariana Mihalusova about lessons learned from his career in drug discovery. Hamann delves into where his love for organic chemistry stems from and why inclusive environments are essential to building successful teams. He also speaks about the do’s and don'ts when structuring collaborations with big pharma, when a drug is “good enough” to move forward in development and new approaches he's excited fo...
Sep 22, 2022•30 min
Venrock partner Bob Kocher speaks with Dr. Drew Altman, CEO of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and founding publisher of Kaiser Health News (KNH), about dealing with misinformation and skepticism with expertise and facts. Altman reveals how misinformation, fragmented media, and a broken political system exacerbate the public’s low trust in experts. Altman discusses KHN’s origin story, the importance of busting liars without elevating them, and his thoughts on the Inflation Reduction ...
Aug 31, 2022•26 min
Jim Del Favero, Head of Product at Figure, a fintech company using blockchain to help homeowners better tap their home equity, joins Venrock partner Brian Ascher to discuss what makes a great product manager. Del Favero reveals why great PMs focus on outcomes, not outputs, and critically think about the problem that needs to be solved. Del Favero and Ascher also talk through common mistakes PMs make, the engineering and PM relationship, and data-driven vs. years of experience decisions.
Aug 03, 2022•40 min
Venrock partner Brian Ascher speaks with Nicole Alvino, co-founder and CEO of Firstup, about effective workforce communication both digitally and in person. Alvino highlights fostering employee connection through authentic and transparent communication, using the power of video to drive engagement, and discusses expectations for corporate social responsibility. Plus, Alvino reveals a non-obvious lesson learned – employees want to hear from their peers (not just their leaders).
May 25, 2022•20 min
Company success is predicated on the people, according to Daversa Partners founder and CEO, Paul Daversa. Venrock partner Bryan Roberts chats with Daversa about the nuances of recruiting impactful senior-level leadership candidates who are a fit for the needs of the company. They cover hiring high will over high skill, understanding that candidates are stage sensitive and ways to avoid terminal hires. Daversa also discusses the intentionality of Dreamscape, the challenges, and the impact they’ve...
Mar 30, 2022•31 min
Venrock partner Andrew Gottesdiener speaks with Jigar Raythatha, former CEO of Constellation Pharmaceuticals, about lessons learned from his time at Constellation. As Constellation has evolved from an early-stage company to being acquired by MorphoSys, Raythatha dives into its many life-cycles, his heavy involvement in the recruitment process, and the decision to conduct a PIPE financing. Raythatha also shares the characteristics to look for in an investor syndicate and the challenges of scaling...
Feb 09, 2022•26 min
Venrock partner Racquel Bracken speaks with Markus Renschler, President and CEO of Cyteir Therapeutics, to discuss the journey that led him to Cyteir, and the company’s path to going public. Renschler dives into an important lesson his parents instilled in him from a young age, “be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” and explains how this lesson has played an important role in his career journey. As a practicing hematologist oncologist, Renschler highlights the value of people skills and how ...
Jan 05, 2022•28 min
With rising reports of Omicron in the United States, Venrock partner Bryan Roberts speaks with Dr. Charity Dean, CEO and co-founder of Public Health Company (PHC), to discuss her predictions and concerns for the latest Covid-19 variant. Dean and Roberts also talk about the long-term societal impacts of Covid, the severity of disease, and which groups are best protected. As Covid-19 revealed the cracks in the U.S. public health system, Dean shares how she anticipates public infrastructure to evol...
Dec 07, 2021•32 min
Brad Stulberg, bestselling author of the books ‘The Passion Paradox’ and ‘Peak Performance,’ joins Venrock partner Bob Kocher to discuss his newest book, ‘The Practice of Groundedness.’ Stulberg offers a healthier, more sustainable model for success and dives into what groundedness means to him – a sense of feeling solid, stable, and whole; in a way that doesn’t eliminate ambition. Stulberg highlights the value of being present and how his views on well-being and performance have evolved. Kocher...
Oct 25, 2021•27 min
Venrock partner Bob Kocher speaks with Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, Professor and Dean at Brown University School of Public Health, about the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and knowledge translation in tackling big public health problems. Dr. Jha delves into the journey that led him to become Dean at Brown University and his thoughts on academia’s role in sharing information with the public. Dr. Jha and Kocher discuss the challenges of allocating vaccines and investing more in public health ...
