Hey {{first_name|default:there}}, itās Vadim š
I donāt know about you, but I feel like Iāve been paying my dues weather-wise since basking in the California sunshine during JPM.
If youāre in NYC or anywhere on the east coast, you know what I mean š„¶
Hereās hoping the fundraising environment this year brings more of that JPM energy than the snowpile outside my window - unless youāre talking about dry powder š
Speaking of which, I'm planning our content in Bio Founder GPS for the next few weeks and want to make sure I'm covering what actually matters to you. Let me know below!
What's your biggest challenge right now?
Thank you! Now, onto our main event.
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of joining a panel hosted by Erika Jefferson and Venture Capital for Scientists and Engineers on a topic that's top of mind for many in our community: how to break into VC.
I was joined by an incredible group: Alexandra "Sacha" Patera of VU Venture Partners, Melissa Lederer of mHUB Ventures, and Barbara Bickham of Trailyn VC - with Reginald Turner of Venture University moderating.
The conversation was, honestly, inspirational.
Now, I know what you're thinking: I'm a founder. Why should I care about breaking into VC?
Two reasons.
First - understanding how VCs think, especially emerging fund managers, makes you a better founder. I've said before that emerging managers can be exceptional partners early in your journey. They're hungry, they're building their own track record, and they often have more time and conviction for earlier-stage bets. Knowing what drives them helps you find the right ones.
Second - and this is what really struck me during the panel, the skillset required to ābreak inā and ābreak outā as a first-time investor is remarkably similar to what it takes to succeed as an early-stage biotech CEO. Most early-stage founders donāt get to see this side of the coin - and thatās something Iād like to change.
Hereās what weāll cover today:
How the funding environment is shifting - from investors that live it daily
The common denominator between breaking into VC and building your first biotech
10 books to get up to speed on VC
5 programs for emerging fund managers
And more!
Let's get into it.
FOUNDER STORY
Why we need more scientist investors
A story came up during the panel that really stayed with me.
A biotech founder, trained as a scientist with deep domain expertise and years at the bench walked into a pitch meeting with a VC associate. The associate, maybe 24 years old, had a BS in Finance and had never worked in life sciences.
Within minutes, he started grilling her: Do you even know your numbers? Have you thought about unit economics?
She had. Extensively. But the way he asked - dismissive, almost condescending - made it clear he didn't think a scientist could possibly understand the business side.
She didn't get the check from that fund.
But she kept going. She refined her pitch. and found investors who understood both the science and the business.
Eventually raised from a top-tier firm that got what she was building.
And the young associate? He came back later, hat in hand, asking if there was still room in the round.
There wasn't.
Here's why this story matters: we don't have enough investors who truly understand the science and appreciate the bio founder journey.
When you're evaluating a novel therapeutic mechanism or a platform technology, pattern recognition only gets you so far.
If you don't understand the underlying biology or the journey from the bench to biotech, you're guessing. And guessing at the early stage is how you miss the best opportunities - or worse, fund the wrong ones.
But there's an opportunity here too. Scientists who understand both the bench AND the business are uniquely positioned - whether as founders, advisors, or investors.
The industry needs more of you on both sides of the table.
This has been the main driving force behind Bio Founder GPS, so I was genuinely excited to find partners on this mission.