logo
episode-header-image
Jun 3
58m 13s

Building The YC of Biotech with Zach Wei...

OpenLP from Sapphire Partners
About this episode

Zach Weinberg, co-founder and CEO of Curie.Bio, is redefining early-stage biotech investing with an operator’s mindset and a founder-first philosophy. His approach combines funding with operational support and direct access to world-class drug hunters to dramatically increase odds of success. Today, Zach sits down with Nick Chirls, GP at Asylum Ventures and Beezer Clarkson,  LP at Sapphire Partners to discuss the massive risk associated with traditional therapeutics startups, how pairing a drug discovery partner with a seed investor solves those inefficiencies, and how biotech, the global economy and the political landscape are all closely connected.


Learn more about Sapphire Partners: sapphireventures.com/sapphire-partners

Learn more about OpenLP: openlp.vc

Learn more about Asylum Ventures: asylum.vc

Learn more about Curie.Bio: curie.bio


For a monthly roundup of the latest venture insights, including the newest Origins episodes, subscribe to the OpenLP newsletter – delivered straight to your inbox: subscribe.openlp.vc


CHAPTERS:

(0:00) Welcome to Origins

(5:08) Was Hunter High School Harder Than Penn?

(10:22) Transitioning From SaaS to Biotech

(20:55) Why Is Building a Biotech Venture Firm So Hard?

(27:55) Building Curie.Bio

(32:24) Zach on Drug Discovery

(43:12) Biotech in China

(49:42) AI in Biotech

(54:51) "The Manhattan Project of Biology"


Up next
Jul 8
Merchant Banks: Venture’s Next Act with Will Manidis
Before he sold his company to Veradigm, Will Manidis’s Science.io developed an AI model that allowed doctors to translate mountains of medical documents into usable data to improve patient outcomes. Today Will is the SVP of AI at Veradigm, and he sits down with Nick and Beezer to ... Show More
43m 54s
Jun 17
Minisode: Innovation Energy And the Future of Biotech
Origins hosts Nick Chirls, GP at Asylum Ventures and Beezer Clarkson, LP at Sapphire Partners and co-founder of OpenLP, unpack their conversation with Zach Weinberg, Co-Founder and CEO of Curie.Bio. They discuss the “innovation energy” that drives new breakthroughs and take a clo ... Show More
11m 24s
May 20
Minisode: How Novel Strategies Become the Venture Industry’s Standard
Origins hosts Nick Chirls, GP at Asylum Ventures and Beezer Clarkson, LP at Sapphire Partners and co-founder of OpenLP, unpack their conversation with Theory Ventures’ Tomasz Tunguz, discussing how strategies that once set firms apart – like pre-seed or founder-centric investing ... Show More
13m 56s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
E191 | ACT | Deepali Nangia, Speedinvest
Welcome to At The Cap Table podcast, a new series that shines the spotlight on the investors who are changing the vc industry in Europe. Today your host Savs Tan welcomes Deepali Nangia, Partner at Speedinvest. Speedinvest is a hands-on, pan-European early stage tech investor, pa ... Show More
34m 3s
Sep 2024
Private Equity Spotlight: Susan Soh on Building with Data and Innovation
In this episode of Private Equity Spotlight, Sean Mooney, founder and CEO of BluWave, engages in a dynamic conversation with Susan Soh, Chief of Capital Formation and Investor Relations at GrowthCurve Capital. Susan shares her unique journey from law to the forefront of private e ... Show More
44m 43s
Jul 2024
ESG trends in venture capital: governance matters
In this episode of the podcast, guest host Laura Webb, a partner in the Emerging and High Growth Companies Group at Osler, and Olivia Hornby, Managing Partner of Spring Impact Capital, an impact-focused venture capital (VC) fund, discuss the continuing growth of ESG in the privat ... Show More
31m 14s
Sep 2024
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Being a business owner means having to innovate constantly and navigate change. So Inc., in partnership with Capital One Business, wants to help you figure out Your Next Move. Join Anu Duggal, founding partner of Female Founders Fund, the first early-stage fund for female-founded ... Show More
35m 53s
May 27
Katie Koch - Be A Force Multiplier - [Joys of Compounding, REPLAY]
Our teacher today is Katie Koch. Katie is the President and CEO of the TCW Group, a storied firm with over 200 billion in assets under management and a fascinating 50-year legacy as a pioneer in the investment industry. Katie just took the TCW reins in 2023 after more than 20 yea ... Show More
1h 18m
Dec 2024
E117: What Will Family Offices Invest into in 2025? w/Hansen Ringer
Hansen Ringer, Managing Director at Sepio Capital sits down with David Weisburd to discuss the asset class that delivers equity-like returns without the market risk, what distressed credit reveals about market cycles and investor behavior, and what happens when stocks and bonds m ... Show More
42m 10s
Oct 2024
Muse #2 - From lab-grown diamonds to Royal endorsements: Jessica Warch on Kimai’s rise, Meghan Markle, and Dragons' Den
This week’s Muse is Jessica Warch, Forbes 30 under 30, and CEO and co-founder of Kimai, a lab-grown diamond company she bootstrapped with her childhood best friend and GIA certified gemologist Sidney Neuhas, with the aim of reinventing an old industry with sustainability and tran ... Show More
37m 28s
Sep 2024
Private Equity Spotlight: James Sidwa on Nurturing Growth in Family Businesses
In this episode of Private Equity Spotlight, Sean Mooney, founder and CEO of BluWave, sits down with James Sidwa, Managing Partner at Heartwood Partners. James shares his journey from the roots of entrepreneurship within his family to his pivotal role in private equity. With a ri ... Show More
35m 32s
Jul 2021
Julia Bonafede – Rosetta Analytics (Manager Meetings, EP.04)
On today’s manager meeting, Jim Dunn speaks with Julia Bonafede. Jim is a past guest on the show and the CEO and CIO of Verger Capital, an OCIO whose anchor client is Wake Forest University.  Jim previously served as CIO of Wake Forest and before that, was CIO of investment consu ... Show More
1 h