Aug 26, 2021•25 min
Not knowing where items are located, what’s in stock, or if they are properly priced cost the global retail industry more than a trillion dollars. Venrock partner David Pakman speaks with Brad Bogolea, co-founder and CEO of Simbe Robotics, about how Simbe’s robot Tally is solving these major blind spots. Bogolea delves into how robotic solutions can keep up with rapid changes without overhauling infrastructure and provide greater optical data than traditional solutions. Bogolea discusses the com...
Jun 23, 2021•29 min
Vlad Coric, M.D., CEO of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, joins Venrock partner Nimish Shah to speak about the significance of innovation and creativity across all aspects of a business. Coric dives into the challenges of launching Biohaven’s drug, Nurtec ODT, during the pandemic and why he believed it was their moral duty to continue the drug supply chain, despite the lockdown. Still seeing patients today, Coric discusses how his patient-centric approach positively guided him as a drug developer. Cori...
May 26, 2021•24 min
Venrock partner Nick Beim speaks with Jason Wenk, founder and CEO of Altruist, about his mission to increase the accessibility of great financial advice. Wenk walks through his early entrepreneurial endeavors and explains how they’ve contributed to the creation of Altruist. As his leadership style has evolved over the years, Wenk shares the biggest lesson he’s learned while building Altruist and how he’s embraced the fact that it’s okay to not know everything.
May 05, 2021•22 min
Cyrus Harmon, co-founder and CTO of Olema Oncology, joins Venrock partner Alex Rosen to discuss the history of Olema. Olema had a successful IPO last year and Harmon sheds light on what biotech companies should look for when selecting banks for an IPO and how to build momentum for financing rounds. He also dives into the factors that led to the founding of Olema and how the company evolved to develop their OP-1250 drug, used for the treatment of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Harmon s...
Apr 21, 2021•23 min
Venrock partner Camille Samuels speaks with Angie You, CEO of Amunix, and Rich Heyman, Chairman of the Board, about the dynamics between a CEO and a Chairperson that foster a successful company. You and Heyman dive into the importance of mutual trust and respect between a CEO and the Board, and You shares her passion for people that makes her such a great talent hunter. You shares her experience as an Asian female CEO that has busted through multiple ceilings, and how her supportive friends and ...
Mar 10, 2021•31 min
Eric Brown, CEO of Dynamic Signal, joins Venrock partner Brian Ascher to speak about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Brown believes you can’t have great culture without putting inclusion first, which is why it was the first thing on his agenda as he stepped into his role as CEO of Dynamic Signal last year. Brown discusses some of the company’s initiatives, including the Mentorship and Access program, and shares how these programs have been received so far. Brown also shares the challenges of b...
Feb 17, 2021•21 min
Venrock Partner Mike Tyrrell speaks with Jason Purcell, co-founder and CEO of Salsify to discuss his career and how Endeca’s $1B exit lead to the creation of Salsify. Purcell explains how we are in the midst of a “masses of markets” world, and delves into how commerce experience management platforms like Salsify are helping brands navigate a space where consumers engage with products on a broad variety of channels and win on the digital shelf. Purcell shares the toughest part of his journey at S...
Feb 03, 2021•17 min
Dataminr uses AI to detect when major events are happening, long before the first news reports emerge. How is this possible? Venrock’s Nick Beim chats with Dataminr’s co-founder and CEO Ted Bailey to discuss how the rise of real-time data platforms and misinformation around the 9/11 attacks helped spark the idea for the company. He shares how Dataminr helps clients mitigate and respond to potential crises more effectively, including the ongoing pandemic. They also discuss how the Dataminr workfo...
Jan 20, 2021•26 min
Emily Drabant Conley, CEO of Federation Bio, joins Venrock partner Racquel Bracken to chat about lessons learned from her time at 23andMe and how Federation Bio is disrupting the microbiome space. Conley discusses key takeaways from her experience in handling moments of crisis, including the importance of transparency and staying consistent with your company’s mission. As a female CEO, Conley shares what traits of 23andMe’s Anne Wojcicki she tries to emulate and discusses how setting aggressive ...
Jan 06, 2021•25 min
Venrock partner Nimish Shah speaks with Jason Fenton, managing director and head of healthcare capital markets at Cowen, to discuss the explosion of activity in the biotech IPO market this year. Fenton dives into the pros and cons of a virtual IPO process and shares best practices for companies looking to go public. Shah and Fenton outline some of the important factors to consider when choosing bankers and touch on common mistakes CEOs make while going through an IPO. Fenton also walks through t...
