The Biotech Startups Podcast

• 🧬 Rabia Khan - Serna Bio: Bridging Science & Tech—PhDs, MBAs, & Biotech Innovation (Part 2/4)

  “I wish someone had told me when I was starting my PhD to sit down and say, ‘what do I want out of this?’ and [then] write it down. Because, unlike the UK, where PhDs are three years and time bound, in Canada, they are neither time bound nor three years. And so you can meander." In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Rabia Khan, founder and CEO of Serna Bio, joins host Jon Chee to reflect on her unconventional journey through academia, business, and biotech innovation. Rabia shares how her curiosity, resilience, and embracing uncertainty shaped her journey through a PhD in genetics and an MBA. She discusses the emotional challenges of working with animal models, the benefits and limits of business school for scientists, and personal struggles, including her father’s illness. She recounts early setbacks, like rejected consulting jobs, and how a cold email landed her at Meta (now part of Chan Zuckerberg Biohub). Rabia emphasizes “manufacturing serendipity,” differences between founder and employee mindsets, and lessons from her work at BenevolentAI, highlighting the importance of cross-disciplinary communication and challenging industry norms

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• 🧬 Rabia Khan - Serna Bio: Unraveling the Genetics of AI-Driven Drug Discovery (Part 1/4)

  "I was born and raised in a developing country. I was born and raised in Pakistan. And it's very interesting when you're born in a developing country. That's your world. Right? That's all you know." In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, we delve into Rabia Khan's remarkable journey from her childhood in Pakistan to founding Serna Bio, an AI-enabled drug discovery company. Rabia shares how her early experiences in a developing country, her aunt's battle with schizophrenia, and the sequencing of the human genome in 2000 sparked her passion for genetics and healthcare. She recounts how her career options were either medicine or engineering, setting her on a path that would eventually lead to pioneering work at the intersection of AI and biotechnology. Rabia describes her transition to McGill University in Montreal, facing the shock of -40°C weather with only a leather jacket while navigating life as an international student with no support system. Despite these challenges, she pursued dual interests in biology and economics, finding her first research opportunity in a schizophrenia lab where she started by pipetting water and washing dishes.

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• 🧬Alfredo Andere - LatchBio: Revolutionizing Biopharma Data & Mastering Enterprise Sales (Part 4/4)

  "Focus and commitment to niche ideas have huge payoffs." In part four of our conversation with Alfredo Andere, co-founder of LatchBio, we explore how the company evolved from a simple workflow orchestrator into a comprehensive platform serving biopharma companies and solution providers. Alfredo shares his approach to enterprise sales, emphasizing the importance of speed, focus, and building strong relationships with customers. He also delves into his philosophy on fundraising and the pivotal role of iterative development in creating impactful biotech solutions. Alfredo reflects on the challenges and rewards of working in niche markets, explaining why deep commitment and loyalty to specific problems are essential for long-term success. Whether you’re a first-time founder or an experienced entrepreneur, this episode is packed with actionable insights on building, selling, and scaling in the biotech space.

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  46:25
• 🧬Alfredo Andere - LatchBio: Building Biotech Data Tools to Revolutionize Life Sciences (Part 3/4)

  "A lot of decisions when you're doing a startup come down to being naive enough to not know how hard it's going to be—and taking that leap of faith." In part three of our conversation with Alfredo Andere, co-founder of LatchBio, we dive into the early days of building a biotech startup from scratch. Alfredo shares how his team’s chemistry and blind faith led them to drop out of college and fully commit to solving biotech’s data infrastructure challenges. He details their rigorous market research process, which involved conducting hundreds of user interviews, and how this groundwork helped them raise an oversubscribed $5 million seed round led by Lux Capital. Alfredo also reflects on the stark contrast between cutting-edge data tools at tech giants like Google and the outdated methods still used in biotech, emphasizing the massive opportunity to revolutionize life sciences.

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• 🧬Alfredo Andere - LatchBio: College Friends, Biotech Beginnings & Thoughtful Persistence (Part 2/4)

  🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedr—helping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science. As a TBSP listener, you can get exclusive perks through Excedr’s partner network—special savings, promotions, and more. Explore these offers today: https://www.excedr.com/partners.

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