Dec 16, 2020•24 min
Ryan Nece is a former NFL player, Super Bowl winner, and now a venture capitalist at Next Play Capital. He joins Venrock partner Brian Ascher to chat about the transition from the field to the boardroom, including why so many professional athletes take an interest in venture capital and what elite athletes and successful entrepreneurs have in common. Nece shares the highs and lows of having a famous parent, football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, and his gratitude for the opportunities made possible...
Dec 02, 2020•30 min
Venrock partner Bob Kocher speaks with Hill Ferguson, CEO of Doctor On Demand, about how the company managed a huge spike in demand for virtual care as COVID-19 spread throughout the country beginning in March 2020. He shares how Doctor On Demand implemented a real-time assessment for higher-risk patients to handle growing wait times, and how they partnered with Medicare to cover virtual care visits for seniors for the first time. Kocher and Ferguson discuss how social injustice, economic hardsh...
Nov 11, 2020•21 min
Jennifer Bisceglie, CEO and founder of Interos, joins Venrock partner Nick Beim to discuss how Interos mitigates the challenges of third party risk management, particularly during the pandemic, by providing customers full visibility of their extended supply chain. Bisceglie describes how Interos continuously builds “family trees” of companies and scans for risk factors so customers can gain visibility into their supply chains and understand the vulnerabilities that can interrupt operations. She ...
Oct 28, 2020•18 min
Venrock partner Camille Samuels speaks with Corvidia co-founders Ram Aiyar and Michael Davidson about Corvidia’s recent acquisition by Novo Nordisk, just four years after its founding. They discuss how inflammation contributes to cardiovascular disease – the number one killer in the United States – and how their drug Ziltivekimab “Zilti” is proving to be a successful therapy. Aiyar and Davidson share their experiences and advice for other companies exploring a sale, including always being ready ...
Oct 14, 2020•33 min
Latane Conant, CMO of 6sense, joins Venrock partner Brian Ascher to chat about marketing strategy for B2B companies and the role of marketing in corporate culture. They discuss the “First Sip Club” which Conant started during the pandemic to stay connected to fellow SaaS marketers, and she shares how it has evolved to stay relevant in a rapidly changing environment. Conant also discusses her new book No Forms, No Spam, No Cold Calls: The Next Generation of Account-Based Sales and Marketing , whi...
Sep 30, 2020•21 min
Healthcare industry veteran George Barrett joins Venrock partner Bob Kocher to discuss how the U.S. handled the unprecedented demand for PPE (personal protective equipment) for healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Barrett explains the significance of examining all components at the supply chain level to create a system that is more flexible and resilient. They also delve into Barrett’s non-traditional business background and how his musical talents have shaped his career.
Sep 16, 2020•22 min
Venrock partner David Pakman speaks with Roham Gharegozlou, CEO and founder of Dapper Labs about launching CryptoKitties, one of the world's first and most successful blockchain games, and shares his predictions for how crypto gaming will evolve in the next decade. They also discuss the launch of NBA Top Shot, a new kind of digital collectible that capitalizes on consumer affinity for collecting and sports, and Flow, which is a blockchain that takes care of the underlying technology so developer...
Sep 02, 2020•18 min
Following up on their discussion of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, Venrock partner Bryan Roberts speaks with Mathai Mammen, Global Head of R&D at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, about Mammen’s career path and what differences he’s found working on drug development in both small companies and large companies. Managing 14,000 people has its challenges, but the scale is incredible: J&J’s products touch more than 1 billion people worldwide. They also discu...
Aug 19, 2020•32 min
Venrock partner Bryan Roberts chats with Mathai Mammen about COVID-19 vaccine development and therapeutics in this special episode of Running Through Walls. Mammen serves as the Global Head of R&D at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, where he is heading up the firm’s COVID-19 vaccine development. They discuss J&J’s unique approach to the vaccine and which therapeutics are promising in the fight against the virus. Mammen shares how the U.S. can be better prepa...
Aug 06, 2020•19 min
Allison Pickens, former COO at Gainsight and co-author of “The Customer Success Economy: Why Every Aspect of Your Business Model Needs A Paradigm Shift” joins Venrock Partner Brian Ascher to discuss the new and increasingly important function of customer success for SaaS companies. They discuss how customer success differs from customer support, how working with customers has evolved, what startups should consider when making their first customer success hires, and common mistakes companies make...
Jun 17, 2020•22 min
